I am wondering if the following is grammatical and idiomatic.
I really love the restaurant but haven't gone in a while.
Is the word 'gone' used correctly here?
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1I'd probably use "been" instead, but it's not wrong to say gone.– ShowsniCommented May 21, 2019 at 14:45
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As Showsni says. There is understood from the context.– Ronald SoleCommented May 21, 2019 at 14:56
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Do you mean a specific one? Or in general.– LambieCommented May 21, 2019 at 22:47
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1 Answer
Both are acceptable, in my experience as an American English speaker. However, this probably varies with regional dialect.
When talking about the act of going to restaurants in general, I generally use "gone," as in "I haven't gone to a restaurant in a while."
When talking about a specific restaurant, I generally use "been," as in "I haven't been to McDougal's in a while," or "I like Larby's, but I haven't been in some time."
However, neither one is particularly strict; it makes perfect sense to say "I haven't been to a restaurant in a while" as well as "I haven't gone to Ruddy Tubsday's in some time."
