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What are Been and Gone? Distinguishing the 2 words Been and Gone in English

Been and Gone are often confused regarding their meanings and usage. In today’s article, let’s thoroughly explore the concepts, usage, and differences between Been and Gone with PREP!

Differences between the 2 words Been and Gone in English

I. What is Been?
II. What is Gone?
III. Distinguishing Been and Gone, Have been and Have gone
IV. Been and Gone exercises
1. 1. Exercise
2. 2. Answer

I. What is Been?

"Been" is pronounced /biːn/ and is the past participle form of the verb "to be." It means: used as the past participle of "go" when the action referred to is finished. For example:

Anna has been an English teacher for 5 years.
I've never been to Paris, but I hope to visit it next year.
The postman hasn't been yet.

Idioms and phrases with Been:

Idioms and phrases with Been	Meaning	Example
someone has been had	someone was tricked or made to look foolish	I think I've been had.
have been around the ridges	If you have been around the ridges, you have a lot of experience	I have graduated three months ago but I have been around the ridges in teaching.
wish you had never been born	to be extremely unhappy	After everything that happened, there were moments when I wished I had never been born.
if it hadn't been for	If it hadn’t have…	If it wasn't for the life jacket, I would have drowned.
nothing could have been further from my mind/ thoughts	used to say that you certainly did not intend something	I certainly wasn't trying to get money from him - nothing could have been further from my mind!
look like/ as if you've been dragged through a hedge backward	to look very untidy	I looked as if I'd been dragged through a hedge backward when I woke up this morning.

II. What is Gone?

"Gone" is pronounced /ɡɑːn/ and is the past participle form of the verb "Go," meaning: to travel or move to another place. For example:

I have never gone to Germany.
Ms.Anna has gone to her mother’s house.

Additionally, "Gone" can also function as a preposition or adjective, meaning: there is none of it left, dead, or pregnant. For example:

I said I'd be home by six and it's already gone by seven.
All my money is gone and I have nothing to buy food with.
They did everything they could to save him, but he was already too far gone.
How far gone is Sarah?

Idioms and phrases with Gone:

Idioms and phrases with Gone	Meaning	Example
something gone mad	a particular type of thing that has gone out of control	He described the new regulations as bureaucracy gone mad.
where has/ have something gone?	said when you cannot find something	Where have my keys gone?
be gone on someone	to like someone a lot	Nicky's really gone on Marty.
in days gone by	in the past	The house was a train station in days gone by.
here today, gone tomorrow	said about something that lasts only a short time	A lot of new IT companies are here today and gone tomorrow.

III. Distinguishing Been and Gone, Have been and Have gone

Let’s explore the differences between Been and Gone with PREP below!

Distinguishing Been and Gone, Have been vs Have gone	(Have/has) been	(Have/has) gone
Usage	Refers to going to a place and returning.	Refers to going to a place and not returning.
Structure	S + have/has been to S + haven’t/hasn’t been to Have/Have + S + been to?	S + have/has gone to S + haven’t/hasn’t gone to Have/Have + S + gone to?
Example	Anna has just gone to the bookshop. She’ll be back in about five minutes. ➞ Haven’t returned.	Anna has just been to the bookshop. She bought some books. Would you like one? ➞ Returned.

Distinguishing Been and Gone, Have been and Have gone

IV. Been and Gone exercises

To better understand the differences between Been and Gone, let’s complete the exercises below with PREP!

1. Exercise

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with Been or Gone in the appropriate places.

I have never ______ to Paris, but I hope to visit someday.
She has already ______ to the store and should be back soon.
They had ______ to the conference before it was canceled.
Have you ______ to the new café downtown yet?
Have you ever _______ to Budapest?

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences below: Have been or Have gone

(He/visit/Paris)
(She/leave/home)
(They/go/to the beach)
(I/never/see/that movie)
(?/you/have/there/before)

2. Answer

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
Been Gone Been Been Been	He has been to Paris. She has gone home. They have gone to the beach. I have never been to see that movie. Have you ever been there before?

Above, PREP has shared the concepts, idioms, phrases, and differences between Been and Gone. Keep following PREP for more useful English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.