1.

THE FUTURE TENSE

The future can be expressed in several ways in English. Here are the
different possibilities:
1.
2.

Future Simple: will + base form of the verb

Be Going To: am, is, are + going to + base form of the verb

3.

Shall: Shall + subject + base form of the verb?

4.

Future Progressive: will be + verbing

5.

Present Simple and Present Progressive with Future Meaning

Time expressions in the Future Tense

There are several time expressions that are used in all of the different forms
of the future tense. They are generally used at the end of the sentence or
question. The most common are: tomorrow, next week (Sunday/month/year),
in two days (weeks, months years), the day after tomorrow.
Future Simple: Will + Base Form of the Verb
This form is used to:
Describe a simple action in the future:
1.
2.

Shell write the e-mail after lunch.

Alice wont help us decorate for the party.

Make a prediction or give a warning:

1. Dont lift that. Youll hurt yourself
2. If you dont finish the bid, the boss wont give you a raise.
Make a spontaneous decision:
1.

You dropped your purse. Ill get it.

will or wont +verb
Subject

I / You / We /
They

Positiv
e
will see

Negative
wont see

rest of sentence

you tomorrow night

will or wont +verb

Subject

Positiv
e

Negative

rest of sentence

He / She / It
Contractions
In general, use the contracted forms of the pronoun + will:
I will > Ill / he will > hell / she will > shell / you will > youll / we will
> well /they will > theyll
Ex. Ill see you tomorrow. / Youll get the answer by post.
Try to use the short form wont instead of will not
Ex. I wont see you tomorrow.
Save the long forms for when you want to create emphasis in spoken Englsih
or when writing formal texts.
Ex. You will not do that again! / His hypothesis will not stand up to their
criticism.
Future Be Going To
We usually use am, is or are + going to + the base form of the verb to talk
about actions in the future that have already been decided on.
Subject

Form of be + going to
Positive

base form
the verb

Negative

am going to am not going to

He / She /
It

is going to

isnt (is not) going

to
buy

You / We /
They

are going to

arent (are
going to

of

not)

1.
2.

Dans going to take the order over to the customer.

The girls are going to sing Amazing Grace now.

3.

They arent going to buy the house.

rest of sentence

some
tomorrow

clothes

4.
I am not going to make dinner tonight. Were going out to a
restaurant.
Future: Shall
Shall is used with the subjects I and we to make suggestions or to offer to do
something for someone. It is always used in the form of a question.

1.
2.

Will

subject

base
verb

Sha
ll

I / We

send

form

of

the

rest of sentence

out for pizza

Shall we go for a walk?

Shall I help you with that?

The use of shall to mean will is formal English and is not commonly used
today.
Future Progressive (Continuous) will + be + verbing
We use will/wont + be + verbing (present participle) when we know that an
action will be in progress at some time in the future or to describe something
that has been pre-arranged.
Subject

I / You / We /
They
He / She / It

will / wont + be + verbing

Positive

Negative

rest of sentence

will be waiting wont be waiting for you

1.
2.

Dont phone me before 12:00. I will be meeting with a client.

You can take my car tomorrow. I wont be using it.

3.

This time next year, we will be living in our new home.

Present Simple and Present Progressive with Future Meaning

The present simple tense may be used to express the future in order to talk
about plans in the near future.
1.

Her bus leaves at 6:00 Tuesday morning.

The present progressive tense may be used to express the future especially
when you want to talk about plans arranged in advance. It is common to use
it with verbs of movement.
1.

Im turning in my History assignment tomorrow morning.

Examples Future Tense

Positive
1.
Shell write the e-mail after lunch.
2.
Dont lift that. Youll hurt yourself.
3.

You dropped your purse. Ill get it.

4.

Ill see you tomorrow.

5.

Youll get the answer by post.

6.

Dans going to take the order over to the customer.

7.

The girls are going to sing Amazing Grace now.

8.

Ill drive you to your lesson at 4 pm.

9.

He is going to clean up his room tonight.

10.

Dont phone me before 12:00. I will be meeting with a client.

11.

