Explanations + Extra Activities
🟦 BE vs GO – What’s the Difference?
1. ✅ BE – You are at the place
We use forms of BE (am, is, are, was, were, been) to say someone is or was in a place.
- I am in Canada. (I’m there now.)
- I was in Canada. (I was there in the past.)
- He is at the beach. (He’s there now.)
- They were in Tokyo last week.
❗ Use BE to talk about being at a place.
2. ✅ GO – You travel to the place
We use forms of GO (go, goes, went, gone) to say someone moves or travels to a place.
- I go to Canada every year. (regular activity)
- She went to Canada last summer. (past)
- He has gone to Canada. (He went there and is still there.)
❗ Use GO to talk about movement to a place.
3. ✅ BEEN vs GONE in Present Perfect
Both have been and have gone are used in present perfect, but they are not the same.
- I have been to Canada.
→ I went there and came back. (It’s an experience.) - I have gone to Canada.
→ I went there and I’m still there now (or not back yet).
🔹 Been = experience (I came back)
🔹 Gone = still away (not back)
🎯 Special Rule: GO + Activities
When we talk about activities, we often use GO + activity – even in perfect tenses.
🟢 Correct:
- I have gone camping many times.
- Have you ever gone skiing?
- They go swimming every weekend.
⚠️ In these cases, “gone” is OK even if you came back.
It’s more about the activity, not the place.
✅ You can also say:
- I have been camping many times.
- Have you ever been skiing?
🧠 Both “have gone camping” and “have been camping” are usually OK for activities.
✈️ BE vs GO – 20-Question ESL Quiz (With Answers)
- I __ in France last summer.
a) was
b) went
Answer: a) was
- Sarah __ to Japan last week and she’s still there.
a) has been
b) has gone
Answer: b) has gone
- I __ to Spain three times.
a) have been
b) have gone
Answer: a) have been
- Mark __ to the gym every day.
a) is
b) goes
Answer: b) goes
- We __ at the beach when it started raining.
a) were
b) went
Answer: a) were
- Have you ever __ to London?
a) gone
b) been
Answer: b) been
- They __ to Italy on their honeymoon and came back yesterday.
a) have gone
b) went
Answer: b) went
- Lisa isn’t home. She __ to the supermarket.
a) has been
b) has gone
Answer: b) has gone
- I __ hiking many times before.
a) have gone
b) have been
Answer: a) have gone
- When I was younger, I __ to New York every summer.
a) was
b) went
Answer: b) went
- John __ sick, so he didn’t come to school.
a) was
b) went
Answer: a) was
- Have you ever __ skiing in Canada?
a) been
b) gone
Answer: b) gone
- I __ to Australia before.
a) have gone
b) have been
Answer: b) have been
- Anna __ at the party last night.
a) was
b) went
Answer: a) was
- We __ to the zoo on Saturday.
a) were
b) went
Answer: b) went
- Peter __ on vacation. He’ll be back next week.
a) has gone
b) has been
Answer: a) has gone
- I __ at home when you called me.
a) was
b) went
Answer: a) was
- They __ to that new restaurant downtown. They loved it.
a) have gone
b) have been
Answer: b) have been
- She __ swimming every summer.
a) goes
b) is
Answer: a) goes
- My parents __ to Paris twice.
a) have been
b) have gone
Answer: a) have been
✈️ BE vs GO – Advanced ESL Quiz (With Answers)
- Julia isn’t at her desk right now. She __ to the post office and will be back soon.
a) has gone
b) has been
Answer: a) has gone
- I __ to Brazil several times, and I always enjoy visiting Rio.
a) have been
b) have gone
Answer: a) have been
- When we __ at the museum, we saw an amazing dinosaur exhibition.
a) were
b) went
Answer: a) were
- Sam and Lila __ to the new art gallery downtown last weekend.
a) have gone
b) went
Answer: b) went
- Tom __ snowboarding many times, so he’s really good at it now.
a) has gone
b) has been
Answer: a) has gone
- We __ to that café on 5th Avenue before, but I’d love to go again.
a) have been
b) have gone
Answer: a) have been
- I was surprised to hear that Mike __ to Canada. I thought he was still in the US.
a) has been
b) has gone
Answer: b) has gone
- While I __ in Germany, I learned a lot about the culture and food.
a) went
b) was
Answer: b) was
- Have you ever __ scuba diving in Thailand?
a) been
b) gone
Answer: b) gone
- By the time we arrived, she __ already __ to the airport.
a) had / gone
b) had / been
Answer: a) had / gone
- After they __ on their road trip across Europe, they didn’t return for over a month.
a) had gone
b) had been
Answer: a) had gone
- I __ at the beach all day, and now I’m completely sunburned.
a) was
b) went
Answer: a) was
- We __ to their house before, but I didn’t remember the street name.
a) had gone
b) had been
Answer: b) had been
- She __ out to buy some groceries and hasn’t come back yet.
a) has been
b) has gone
Answer: b) has gone
- My friends __ to the concert last night, but I stayed home to rest.
a) were
b) went
Answer: b) went
- They __ hiking every weekend this summer.
a) have gone
b) have been
Answer: a) have gone
- I __ to the dentist this morning, and now my mouth feels numb.
a) have gone
b) have been
Answer: b) have been
- While we __ in Italy, we visited over ten different cities.
a) went
b) were
Answer: b) were
- Has she ever __ to see the Northern Lights in Iceland?
a) gone
b) been
Answer: b) been
- You should speak to Jim. He __ to that conference before and might have some tips.
a) has gone
b) has been
Answer: b) has been