Future reference - Easy Learning Grammar
Verb forms
English has no future tense as such. However, several forms, especially the modal verbs will and shall, can be used to make future reference. These forms are summarized as follows:- It will take several years to finish.
- Jean will look after the dogs while we’re away.
- I shall simply tell her to mind her own business.
- We shall see.
- He failed his exam last year; this year he is going to work harder.
- You’d better take the washing in; it is going to rain.
- Sarah and Harriet are meeting at ten o’clock on Tuesday.
- I am flying to Glasgow on Friday.
- The main film starts at 2.45 p.m.
- We leave at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
- I was hoping to meet James, but by the time I arrive he will have gone home.
- I’m sorry I can’t stop and chat; I’m about to leave for work.
- What will you be doing on Saturday morning? Oh, I’ll be shopping as usual.
- The President is to attend an EU–Russia summit tomorrow.
| I shall come. | We shall come. |
| or | or |
| I will come. | We will come. |
| You will come. | You will come. |
| She/he/it will come. | They will come. |
- The contracted form is ’ll for both verbs, so there is no difference in informal speech.
- I’ll probably be late, but I expect they’ll be on time.
- We won’t come.
- We shan’t come.
- If there are two verbs in the sentence, it is normal not to repeat the modal form before the second one.
- I won’t see him or speak to him for six months.
- to talk about future facts.
- I shan’t see Mary next week.
- I’ll be on the plane this time tomorrow.
- to make promises or reassurances.
- I’ll be home in time for tea.
- This won’t happen again, I can assure you.
- to announce a decision that the speaker has just made.
- Er, I’ll have the pizza Margherita and a side salad, please.
- Right, I shall ask him, and see if his story matches yours.
- to express negative intention, using won’t.
- I won’t go there again. The service was dreadful.
- to express refusal.
- I won’t put up with any more of this silly behaviour.
- I’ve tried to persuade her but she won’t come.
- to talk about an event in the future, possibly in the distant future. A time clause may be used.
- People will be amazed when they hear about this in years to come.
- to refer to inevitable actions or events that will take place in the future.
- Christmas is past, but it will come again next year.
- to express an opinion about a future event after verbs such as believe, expect, hope, know, and think.
- I expect he’ll be home soon.
- I hope you’ll be very happy in your new home.
- to express a real possibility in conditional sentences. See Conditional clauses.
- If you phone after six I’ll tell you all about it.
Future reference can be made with be + going to + the base form of a main verb.
- I am going to wait.
- He is going to wait.
- I am not going to wait.
- He is not going to wait.
- Is he going to wait?
- Are they going to wait?
- to express intention about the future.
- Mary isn’t going to study art; she’s going to be a nurse.
- to talk about things that have already been decided.
- Is Jim going to leave his job? – Yes, he is.
- Where’s Mary? She said she was going to come early.
- to make a prediction about the future, often the very near future, based on something in the present.
- Watch the milk! It is going to boil over!
- Sally never does any work; she is going to fail her exams.
- Judy was going to meet me, but she was ill and couldn’t come.
- She was obviously going to get blisters with those new shoes.
Note this difference:
- Be going to is usually used for future events where the speaker expresses his or her intention.
- Will is used to express decisions made at the moment of speaking.
- I’m going to go to the pictures on Friday; would you like to come?
- Yes, I’ll go if Chris goes.
The present continuous tense is used to talk about plans for the future, or specific arrangements that people have made for future events.
- The school is having a sale next week; I’m running the bookstall.
- What are you doing on Saturday? – I’m going to a football match with Peter.
- When are you leaving? – At the end of term.
- We are meeting at 12.30 p.m., having a quick lunch, and starting work at 1.15.
The present simple tense is also used to talk about events that form part of a timetable or programme.
- The train leaves Edinburgh at 10.10 a.m. and arrives in London at 3.20 p.m.
- These are the arrangements for Friday: doors open at 7 p.m., the Mayor arrives at 7.30 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7.45 p.m.
This form is used to talk about an action that will be complete at a time in the future that you are talking about. It is often used with verbs relating to finishing or completing.The contracted positive form is ’ll have or will’ve.
- Can you come round next Saturday? – Yes, I’ll have finished my exams by then.
- Dad will’ve made dinner by the time we get back.
- The essay is due on Tuesday, but I won’t have completed it by then.
- Will you have finished dinner by then? – Yes, we will.
The appropriate form of be + about to + the base form of a main verb is used to talk about events in the very near future.
- Turn off the gas – the soup is about to boil over.
- Come on! The film’s about to start!
- Quick, jump in! The train is (just) about to leave.
- They were (just) about to go to bed when the phone rang.
This is made with will + be + the present participle of a main verb. Will be forms negatives, contractions, questions, and short answers in the usual way.The future continuous is used in a rather informal way to suggest that something is about to happen or will happen at some time that is not clear or precise.
- I’ll be seeing you.
- We’ll be getting in touch with you.
- They’ll be wanting us to clean our own classrooms next!
- We won’t be seeing Uncle John while we are in Australia.
- Will you be working here next week?
- No, I won’t. I’ll be starting my new job.
- Just think! This time next week, we will be flying to Sydney.
The appropriate form of be + to + the base form of a main verb is used mainly in fairly formal English to talk about plans, arrangements, and instructions. It indicates that what will happen is part of an expected process, and is often found in journalistic texts.
- Foreign ministers of the NATO countries are to meet in Brussels next week.
- The President has left for Geneva, where he is to attend the meeting.