Expressing future

Tenses
Be going to  Plans and intentions
 Predictions based on evidence

Present continuous  Future plans and arrangements

→The details for our plan are fixed

Future simple  Decisions taken at the moment of speaking

(will/shall)  Promises, offers and suggestions
– *Shall I/we…? for offers and suggestions (?)
 Predictions based on expectations (what
we think or believe about the future)
Expressing future
Tenses
Future continuous  Action in progress in a future time

Future perfect  Actions that will have finished before a specific

future time (by)

CU190A
Other ways of expressing future
Vocabulary
 Modal verbs will / could / may / might
– will = very strong probability
– could / may / might = possible but not certain
 Sure to happen
– It will definitely ...
– Sth is bound to happen
 Likely to happen
– The chances are that ...
– There is a strong / distinct possibility ...
– It may / might well ...
– There is every likelihood that ...

CS009
Other ways of expressing future
Vocabulary
 Unlikely to happen
– There is a slight / slim / remote possibility that ..
– I doubt whether ...
– It probably won't ...
– The odds are against ...
 Impossible
– It is inconceivable that ...
– stand a chance
 She doesn't stand a chance of + vb(-ing)
 She stands no chance of + vb(-ing)
– There is... + that
 no way/hope/chance/possibility of
 isn't any hope/chance/possibility of

CS009