This time next year, we will be living in our new home.

12.

He will be receiving his M.A. degree at the ceremony next week.

13.

Her bus leaves at 6:00 Tuesday morning.

14.

Im turning in my History assignment tomorrow morning.

Negative
1.
Alice wont help us decorate for the party.
2.
If you dont finish the bid, the boss wont give you a raise.
3.

I wont see you tomorrow.

4.

You will not do that again!

5.

They arent going to buy the house.

6.

I am not going to make dinner tonight. Were going out to a restaurant.

7.

Teddy and Sam arent going to eat at that restaurant again.

8.

You can take my car tomorrow. I wont be using it.

9.

He wont work overtime anymore.

Yes/No Questions
1.
Will Dave burn the CD for you?
2.
Wont the girls be late for the party?
3.

Am I going to feel bad about my decision?

4.

Is he going to watch the film tonight?

5.

Are you going to participate in the race tomorrow?

6.

Shall we go for a walk?

7.

Shall I help you with that?

8.

Will Allen be participating in the science fair next week?

9.

Wont you be visiting your mother when Im in town?

10.

Will Ron be visiting you today?

Wh- Questions
1.
When will he give you an answer?
2.
Why wont you tell him the truth?
3.

How much is the computer going to cost?

4.

Why arent you going to buy that car

5.

Where will he be waiting for me?

6.

How will you be travelling to the exhibition?

7.

How many contestants will be attempting to win the prize?

8.

Which runners will be running the race?

Spelling Tip

Verbing (Present Participle)

Add ing to most verbs. Ex. play > playing, cry > crying, bark >
barking

For verbs that end in e, remove the e and add ing. Ex: slide > sliding,
ride > riding

For verbs that end in ie, change the ie to y and add ing. Ex: die >
dying, tie > tying

For a verb whose last syllable is written with a consonant-vowelconsonant and is stressed, double the last letter before adding ing. Ex:
beg > begging, begin > beginning.However: enter > entering (last
syllable is not stressed)
2. Body Language

Definition: The movements or positions of your body that show other people
how you are feeling, even though you do not tell them in words.
Emotions Expressed Through Expressions
Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed include;
Adjectives:
amazed
annoyed
confused
disgusted
embarrassed
excited
Interested
shocked

Vocabulary preview:
1. Palm

2. gesture

3. Fist

4. Kneel down

5.Take a bow
7.A handshake

6. Pat on the back

9.Fingers

Modals;
1. It might/may mean he doesnt understand you.
2. It could mean he doesnt agree with you
3. It must mean he agrees with you.
Adverbs:
1. Maybe it means he doesnt understand you.
2. perhaps it means he doesnt agree with you.
3. That probably means he agrees with you.

3. Modal verbs
Modal verbs, also called modal auxiliaries or simply modals, are a type of auxiliary verb or helping
verb. English has ten modal verbs:

can

could

may

might

shall

should

will

would

must

ought
to

Modals express the mood a verb, such as ability, possibility, necessity, or another condition. They are
used with a main verb to form a sentence or a question. Modals are not conjugated, have no tense,
and cannot be used without a main verb.
When used with modal verbs (except ought), main verbs always remain in the infinitive without to.
In a statement the word order is subject + modal + main verb.

subjec
t

moda
l

main
verb

They

can

come.

Mike

should walk.

In questions, the word order changes to modal + subject + main verb.

yes-no questions
modal

subjec
t

main verb

Can

they

come?

Should

Mike

drive?

wh- questions
whword

modal

subject

main
verb

When

can

they

come?

How

could

he

know?

Can
The modal can indicates possibility or ability:
Tom can help you.
Wild animals can be dangerous.
Dining out can be costly.
In questions, the modal can requests permission to do something or to ask about possibilities:
Can I help you?
Can Mike come over for dinner?
Who can answer the next question?
When can we get back the results?

