Go vs. Come – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You notice that your colleague is coughing constantly and has a high fever at the office. You are advising them to take a day off, leave the workplace, and rest at home.
Choose the best word (A, B, C, or D) to complete the sentences.
1 You look very sick today. You should ______ home and rest.
(A) come
(B) leave
(C) go
(D) going
2 You have a bad fever. Please ______ to the hospital right now.
(A) go
(B) arrive
(C) to go
(D) come
3 I think you need to ______ home and take some medicine.
(A) walk
(B) go
(C) come
(D) to go
4 Don’t stay at the office. ______ home and sleep in your warm bed.
(A) Going
(B) Come
(C) Enter
(D) Go
5 You can’t work like this. You must ______ to see a doctor immediately.
(A) visit
(B) go
(C) come
(D) going
6 Let me tell the manager that you are ______ home early today.
(A) coming
(B) go
(C) going
(D) arriving
7 Why don’t you ______ to the small clinic near our office?
(A) to go
(B) go
(C) come
(D) visit
8 It is raining outside, so you should take a taxi to ______ home safely.
(A) go
(B) drive
(C) coming
(D) come
9 I will finish writing your report. Just pack your bag and ______ home.
(A) going
(B) return
(C) go
(D) come
10 Your cough is getting worse. Are you ______ to the pharmacy soon?
(A) coming
(B) go
(C) moving
(D) going
11 He feels terrible, so he wants to ______ back to his apartment to rest.
(A) go
(B) come
(C) going
(D) return
12 If you feel dizzy, you have to ______ straight to bed.
(A) sleep
(B) go
(C) come
(D) going
13 You shouldn’t stay here in the office. I will help you ______ to your car.
(A) arriving
(B) come
(C) go
(D) going
14 Grab your coat quickly. We are ______ to the emergency room together!
(A) to go
(B) going
(C) coming
(D) go
15 You must ______ home now, but please ______ back to the office when you feel better tomorrow.
(A) come / go
(B) go / come
(C) going / coming
(D) to go / to come
16 I told the boss that you didn’t ______ to the afternoon meeting because you were sick.
(A) went
(B) come
(C) go
(D) going
17 My best advice is to ______ home, drink some hot tea, and close your eyes.
(A) leave
(B) come
(C) going
(D) go
18 Since you are ______ home, I will email you the rest of the documents later.
(A) going
(B) coming
(C) go
(D) to go
19 Please ______ to the doctor, and don’t ______ to work until you are fully recovered.
(A) come / go
(B) going / coming
(C) go / come
(D) went / came
20 I am calling a cab for you. You are ______ home right this minute!
(A) go
(B) coming
(C) arriving
(D) going
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) go
Why it is correct: You are at the office advising your colleague to travel to a different location (their home). Since the movement is away from the speaker’s current location, you must use “go”. The modal “should” requires a base verb.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “come” is a Common Mistake (translating word-for-word from languages where “return home” uses a general motion verb). (B) “leave” is a Meaning Trap (“leave home” means to exit the house and go somewhere else, which is the exact opposite of what you want them to do). (D) “going” is a Structural Error.
2 (A) go
Why it is correct: Moving from the office to the hospital requires “go”. An imperative sentence uses the base verb.
Mistake Analysis: (D) “come” is the Common Mistake. (C) “to go” is a Structural Error. (B) “arrive” is a Meaning Trap (we say “arrive at“, not “arrive to”).
3 (B) go
Why it is correct: “Need to” is followed by a base verb to indicate traveling away from the office.
Mistake Analysis: (C) “come” is the Common Mistake. (D) “to go” is a Structural Error (the prompt already has “to”). (A) “walk” is a Strong Distractor (but usually, people do not walk home if they are very sick, making “go” the most natural fit).
4 (D) Go
Why it is correct: An imperative command directing the listener to move away from the current shared space.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “Come” is the Common Mistake. (A) “Going” is a Structural Error. (C) “Enter” is a Meaning Trap (“enter home” is unnatural).
5 (B) go
Why it is correct: “Must” is followed by a base verb. Moving to a clinic/hospital is moving away.
Mistake Analysis: (C) “come” is the Common Mistake. (D) “going” is a Structural Error. (A) “visit” is a Meaning Trap (you “visit a doctor”, not “visit to see a doctor”).
6 (C) going
Why it is correct: Present continuous tense (are + V-ing) describing an action happening now.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “coming” is the Common Mistake. (B) “go” is a Structural Error. (D) “arriving” is a Meaning Trap (“arriving home” means they are already there, but they are currently still at the office).
