Ways to express the ‘Future’ in English
PRESENT SIMPLE
We open our new office in London next year.
The train leaves in half an hour
Does the meeting start at 8am tomorrow?
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
He is leaving tonight.
He isn’t leaving tonight.
Is he leaving tonight?
Isn’t he leaving tonight?
FUTURE SIMPLE
She will come today.
She will not/won’t come.
Will she come today?
Won’t she come today?
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
Don’t phone in the evening I’ll be washing my car.
This time next week I’ll be sitting on a plane to …
Don’t worry. I’ll tell her cos I’ll be seeing her in the office anyway.
BE GOING TO do sth.
She is going to apply.
She isn’t going to apply.
Is she going to apply?
Isn’t she going to apply?
It’s going to rain.
It isn’t going to rain.
Is it going to rain?
FUTURE PERFECT
They’ll have built their new house by September 2011.
FUTURE PERFECT CONT.
She’ll have been teaching here for 8 years next month.
USES/RULES
FUTURE SIMPLE
1an immediate/spontaneous/on-the-spot decision
Signal words: just, immediately, right/straight away
2 future Predictions usually with the verbs, calculate, think, guess, etc.
Signal words: this year, today, tomorrow, etc
3 for promises, hopes, offers, requests, warnings, threats.
4 showing willingness and intentions.
Won’t, on the other hand, can express refusals: He won’t talk.
Signal words: tomorrow, next year, next time, etc.
BE GOING TO FUTURE
5 Ambitions, plans, firm intentions and decisions for the future.
Signal words: one day
6 predicting future by using present evidence
Signal words: soon, any minute
7 For actions we have al- ready committed oneself to do in the near future
Signal words: next year
Note: be going to refer to sth. we intend to do and will for the details or background
â– verbs come and go plus + verbs of movements are usually expressed by Present Continuous
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
8 referring to an action that will be in progress at a certain or stated time in the future
Signal words: this time next week, etc.
9 for planned, expected future events or for an action that will definitely takes place in the future as a part of a routine or as a result of an arrangement.
Signal words: later, at lunch
10 polite enquiries to find out:
What has one already decided?
Or about someone’s plan for the near future so as to make sure that our wishes, request goes well with their plans
FUTURE PERFECT
11 an action that will come to an end before a stated future time
Signal words: by, by then
by the time, until/till
Note: with time expressions intro-
cing time clauses such as before, until, by the time, we use Present Simple.
FUTURE PERFECT CONT.
12 to lay stress on the duration of an action up to a stated future time.
Signal words: by, for
PRESENT SIMPLE
13 for official future plans, timetables, programmes, etc.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
14 for fixed arrangements and personal plans, get-together, date, etc. to be carried out in the near future
OTHER WAYS REFERRING TO FUTURE The Queen is to meet the Prime Minister. She is about to go. The bus is due to arrive at 8:30. He is sure to/bound to/certain to
leave.
THE FUTURE IN THE PAST Ms Taylor was to/was going to/ was due to/was about to leave, but. He was on the point of/ verge of crying but…
SIGNAL WORDS
â– just â– straight/right away
Verbs with rule no. 1 think, believe, guess, reckon, expect, certain, not certain, sure â– Probably, may be, perhaps â– this Monday, coming Tuesday, next week â–
Verbs with rule no. 3 guarantee, hope, assure, promise, swear ■this evening (if the afternoon is not over) tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, ■I’ll have a coke ■next time, again ■soon, before long ■in a month/year ■tonight ■■in two days (time) ■….for long? ■in no time (at all) ■in a minute, in a moment ■any minute/ any moment/ any time now ■any day (now) ■may + at any minute/ moment now ■momentarily ■before you know it ■in a fortnight's time ■from now onwards(on) ■until then ■by then ■be 4 days off/away ■in the future ■sometime ■one day/some day ■one of these days ■the day will come (when) ■….of the future ■at a future date/time ■come June.
Present SIMPLE TENSE referring to the future
■be coming up ■be in the offing ■imminent ■be in sight ■be around the corner ■forthcoming/up-coming adj. ■impending ■be brewing ■lie ahead ■be ahead of us ■in the long/short/medium term ■long/short/medium-term adj. ■be still/yet/ more, etc. to come■be on the horizon ■future ■potential/prospective ■a future …….in the making.
Affirmative + am / is / are + going to + verb
Negative + am not / isn’t / aren’t + going to + verb
Interrogative Am / Is / Are + + going to + verb
Short answers Yes, + am / is / are No, + ’m not / isn’t / aren’t
I’mgoing to study.
He’sgoing to win the prize.
They’regoing to sleep.
They aren’tgoing to buy a car.
She isn’tgoing to eat.
I’m not going to watch TV.
Is he goingto run in the park?
No, he isn’t.
We use Be going to:
Ben is going to buy a car next week.
The sky is cloudy today. It is going to rain.
Exercises:
Make questions with begoing to and the words given, then give short answers, as in the example.
your father / read / the newspaper
Is your father going to read the newspaper?
No, he isn’t.
your mother / wash / the dishes / after lunch
_________
you (plural) / see / Andrew / next week
_________
they / have / a rest / in the afternoon
_________
Rose / make / a cake / for dessert
_________
you (singular) / get up / early / tomorrow
_________
Tomas / sing / that song / at the festival
_________
Harry and Sally / visit / Rome / next year
it / rain / at the weekend
_________
Robin / build / a snowman / this winter
_________
you (singular) / tell / me / the truth
Look at the pictures, complete the sentences with be going to (in the affirmative or negative form) and a verb from the box.
The children ___ videogames, they ___ their bicycles.
Lucy and Fred ___ dinner for their parents.
Anne ___ her best friend.
Mark and his father ___ in the river next Sunday.
The Johnsons ___ to Paris on holiday.
Tim ___ off the ladder.
Albert ___ in the sea tomorrow.
My sister ___ a photo of her friends.
Samuel ___ his sandwich at break.
Write the words in the correct order to make sentences.
going to / Sandra / her mother / is / help
_________
have / what / going to / are / for dinner / you / ?
_________
at university / am / I / study / going to / next year.
isn’t / the dog / its food / eat / going to
_________
football / Bob / next Sunday / going to / is / play / ?
_________
tidy / aren’t / Brian and James / going to / their rooms
_________
going to / after school / they / do / are / their homework
_________
the shopping / are / going to / your parents / do / / ?
_________
at the seaside / I / going to / my holidays / spend / am not
_________
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