In the following phrases, is it optional to include the bracketed part?
do [the/some] online banking
do [the/some] grocery shopping
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1 Answer
It's optional in the sense that the sentences are grammatical without those parts.
But they don't mean the same things.
- do some online banking/grocery shopping means do a part (not all) of whatever online banking
or grocery shopping you have to do - do the online banking/grocery shopping means do all of your online banking or grocery shopping
- do online banking/grocery shopping means use a computer instead of going to the bank
or do some/all of your grocery shopping
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Is "do shopping" (without "the" or "some") also grammatical?– ApollyonCommented May 17, 2022 at 2:17
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@JamesK Thank you. Is "He's planning to do grocery shopping this afternoon" (without "the" or suchlike) idiomatic?– ApollyonCommented May 17, 2022 at 13:56
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1"go grocery shopping" is better. but "go to the supermarket" is or similar is culturally more common.– James KCommented May 17, 2022 at 20:59