Which one to choose:
(A) My father has never gone on holiday in summer.
(B) My father has never been on holiday in summer.
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Helen, see if anything here helps: ell.stackexchange.com/questions/224883/gone-there-vs-been-there/…– AIQCommented Sep 17, 2019 at 22:00
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1Does this answer your question? Using have gone to / been to / been in– Mari-Lou ACommented Jan 5, 2022 at 19:11
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2 Answers
(A) My father has never gone on holiday in summer. (B) My father has never been on holiday in summer.
Both are correct. You can often use been and gone interchangeably when we are talking about something in the past. For example:
Where had you gone?
- I had been to the supermarket.
- I had gone to the supermarket.
HOWEVER, in other tenses this is not applicable. The meaning of the sentence then changes. For example:
Where have you gone?
- I have gone to the supermarket. (This means that you are at the supermarket right now)
- I have been to the supermarket. (This means that you were at the supermarket, and now you are back home).
The differences are subtle, and not everyone will use them the same way. Here is how I would describe the differences:
"Gone on holiday" implies a change in location, usually away from home, while "been on holiday" could possibly mean taking time away from work without traveling.
When using the phrases to answer questions, only one might be appropriate for the given context:
Where have you been for the past week?
"I have been on holiday." (I was on holiday, but now I am back)Why aren't you answering your phone today?
"I have gone on holiday." (I have not yet returned from holiday)
