Present Perfect Gone vs Been Exercises

The difference between "has gone to" and "has been to" is one of the trickiest distinctions in English for learners. "Has gone to" means the person went to a place and is not here now — they are still there or on their way: "Tom has gone to the shop" (he left and hasn't come back). "Has been to" means the person visited a place and has returned — it describes a completed experience: "Tom has been to the shop" (he went, bought things, and came back). The key is whether the person is present or absent right now.

Context clues in the sentence will usually tell you which form to use. Phrases like "will be back soon," "isn't here," or "left an hour ago" signal gone — the person is still away. Phrases like "told us about it," "brought back souvenirs," "three times," or any mention of the experience itself signal been — the person has returned. This distinction is regularly tested in Cambridge Preliminary (B1) and First (B2) exams. A useful memory trick: if someone is standing in front of you talking about a trip, they have been — if they are missing, they have gone.