How to Use Go +Ing (the Gerund) to Describe Fun Activities • English with Kim (2024)

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 + ing, also called go + gerund or go + verb + ing.

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.

Let’s talk about how and why we use go + ing.

We’ll also talk about how to stress it right so that you sound natural when talking about all these activities.

How to Use Go + Ing to Describe Fun Leisure 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 these:

• go horseback riding
• go mountain climbing
• go scuba diving.

Like I said, you can use go + ing when talking about activities that involve hunting and collecting:

• go shopping
• go apartment hunting
• go berry picking.

Why We Use Go + ing in English

Here’s what you need to understand about using go + ing:

We’re talking about the whole activity and 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.

In that example, I’m just talking about the action I did to achieve those 10 laps.

(If you’re wondering about the origin of this unusual grammar structure, check out this interesting discussion. In short, it comes from Old English. You’ll sometimes hear it with the prefix “a-” in old songs, such as the popular Christmas carol “Here We Come A-Caroling.”

This related discussion references my explanation above, and provides references to research papers that delve deeper into the roots of this structure, for those who are interested.)

How to Use the Go + ing Grammar Structure Correctly

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:

• Present Simple: He goes running every day after work.
• Present Continuous: They‘re going bowling this weekend.
• Present Perfect: I‘ve gone camping five times this summer.
• Present Perfect Continuous: She‘s been going hiking a lot recently.
• Future with “To Be Going To”: My sister is going to go surfing in Peru next year.
• Future with “Will”: Sure, I’ll go shopping with you!
• Past Simple: We went horseback riding during our last vacation.
• Conditional: If I lived near a lake, I would go kayaking more often.
• Modal Verbs: We could go salsa dancing on Saturday.

How to Stress Go + ing Correctly

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.

Don’t Overuse Go + ing

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 this: 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 the following: 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.

Activities We Describe With Go + Ing / Go + Gerund

To review, here are some of the most common activities that we use with go + ing.

While watching the video, be sure to listen for the stress in each example.

List of Common Activities We Use with Go + Ing:

• 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.

Because go +ingis so common in English (especially when making small talk about weekend plans), it is extremely important to use it correctly.

Improving your usage of go +ing is an easy way to sound more natural in English.

Your Turn

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.

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.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2016, AND WAS UPDATED IN DECEMBER 2019.