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Future Forms
Future Forms
Future Forms
There are several ways of expressing future in English. They are listed below:
1 Future Simple
Form
The Future Simple is formed with will/shall and the infinitive
Affirmative Interrogative Negative
I will/I’ll play / I shall play Shall I play? I will not/won’t play/
You will/you’ll play Will you play? I shall not /I shan’t play
He will play Will he play? You will not/you won’t play
We will play/we’ll play/we shall play Shall we play? He will not/he won’t play
You will play Will they play? We will not/won’t play/we shall
They will play Will they play? not play /we shan’t play
You will not/ won’t play
They will not/won’t play
Note: The general rule of shall for the 1st person singular and plural and will for the
rest applies to British English. American English prefers will for all persons.
Form
This tense is made up of the future simple of to be and the present participle. In the
first person, will is more usual than shall, except in the interrogative:
Affirmative I/we will/shall be working
He/she/it/you/they will be working
Interrogative Shall/will I/we be working?
will he/she/it/you/they be working?
Negative I/we will/shall not be working
He/she/it/you/they will not be working
Negative interrogative will he not/won’t he be working?
Form
The Future Perfect Tense is formed with will/shall and perfect infinitive
It is usually used
• with a time expressions beginning with by: by then, by that time, by the end of
the year, i.e. for actions that will have finished by or before a certain time in the
future:
They will have completed their French course by next spring.
When I leave school next June, I will have had English classes for eight years.
How many English books will you have read by that time?
This tense can be used with a time expression for a definite future arrangement,
timetables, itineraries and schedules:
Catharine starts school on Monday.
The championship ends on August 29th.
The plane takes off at 5:30.
We leave at six, arrive in Dublin at ten and take the plane on…
Although the present continuous can be used for definite future arrangements, the
present simple sounds more formal.
The present continuous can express a definite arrangement in the near future:
I am taking an exam in October. (this implies that I have entered for it)
When using this tense as a future form time must be mentioned, as other wise there
may be confusion between present and future. Also, future cannot be expressed in this
way with the verbs not normally used in the continuous form:
I am meeting him tonight but I will know tonight. Not I am knowing tonight.
Exercises
A Put the verbs in brackets into the right form, either future simple or future
continuous tense
2. Ted: When we get to the party, Jerry (watch) TV, Sam (make) drinks, Beth (dance)
by herself, and Thad (complain) about his day at work.
Robin: Maybe, this time they won't be doing the same things.
Ted: I am absolutely positive they (do) the same things; they always do the same
things.
3. Florence: Oh, look at that mountain of dirty dishes! Who (wash) all of those?
Jack: I promise I (do) them when I get home from work.
Florence: Thanks.
Jack: When you get home this evening, that mountain will be gone and nice stacks of
sparkling clean dishes (sit) in the cabinets.
4. Doug: If you need to contact me next week, I (stay) at the Hoffman Hotel.
Nancy: I (call) you if there are any problems.
Doug: This is the first time I have ever been away from the kids.
Nancy: Don't worry, they (be) fine.
5. Samantha: Just think, next week at this time, I (lie) on a tropical beach in Maui
drinking Mai Tai's and eating pineapple.
Darren: While you are luxuriating on the beach, I (stress) out over this marketing
project. How are you going to enjoy yourself knowing that I am working so hard.
Samantha: I 'll manage somehow.
Darren: You're terrible. Can't you take me with you?
Samantha: No. But I (send) you a postcard of a beautiful, white-sand beach.
Darren: Great, that (make) me feel much better.
Exercises
A Put the verbs in brackets into the right form, either future simple or be going to
form
6. Michael: Do you think the Republicans or the Democrats (win) the next election?
Jane: I think the Republicans (win) the next election.
John: No way! The Democrats (win).
7. Susan: We (go) camping this weekend. Would you like to come along?
Sam: That sounds great, but I don't have a sleeping bag.