7 (B) go
Why it is correct: The suggestion “Why don’t you…” takes a base verb.
Mistake Analysis: (C) “come” is the Common Mistake. (A) “to go” is a Structural Error. (D) “visit” is a Meaning Trap (we don’t use the preposition “to” after visit).
8 (A) go
Why it is correct: Infinitive of purpose (to + base verb) indicating travel to a third location.
Mistake Analysis: (D) “come” is the Common Mistake. (C) “coming” is a Structural Error. (B) “drive” is a Meaning Trap (if they take a taxi, the driver drives, not the sick person).
9 (C) go
Why it is correct: Imperative sentence giving instructions to leave the office.
Mistake Analysis: (D) “come” is the Common Mistake. (A) “going” is a Structural Error. (B) “return” is a Meaning Trap (“return home” is possible, but without “to”, “go” is the standard and most direct verb here).
10 (D) going
Why it is correct: Present continuous for a planned immediate action (Are you + V-ing).
Mistake Analysis: (A) “coming” is the Common Mistake. (B) “go” is a Structural Error. (C) “moving” is a Meaning Trap (moving to a pharmacy implies changing your residential address to live inside the pharmacy).
11 (A) go
Why it is correct: “Wants to” is followed by a base verb indicating movement away from the office.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “come” is the Common Mistake. (C) “going” is a Structural Error. (D) “return” is a Meaning Trap (“return back” is a redundant error; you either say “return” or “go back”).
12 (B) go
Why it is correct: “Have to” is followed by a base verb. “Go to bed” is a fixed phrase.
Mistake Analysis: (C) “come” is the Common Mistake. (D) “going” is a Structural Error. (A) “sleep” is a Meaning Trap (“sleep to bed” is grammatically incorrect).
13 (C) go
Why it is correct: The structure “help someone (to) do something” takes the base verb. Moving to the parking lot is moving away.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “come” is the Common Mistake. (D) “going” is a Structural Error. (A) “arriving” is a Structural Error.
14 (B) going
Why it is correct: Both the speaker and the listener are leaving the office to travel to the hospital together (We are + V-ing).
Mistake Analysis: (C) “coming” is the Common Mistake. (A) and (D) are Structural Errors.
15 (B) go / come
Why it is correct: First action: leaving the office to travel home = GO (“go home”). Second action: returning to the office where the speaker currently is = COME (“come back to the office”).
Mistake Analysis: (A) “come / go” is the Common Mistake (reversing the directional rules). (C) and (D) are Structural Errors.
16 (C) go
Why it is correct: Negative past tense “didn’t” takes the base verb. The meeting room is a third location.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “come” is the Common Mistake. (A) “went” is a Structural Error (double past tense). (D) “going” is a Structural Error.
17 (D) go
Why it is correct: “My advice is to” is followed by a base verb.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “come” is the Common Mistake. (C) “going” is a Structural Error. (A) “leave” is a Meaning Trap (“leave home” means to exit the house, not travel to it).
18 (A) going
Why it is correct: Present continuous for an action that is currently happening (traveling away from the office).
Mistake Analysis: (B) “coming” is the Common Mistake. (C) and (D) are Structural Errors.
19 (C) go / come
Why it is correct: First action: traveling away to the doctor = GO (“go to the doctor”). Second action: traveling back to the current shared location (the office) = COME (“don’t come to work”).
Mistake Analysis: (A) “come / go” is the Common Mistake. (B) and (D) are Structural Errors.
20 (D) going
Why it is correct: Present continuous for a strong, immediate future arrangement (You are + V-ing).
Mistake Analysis: (B) “coming” is the Common Mistake. (A) “go” is a Structural Error. (C) “arriving” is a Meaning Trap (they are not arriving yet; they are just leaving).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- GO (Leaving the Current Spot): Whenever you advise someone to leave the place where you BOTH currently are (in this case, the office), you MUST use the verb GO. Going home, going to the hospital, or going to bed all mean moving away from your present location.
- COME (Returning to the Spot): You only use COME if you are asking someone to travel toward your current location. If you are standing in the office, you can tell your colleague to “come back to work tomorrow” because you belong to that location.
- Never say “Come home” at work: A very common mistake for A1 learners is saying “You should come home” while standing in the office. You can only say “come home” if you are currently sitting inside the house waiting for them!