Let's go back to basics and review a somewhat unusual grammar structure that trips up even
fluent non native speakers.
I'm talking about the verb "go" plus the -ing form, also called go + gerund.
If you've been listening to native speakers, you've probably heard them say something like:
I'm going running after work.
I went shopping last night.
Let's go dancing this weekend.
Many people find this grammar structure tricky because it goes against what you learn when
you study the verb "go."
"Go" should be followed by "to," right?
That's why I hear so many non-native speakers say "go to shopping," even though it doesn't
work in this case.
So let's talk about how and why we use "go" plus the -ing form.
We'll also talk about how to stress it right so that you sound natural when talking about
all these activities.
First things first, we use "go" plus the -ing to describe leisure activities that we do
in our free time.
A moment ago, I mentioned "running," "shopping" and "dancing."
In other words, we use go + ing to talk about activities that we do for fun.
You'll notice that many of these activities are outdoor sports or activities that can
be pretty physical, although we can also use go + ing with some indoor activities, as well
as activities that involve collecting or hunting for things.
For example, we use this structure with these activities: go running, go hiking, go camping,
go kayaking, go skating.
You can also use this grammar construction with multiword activities, such as go horseback
riding, go mountain climbing, go scuba diving.
Like I said, a moment ago, you can use it when talking about activities that involve
hunting and collecting: go shopping, go apartment hunting, go berry picking.
Here's what you need to understand about using go + ing.
We're talking about the whole activity, the whole experience, not just the action described
by the verb.
Think about everything that's involved with going swimming: wearing a swimsuit, putting
on sunscreen, walking or driving to the pool or the beach, swimming laps or enjoying the
waves, getting wet and then toweling off afterwards.
When you say, I'm going swimming, we get a mental picture of that entire activity, not
just the action of swimming.
Go + ing gives us a mental image of the entire activity, start to finish.
If I just wanted to talk about the action of swimming, then I would say that: I swam
10 laps in the pool before work.
I'm just talking about the action I did to achieve those 10 laps.
Now let's talk about using the go + ing grammar structure correctly.
We can conjugate the verb "go" into any verb tense, but the -ing form stays the same, no
matter what.
Here are some examples in a number of different verb tenses.
He goes running every day after work.
They're going bowling this weekend.
I've gone camping five times this summer.
She's been going hiking a lot recently.
My sister is going to go surfing in Peru next year.
Sure, I'll go shopping with you.
We went horseback riding during our last vacation.
If I lived near a lake, I would go kayaking more often.
We could go salsa dancing on Saturday.
To say the go + ing structure more naturally, you want to stress it right.
In this case, think of "go" like any other auxiliary verb and treat it like a function
word.
You're going to stress the base form of the -ing verb: SHOPping, DANcing, HIKing.
Remember, when we stress a syllable, we make it longer, louder and higher in pitch, with
an extra clear vowel sound.
When you have multiword verbs, stress the right syllable of the first word: SALsa dancing,
HORSEback riding, aPARTment hunting.
You'll stress the rest of the content words normally.
Let's go back to the examples and try stressing them correctly.
He goes running every day after work.
They're going bowling this weekend.
I've gone camping five times this summer.
She's been going hiking a lot recently.
My sister is going to go surfing in Peru next year.
Sure, I'll go shopping with you.
We went horseback riding during our last vacation.
If I lived near a lake, I would go kayaking more often.
We could go salsa dancing on Saturday.
Now that you better understand how to use go + ing, here's a word of caution.
When people first learn this grammar structure, they tend to overuse it with verbs that just
don't fit.
There are a lot of verbs we use it with, but not all.
It's important to remember that we use go + ing with verbs that are not followed with
an object.
If the verb needs an object, you can't use go + ing.
For example, it's not possible to say: I'm going playing cards this weekend.
Yes, it's a fun leisure activity, but the word "cards" is the object of the verb play.
It doesn't work.
Instead simply say, I'm playing cards this weekend.
We also wouldn't say: I went studying English at the library.
Besides the fact that studying probably isn't a leisure activity, it also takes an object.
Instead, you'll say: I studied English at the library yesterday.
We can't say: I'm going to go practicing piano.
Just say: I'm going to practice piano.
To review, here are some of the most common activities that we use with go + ing.
If you think of any others, please leave them in the comments.
Listen for the stress in each example.
Go running, go walking, go hiking, go trekking, go backpacking, go climbing, go mountain climbing,
go snowshoeing, go skiing, go snowboarding, go ice skating, go rollerblading, go skating,
go roller skating, go inline skating, go biking, go mountain biking, go bike riding, go surfing,
go swimming, go sailing, go kayaking, go paddleboarding, go fishing, go scuba diving, go horseback
riding, go bowling, go dancing, go salsa dancing, go swing dancing, go shopping, go hunting,
go bargain hunting, go apartment hunting, go job hunting, go apple picking, go berry
picking.
If you can think of any others, please leave them in the comments.
Now that we've looked at a long list of activities that we can use with the verb go + ing.
Try using one in an example in the comments.
Leave a comment and use go + ing in a sentence.
If you're still not sure if we can use go + ing with a certain verb, leave a comment
and let me know which verb you're wondering about.
I'll let you know if it makes sense in this context.
For more practice with other tricky grammar structures, check out my video on how to pronounce
phrasal verbs in American English with the right stress and linking.
Once again, I'm Kim from englishwithkim.com.
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Have a good one.
Goodbye.