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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Been or Gone
Been or Gone
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sedefg�l
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Been or Gone
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Good evening friends!
"I have been to China three times."
"I have gone to China three times."
I must explain to my student if there is a difference between the two sentences above. Can we use both of these sentences to say that "I have visited China three times so far." or Do we have to use only the first one? |
5 Apr 2014
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cukurova
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I have been to China = I went to China before but now I am back.
I have gone to China= I went to China and I am still there( I am not back yet.)
If you want to mean that �you have visited China �(a life-long experience),you should use the expression �you have been to China �. |
5 Apr 2014
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sedefg�l
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Thank you �ukurova,but I wonder that in daily life whether natives use "I have gone to China" to express a past experience. As a rule, we must use "I have been to..", however native speakers may be using both of the sentences to express a past experience. |
5 Apr 2014
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cunliffe
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�I have been to China three times� is correct. �I have gone to China three times� - no. �To have gone� means you haven�t come back. So you can�t even say �I have gone to China.� You would have to say �I have come to China� because you are still there.
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6 Apr 2014
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yanogator
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It must be another difference between BrE and AmE, because here we definitely say, "I have gone to China three times". It has to do with emphasis. "Been" emphasizes the destination, while "gone" emphasizes the trip itself (the going).
What did you do last year? I went to China. Oh, have you been there more than once? Yes, I have gone three times.
Bruce |
6 Apr 2014
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sedefg�l
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Thanks a lot for the detailed explanations cunliffe and Bruce.
I thought using "I have gone to China three times" in daily speech might be possible. I see I am both right and wrong because of the difference between BrE and AmE.
Thanks again.
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6 Apr 2014
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