Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between I canoe or I go canoeing when someone asks you if you play any sports? For example:
Person A: Do you play any sports?
Person B: I canoe/I go canoeing
asked Mar 2, 2021 at 17:00
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Not sure if this good enough to be an answer but they are very similar and either would probably work in most situations. I think that "I canoe" would probably be more common and would imply a slightly higher level of interest/participation than "I go canoeing"– KevinCommented Mar 2, 2021 at 17:08
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2 Answers
They are very similar and either would probably work in most situations, however I (native AmE speaker) think that "I canoe" would probably be more common and would imply a slightly higher level of interest/participation than "I go canoeing".
For example, if someone said "I go canoeing", I would assume every once in a while they go someplace, rent a canoe and have a fun time doing it.
If someone said "I canoe" I would assume they most likely owned their own canoe and paddles and did it frequently.
go canoeing, go skating, go riding, go mountain climbing, go skiing, go surfing as well as many others are a common way to describe many sports' activities. And the activities are also referred to with gerund nouns:
Canoeing is fun. Skating is hard. Climbing is dangerous. etc.
Also, to describe a particular instance of practicing a sport, one can say:
I skied on Saturday. [aka went skiing]
I surfed on Wednesday. [went surfing]
I canoed on Sunday. [went canoeing]
The single verb without go can always be used to describe doing a sport:
I played [tennis, golf, basketball] on Sunday.
So, the verb canoe is no different than any other verb used for engaging in a sport....
