Meaning & use
go
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To move or travel from one place to another.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by a direction or place: go to school.
Patterns
- go to somewhere
- go with someone
- go by something
We go to the beach every summer.
She went home early because she felt ill.
They are going by train this weekend.
verbintransitive
To leave a place; to depart.
Grammar: Used alone or with a time: I must go now.
Patterns
- go now
- go away
I have to go before it gets dark.
The guests went at midnight.
Please go; I need to work.
verblinking
To become or enter a certain condition.
Grammar: Followed by an adjective, usually for negative changes: go bad, go quiet.
Patterns
- go bad
- go wrong
- go missing
The milk went sour in the heat.
The room went quiet when she walked in.
His hair has gone gray.
verbintransitive
To work properly, operate or function.
Grammar: Often used about machines or events: the engine is going.
Patterns
- go well
- get something going
The car will not go in the cold.
The meeting went well.
How is the new project going?
nouncountableinformalBritish
An attempt or a turn to do something.
Grammar: Informal, often with a: have a go.
Patterns
- have a go at something
- give something a go
I had a go at the crossword and finished half of it.
Let me have a go at fixing the bike.
It is your go to roll the dice.
noununcountableinformal
Energy and enthusiasm.
Grammar: Informal; often in on the go or full of go.
Patterns
- on the go
- full of go
The children were full of go after lunch.
She is always on the go with her many projects.
The team has lots of go this season.
Word forms
| third person singular | goes |
|---|---|
| past tense | went |
| past participle | gone |
| -ing form | going |
| plural | goes |
Common combinations
- go ahead
- Go ahead and start without me.
- go wrong
- Several things went wrong during the trip.
- go on
- The show must go on.
- go off
- The alarm went off at six.
- have a go
- Let me have a go at the puzzle.
- go missing
- My keys went missing again.
Synonyms and how they differ
- travel
- Travel suggests a longer or more planned journey, while go is general.
- leave
- Leave focuses on the departure from a place, while go can focus on the destination.
- proceed
- Proceed is formal and implies continuing on a course.
- become
- Become is neutral for changes of state, while go often describes unwanted changes like go bad.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: go or gone? go or went?
go vs gone
Gone is the past participle of go and is used with have or be, as in she has gone, not she has went.
go vs went
Went is the simple past tense: she went home. Do not use it after has or have.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
The present perfect needs the past participle, which for go is gone. Went is the simple past and cannot follow has.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “go”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.