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ESL forum > Ask for help > NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE?    

NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE?



pilarmham
Spain

NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE?
 
Could you tell me why have you been is the correct answer in this sentence?

.............. you ................ (go) on holiday this year? 

Thanks a lot.



3 Dec 2012      





april
Spain

Hi,
been is the past participle of go when using the present perfect if the person went somewhere and came back (the person is here now). If you say "have you gone" on holiday , it would mean that you are away on holiday and you haven�t come back yet.

3 Dec 2012     



yanogator
United States

No, because it isn �t a form of "go".
 
Have you gone on holiday this year?
Will you go on holiday this year?
Are you going to go on holiday this year?
Did you go on holiday this year?
Are you going on holiday this year?
 
These are all possible.
 
Edit: I disagree with april. "Been" is the past participle of "be", not of "go". Also, "Have you gone on holiday this year?" definitely doesn�t mean that the person hasn�t returned.
 
Bruce

3 Dec 2012     



Minka
Slovenia

But, wouldn �t "Have you been..." sound more natural than "Have you gone..." in this case?
Which would mean that the exercise is not the best one possible.

3 Dec 2012     



yanogator
United States

Yes, Minka, it does sound a little more natural. Because of that, I would choose "Did you go..." or "Are you going...".
 
Bruce

3 Dec 2012     



Enid Stella
South Africa

You would use �Have you been ..... � if you are asking if the person went on holiday at any time from the beginning of that year until the present time. It really depends on your intention when asking the question.

3 Dec 2012     



douglas
United States

The year isn �t over, so the past perfect allows for the possibilty that they still may go on holiday.
 
"Have you gone" has mostly the same meaning, but focuses more on the travel/departure vs the vacation itself.
 
As for the exercise--it is not well written (IMHO) both answers could be right and, since "go" is given, I would have answered with "gone" also.

4 Dec 2012     



Shalottslady
Belgium

�this year � is not over yet, therefore we use the present perfect in this sentence. All Yanogator �s answers are also possible. But if you teach British English (like I have to), then you cannot use simple past in this sentence because �this year � isn �t over yet. In order to use simple past, you must have a time indication that �s clearly over, or you must be able to derive that from the context. e.g.: Shakespeare wrote many plays. (simple past because since he �s dead it is very unlikely that he �ll write more Wink)
  but: J.K. Rowling has written many books. (present perfect because she �s still alive and is likely to write even more)

4 Dec 2012     



mariec
Spain

I  always explain to my students that  "gone" in present  prefect means that the person has gone somewhere and is still there. e.g.
 
      My parents have gone to London, they�ll be back on Friday.
 
"Been" in present perfect means that the person has  visited somewhere and  has returned.e.g.
    
       My parents have been to London, they  have just got back.  They had a great time.                    

4 Dec 2012     



pilarmham
Spain

Thank you all for your answers! I think I get the idea.  Smile


4 Dec 2012