go on to do sth
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to do something else after you have finished a previous task or stage.
phrasal verb. to proceed to a subsequent action or stage after the completion of a prior one; often used to describe a progression in a career or narrative.
After university, she went on to become a doctor.
The director thanked the cast and then went on to announce the winner of the award.
Although the initial experiment failed, the team went on to discover a revolutionary new material that changed the industry forever.
followed by an infinitive ('to do'); do not confuse with 'go on doing', which means to continue the same action.
this is a crucial 'verb pattern' distinction: 'go on to do' (next step) vs 'go on doing' (continue current step); use a timeline on the board to show the sequence of events.
He went on to talking about his trip.He went on to talk about his trip.this specific meaning of 'moving to a new task' requires the infinitive 'to talk', not the gerund 'talking'.
Last updated April 24, 2026