Question on they go riding / cyclying

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Hi teachers,If I have a picture of several people riding their bikes, are the three answers possible according to the question?What do they do on Sundays?a) They go riding their bikes.b) They go bike riding.c) They go cycling.Thanks in advance.

Fosse8 · Accepted Answer

All three are absolutely fine.  You could also say "they go for bike rides", "they go on bike rides", "they ride their bikes", you can substitute "bicycle" for "bike"... lots of possibilities.  The only thing you shouldn't do is say "they go riding", which usually implies horses rather than bicycles.

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Fosse8The only thing you shouldn't do is say "they go riding", which usually implies horses rather than bicycles.

Hi,
Thank you for your reply. Can I also say, 'They go horse riding''?
If yes, are there any other expression for 'riding', I mean, is it correct to say, 'They go elephant riding'?

Fosse8 · Answer

Yes, you can say "(noun) riding" for any activity where people ride things, and it'll make sense grammatically (elephant riding, wardrobe riding, turnip riding), but it only makes logical sense for common things - like "horse riding", "bike riding" and "motorbike riding" - activities that don't prompt requests for further explanation.

If you say "they go elephant riding", that implies the listener should already know what "elephant riding" is, as if it's a quite normal thing to do. Better to say "they ride elephants", or "they ride on their elephants".

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I would change this one;
a) They go riding on their bikes.
Can I also say, 'They go horseback riding''? Yes.

'They go elephant riding'? - I suppose it's OK. Not a very common activity. If the elephants are at a zoo or animal park, I would say:

They go on elephant rides.

Question on they go riding / cyclying

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