Simple Future
Examples:
You will help him later.
Will you help him later?
You will not help him later.
FORM Be Going To
am/is/are + going to + verb]
Examples:
You are going to meet Jane tonight.
Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
You are not going to meet Jane tonight.
USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action
"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is
one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to
someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that
someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or
"won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.
Examples:
I will send you the information when I get it.
I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
Will you help me move this heavy table?
Will you make dinner?
I will not do your homework for you.
I won't do all the housework myself!
A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.
A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.
A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.
USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise
Will" is usually used in promises.
Examples:
I will call you when I arrive.
If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has
access to inexpensive health insurance.
I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
Don't worry, I'll be careful.
I won't tell anyone your secret.
USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan
"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person
intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or
not.
Examples:
He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
Who are you going to invite to the party?
A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.
USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction
Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the
future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction"
sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3
do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.
Examples:
The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
John Smith will be the next President.
John Smith is going to be the next President.
The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.
Future Continuous
"will be doing " and "be going to be doing." Examples:
You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Examples:
You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future
Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be
interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or
just an interruption in time.
Examples:
I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.
I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to
contact me.
He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.
USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future
In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the
future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific
time as an interruption.
Examples:
Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I WILL BE IN THE PROCESS OF EATING DINNER.
At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert.
WE WILL BE IN THE PROCESS OF DRIVING THROUGH THE DESERT.
REMEMBER
In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or
end. In the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.
Examples:
Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner.
I AM GOING TO START EATING AT 6 PM.
Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I AM GOING TO START EARLIER AND I WILL BE IN THE PROCESS OF EATING DINNER AT 6 PM.
USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future
When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it
expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions
are parallel.
Examples:
I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.
Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
While Ellen is reading, Tim will be watching television.
NOTICE "IS READING" BECAUSE OF THE TIME CLAUSE CONTAINING "WHILE." (SEE EXPLANATION
BELOW)
USE 4 Atmosphere in the Future
In English, we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a specific
point in the future.
Example:
Future Perfect
: "will have done" and "be going to have done. Examples:
You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.?
You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.
FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To"
[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]
Examples:
You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.
Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.?
You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.
USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Future
The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action
in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the
future.
Examples:
By next November, I will have received my promotion.
By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o'clock.
Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to Beijing?
Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time he leaves this
afternoon.
By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.
How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?
Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in Simple
Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses,
and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.
USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous Verbs)
With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the
Future Perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the future.
Examples:
I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.
By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.
Future Perfect Continuous
Examples:
You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.
Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives?
You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.
FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To"
[am/is/are + going to have been + present participle]
Examples:
You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.
Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives?
You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane
finally arrives.
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future
We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that something will continue up until a
particular event or time in the future. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since
Friday" are all durations which can be used with the Future Perfect Continuous. Notice
that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous and the Past Perfect Continuous;
however, with Future Perfect Continuous, the duration stops at or before a reference
point in the future.
Examples:
They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it finally
closes.
James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he
leaves for Asia.
How long will you have been studying when you graduate?
We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when we get to
Anchorage.
A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New Zealand for
over a year?
B: No, I will not have been living here that long.
Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in Simple
Present rather than Simple Future. This is because these future events are in time
clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.
USE 2 Cause of Something in the Future
Using the Future Perfect Continuous before another action in the future is a good way to
show cause and effect.
Examples:
Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for over an
hour.
Claudia's English will be perfect when she returns to Germany because she is going to
have been studying English in the United States for over two years.
Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect Continuous
If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since
Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Future Continuous rather than the
Future Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the
sentence. Future Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Future Perfect
Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the future. Study the
examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
He will be tired because he will be exercising so hard.
THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WILL BE TIRED BECAUSE HE WILL BE EXERCISING AT THAT
EXACT MOMENT IN THE FUTURE.
He will be tired because he will have been exercising so hard.
THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WILL BE TIRED BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE BEEN EXERCISING FOR
A PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HE WILL STILL BE EXERCISING AT THAT MOMENT OR THAT HE
WILL JUST HAVE FINISHED.