Susan: No problem. I (lend) you one. My family has tons of camping gear.
8. Barbara: I (buy) a new car this weekend, but I'm a little worried because I don't
really know much about cars. I'm afraid the salesman (try) to take advantage of me
when he sees how little I know.
Dave: I used to work for a mechanic in high school and I know a lot about cars. I (go)
with you to make sure you are not cheated.
9. Gina: Fred and I (visit) Santa Fe next summer. Have you ever been there?
1
Exercises B, C and D are taken from www.englishpage.com, Verb Tense Tutorial.
Margaret: My family lives in Santa Fe! I (give) you my parents' phone number. When
you get to Santa Fe, just call them and they (give) you a little tour of the town. They
can show you some of the sights that most tourists never see.
10. Pam: Can you see my future in the crystal ball? What (happen) next year?
Fortune Teller: You (meet) a man from the East Coast, perhaps New York or maybe
Boston. You (marry) that mystery man.
Pam: Forget the man! I want to know if I (get) a new job.
Exercises
A Put the verbs in brackets into the right form, either simple present or future simple
tense2:
1. Today after I (get) out of class, I (go) to a movie with some friends.
2. When you (arrive) in Stockholm, call my friend Gustav. He (show) you around the
city and help you get situated.
3. A: Do you know what you want to do after you (graduate)?
B: After I (receive) my Master's from Georgetown University, I (go) to graduate
school at UCSD in San Diego. I (plan) to complete a Ph.D. in cognitive science.
4. If it (snow) this weekend, we (go) skiing near Lake Tahoe.
5. Your father (plan) to pick you up after school today at 3:00 o'clock. He (meet) you
across the street near the ice cream shop. If something happens and he cannot be
there, I (pick) you up instead.
6. If the people of the world (stop, not) cutting down huge stretches of rain forest, we
(experience) huge changes in the environment during the twenty-first century.
7. If Vera (keep) drinking, she (lose, eventually) her job.
8. I promise you that I (tell, not) your secret to anybody. Even if somebody (ask) me
about what happened that day, I (reveal, not) the truth to a single person.
9. She (make) some major changes in her life. She (quit) her job and go back to
school. After she (finish) studying, she (get) a better paying job and buy a house.
She is going to improve her life!
10. Tom (call) when he (arrive) in Madrid. He (stay) with you for two or three days
until his new apartment (be) available.
C Put the verbs in brackets into the right form: the simple present, future simple,
present continuous or future continuous tense3:
1. Right now I am watching T.V. Tomorrow at this time, I (watch) __________ T.V.
as well.
2. Tomorrow after school, I (go)__________ to the beach.
3. I am going on a dream vacation to Tahiti. While you (do) __________ paperwork
and (talk) __________ to annoying customers on the phone, I (lie) __________ on a
sunny, tropical beach. Are you jealous?
4. We (hiding) __________ when Tony (arrives) __________ at his surprise party. As
soon as he opens the door, we (jump) __________ out and (scream) __________ ,
"Surprise!"
5. We work out at the fitness centre everyday after work. If you (come) __________
2
The exercise is taken from www.englishpage.com, Verb Tense Tutorial.
3
Exercises C and d are taken from www.englishpage.com, Cumulative verb tense review, Verb tense
practice test.
over while we (work) __________ out, we will not be able to let you into the house.
Just to be safe, we (leave) __________ a key under the welcome mat so you will not
have to wait outside.
6. While you (study) __________ at home, Magda (be) __________ in class.
7. When I (get) __________ to the party, Sally and Doug (dance) __________ , John
(make) __________ drinks, Sue and Frank (discuss) __________ something
controversial, and Mary (complain) __________ about something unimportant. They
are always doing the same things. They are so predictable.
8. When you (get) __________off the plane, I (wait) __________ for you.
9. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) __________ up
tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) __________ .
10. If you (need) __________ to contact me sometime next week, I (stay)
__________ at the Sheraton in San Francisco.