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Grammar - Everyday Grammar - Fun with Future Tenses |
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 Fun
with Future Tenses
The lesson includes a video program, an audio program
explaining this grammar topic, the script for the audio
program, a words in this story section,
and other important information. |
Video Program
Watch the video program explaining this grammar topic.
Then listen to the audio program explaining this grammar topic. |
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this grammar
topic. Then read the following written information. |
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Fun with Future Tenses |
For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
This week, we are going to talk about the future tenses.
There are several ways to talk about future events in
English. Compared to the past and present, future tenses
are usually more flexible.
Will
Let’s start with will. To form the simple future, use
will and then the simple form of the verb. For example,
“I will go to the store.” In everyday conversation, will
often gets shortened, which can be difficult for English
learners to hear. For example, “I’ll leave tomorrow” or
“He’ll go to the store.” You can use will to express a
desire to do something. “I’ll help you move tomorrow” or
“I’ll answer the phone.”
Be going to
The second form of the simple future is be going to. For
example, “I am going to start a new job tomorrow.” Use
be going to when you already have a plan to do
something. When you say “I’m going to start a new job
tomorrow,” you made the plan in the past. If you do not
have a plan, use will.
If you are making a prediction about the future, you can
use will or be going to. You can say, “She will win the
election” or “She is going to win the election”—the
meaning is the same.
In casual conversation, most Americans will change going
to to gonna. Listen for gonna in this song by rock band
Twisted Sister.
We’re not gonna take it
No, we ain’t gonna take it
We’re not gonna take it anymore
Be careful with this expression. You might want to avoid
using the reduced form, gonna, in formal situations. You
should never use it in professional or academic writing.
Shall
Another way to express the future is with shall. Shall
has the same meaning as will to express the future.
Listen to a famous speech by American General Douglas
MacArthur. General MacArthur is talking about his escape
from the Philippines during World War II.
“When I landed on your soil, I said to the people of the
Philippines whence I came, ‘I shall return.’”
“I shall return” is one of the most famous quotes
related to World War II.
But these days, shall seems very formal and a bit
old-fashioned in American English. It is more common in
British English.
Present progressive and simple
present
Sometimes a present tense can express the future.
Imagine you have a flight to Chicago tomorrow. There are
several ways to express the future in this situation.
Since you have a plan, you can use be going to. “I am
going to fly to Chicago tomorrow.”
You could also use the present progressive, “I am flying
to Chicago tomorrow.” The meaning is almost the same.
The present progressive just emphasizes that the flight
is a scheduled event.
If you are referring to a fixed schedule or timetable,
you can even use the simple present to express the
future. For example, “The flight to Chicago arrives at
7:00.” The simple present here shows that the flight has
a regular set schedule.
Future progressive
Let’s move on to the future progressive. To form the
future progressive, use will be followed by the –ing
form of the verb. For example, “I will be working when
you arrive.” Use the future progressive to talk about an
event that will be in progress (or unfinished) in the
future. Speakers use the future progressive to talk
about more than one future action. For example, “Don’t
call me after 9:00 because I will be studying” or “I
will be sleeping when you get home.”
Listen to the future progressive in this popular love
song by Richard Marx.
Wherever you go, whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
There are other ways to express the future, such as the
future perfect and future perfect progressive, but they
are rare. A native speaker may never use them in an
entire lifetime.
Common mistakes
Let’s look at some common mistakes we see in all of the
future tenses we have discussed. First, remember that
you cannot use will in a time clause. For example, “I am
going to visit her when I will arrive” should be “I am
going to visit her when I arrive.” The when phrase, also
known as a time clause, uses the simple form of the verb
in a future tense.
Another common mistake is with the third person –s. “He
will meets me tomorrow” should be “He will meet me
tomorrow.”
There is quite a bit of flexibility with future tenses;
sometimes there is little or no difference among
different forms. If you have a choice, use the simplest
tense.
We’ll leave you a song of hope about the future by Bob
Dylan. Listen to the variety of future tenses he uses in
“When the Ship Comes In.”
The fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they’ll be a-smiling
And rocks on the sand they will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used for the get the ship confused
Will not be understood as the spoken
For the chains of the sea will have busted in the night
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean
For VOA Everyday Grammar, I’m Jill Robbins.
And I’m Jonathan Evans.
Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Jill
Robbins was the editor. |
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Words in This Story |
-
prediction - n.
a statement about what will happen or might happen
in the future
- present
progressive - gramm.
The verb tense that indicates continuing action,
something going on now. This tense is formed with
the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus
the present participle of the verb (with an -ing
ending)
- simple
present - gramm.
The form of the verb that is usually the same as the
base form, but the third person singular adds -s.
Some verbs change, like 'to be', which uses 'am',
'are' and 'is', and 'to have', where the third
person is 'has'. The auxiliary verb 'to do' is used
in a negative structure or a question
- future
progressive - gramm.
The verb tense expressing continuing action,
something that will be happening, going on, at some
point in the future. This tense is formed with the
modal "will" plus "be," plus the present participle
of the verb (with an -ing ending)
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Additional Information |
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Now it’s your turn. Write in the Facebook comments
section below. Make a prediction about the future using
one of these ways of talking about the future. |
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Source: Voice of America |
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Grammar Tips |
Can You Catch These Native Speaker Mistakes?
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of common mistakes. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening,
reading)
A video lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words.
The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page. |
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)
An audio lesson to
help with your understanding of commonly confused
words. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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