Could

Could indicates possibility or ability in the past:

I could have told you that.
It could have been a disaster.
When I was young, I could run very fast.
Could speculates about future posibilities. In the following examples could and might are synonomous.
It could / might rain tonight.
That could / might be dangerous.
In yes-no questions, could speculates about present posibilities:
Could she be the murderer?
Could this be a mistake?
It can also make a request. In these examples could and can are synonomous, but could is more
polite.
Could / Can you open your window?
Could / Can you help me move this sofa?
Could indicates an option:
We could go see a movie.
I could become a doctor.
The modal could is also used to form the conditional. The conditional contains an if clause and
a resultclause. Could is placed in the result clause.
In these examples, could expresses hypothetical situations:
If I had time, I could play tennis with you.
We could study together, if you want to.
If it weren't raining, we could go on a picnic.
Could mentions something that didn't happen because a certain condition was not met:
If we had left sooner, we could have taken the train.
I could have passed the exam if I had studied more.

I'm glad we took umbrellas. We could have gotten soaked.

Shall and Will

The modals shall/will + main verb are used to create future tenses . These modals indicate an intention
or an action that is expected to happen in the future.
When used in statements, there is no difference in meaning between these two modals;
however, shall is rarely used in American English.
I will / shall close the door for you.
Tom will / shall meet us at the train station.
They will / shall leave tomorrow at 8:00.
In wh- questions, shall and will ask about options.
Who will / shall drive the car?
When will / shall I see you again?
How will / shall you get here?
What time will / shall we meet?
In yes-no questions, shall and will have different meanings.
Will asks a favor.
Will / Shall you turn off the TV?
Will / Shall you stop whining?
Will / Shall you go with me?
Will also asks for information or knowledge about somebody or something.
Will / Shall Tom ever pay you back?
Will / Shall Mars be visited by humans within twenty years?
Will / Shall you be finished soon?
Shall asks about a preference. In these examples, shall and should are synonomous. In American
English,shall is rarely used; when it is, it's only in the first person singular and plural.

Should / Shall I close the door?

Should / Shall he close the door?
Should / Shall they come back later?
Should / Shall Tom bring food to the party?
Should / Shall we stay here?

May and Might

The modals may and might indicate an uncertain future action. These two modals are synonymous.
I may / might go to the park, or I may / might stay home.
This may / might be a bad idea.
It may / might rain tonight.
iMay or can gives instructions or permission.
You may / can now board the airplane.
You may / can begin the exam in ten minutes.
In yes-no questions that make a request, you can use may or can. May is more polite.
May / Can I see your driver's license?
May / Can we have some more water, please?

Must
The modal must indicates an obligation.
You must see this movie.
Tom must see a doctor immediately.
Must also indicates an assumption or probability.
My watch must be broken.
He must have done that before moving to Spain.

In wh- questions, must is an obligation and can be replaced with the modal should. In American
English,should is much more common in these types of questions.
When should / must we be there?
Who should / must I talk to?
Must can sometimes form rhetorical questions, when you want the person to stop doing something.

Must you make so much noise?

= Please be quiet.

Must he ask so many questions? = I hope he stops asking questions.

Should and Ought (to)

The modals should and ought to indicate an obligation. These two modals are synonymous.
You should / ought to call your mother.
I should / ought to go home now.
When used in questions, should asks if an obligation exists. Ought is never used in questions in
American English.
Should he call her?
Should we pay now?
When should we leave?
What should I wear?

Would
Would followed by like is a polite way of stating a preference.
I would like white wine with my fish.
We would like a room with a view.
In questions, would + subject + like is a polite request for a choice to be made.
Would you like soup or salad with your meal?
Where would you like to eat dinner?
When would Tom like this delivered?

Would can make a request sound more polite.

Come here!

Would you come here?

Stop making that noise! Would you stop making that noise?
Would explains an action as a result of a supposed or real condition.
I would go with you if I didn't have to work.
If I had not had to work, I would have gone with you.
She would be surprised if you came to the party.
Tom would drive, but he doesn't have a license.
Would introduces habitual actions in the past.
When I was a student, I would go swimming every day.
When Tom lived in France, he would write me long letters.

Sources;
http://www.gingersoftware.com/grammarbook/verbs/the-future-tense/
http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/esl/grammar/modalverbs.html