The Future

CHRISNARITA A/P KANESUVARAN M20201000534

 Introduction
• We cannot be as definite about the future as we can about the present
or the past.
• There are different ways of talking about future depending on how we
see a future event
• We may see something as certain to happen, or it may be a plan or an
intention or it may be somthing we think will happen but can't be sure
about .
• There is no single ' future tense' in English.
• Examples of the different ways of talking about the future.
Form Example
will Each day he will run 84 miles
be going to He is going to burn off the extra wight.
Present continuous His personal chef is travellling with him
Present simple He leaves the shop at eight tomorrow morning.
be to Mr Lee is to appear on a chat show next Friday.
be about to He is about to set off on his run.
will be doing His chef will be cooking lots of pasta, rice and potatoes.
will have done Mr Lee will have lost ten kilos by the end of the run.
may, might, could It might go horribly wrong.
He could get injured.
To-infinitive after aim, Mr Lee is hoping to beat the record.
expect, hope, intend, Each day he plans to run 84 miles.
or plan
Will and Shall
Explanation Example

• infinitive without to  This book will change your life

after will  I'll know soon if I've got the job.
• short form of will > 'll  Will you still love me tomorrow?
• short form of will not  We will not get another chance.
>won't (more usual)  We won't get another chance.
Form
• use will in all persons  I will be / shall be at home tomorrow.
• first person : can use  We will have / shall have lots of fun.
will or shall
• shall is a little informal
• shall not > shan't (old-
fashioned)
 Explanation Example

• use to talk about  Southern England will stay dry and sunny
things in the future over the weekend.
• fairly certain about  My father will definitely be in hospital for at
• future is seen as least two weeks.
fact  I'll be twenty-five next year
Will • something we
for the
cannot control *No sense of wish or intention
future

• for a prediction  I think Arsenal will win.

• will have to  It's getting late. We'll have to hurry.

• will be allowed to  Competitors will not be allowed to use mobile
• will be able to phones.
 Now you've got some funding, you'll be able
to continue your studies.
 Explanation Example

• for an instant  It's raining. I'll take an umbrella.

decision

• the idea that we  What else do I need? Oh, I know. I'll buy
An instant decide at the some postcards.
decision
moment of ( I'm deciding now to buy some.)
speaking

• when ordering  I'll have the soup, please.

food or drink
 Explanation Example

• sometimes  I 'll sit on the floor. I don't mind.

expresses ( means I'm willing to sit on the floor)
willingness

• express  I won't put up with this nonsense.

Willingness
unwillingness or
refusal

• subject can be a  I'm late already, and now the car won't
thing rather than a start.
person
 Explanation Example

• in an offer  I 'll hold the door for you.

• in a promise  (I promise) I'll do my best to help you.

• in an invitation  Would you like to sit down?

Other uses
of • ask for advice /  What shall we do this weekend?
will
suggestion when
and
shall we can't decide

• to make a  Shall we go to the seaside this weekend?

suggestion
Be going to

Explanation Example

• be going + to-infinitive  I'm going to watch television.

Form
 It isn't going to rain, is it?
 Are you going to buy a newspaper?
 Explanation Example

• for something in the  It's going to stay dry and sunny over the weekend.
future
Be
going to • to make a prediction  I think he is going to win .

• a sense of something  It's ten.We're going to be late.

in the present pointing
to the future
 Explanation Example

• for a plan or an  I'm going to start my business.

intention ( I intend to start/ have decided to start.)
Intentions
• verbs of movement  I'm going out in a minute.
( go and come)  I'm coming to your place now.
• use present ( going to go & going to come > sound
continuous awkward/avoided)
 Present tense forms for the future

Explanation Example

• for what someone  I'm meeting Kim at the restaurant tonight.

The
present has arranged to do
continuous

• only for what see  The meeting is on 13 May.

The
present as part of a time
simple
table
 will, be going to , or the present continuous
Explanation Example

• talk about the future  It'll probably rain.It usually rains at weekends.
 It's going to rain. Look at those clouds.
( prediction based on present situation)
will • future action seems  Help! I'm going to fall!
and
be going to certain to happen

• talk about intentions,  We're going to eat out tonight.

plans and  We're eating out tonight.
arrangements

• instant decision  I'm too tired to cook. I think I'll get a take away.
 Be to, be about to , etc.
Explanation Example

• for an official  The Prime Minister is to visit Sarawak.

Be +
to-infinitive arrangement
Be to
• an order by a  No one is to leave this building.
person in authority
• express a rule
Be about to
• for an action in the  Hurry up. The bus is about to leave.
near future (The bus is about to leave in ten minutes. ) x
(The bus leaves in ten minutes. ) /
be on the
• followed by an ing-  The government is on the point of announcing a
point of
form decision.
 Explanation Example

• talking about timetable  The train is due to leave in five minutes.

Be due to
Be set to
• used in news reports  The player is set to move to an Italian club.
about things that are
expected to happen
soon
Be bound
• something will definitely  There's bound to be trouble/
to
happen in the future  The President is sure/certain to resign.
Be sure
/certain to
The future continuous : will be doing
Explanation Example
Form
• will be + ing-form  The committee will be discussing the matter
next month.

• for an action over a  Mike can't come tonight. He'll be working.

Action over period of future time
a future
period • to talk about an action  I'll be working all day tomorrow.
going on over a whole
period
A routine or
• far an action that  The Queen will be arriving in ten minutes.
arrangment
result from a routine or (Her arrival in 10 minutes is part of her
arrangment schedule.)
 The future perfect and future perfect continuous
Explanation Example

• will have + past participle  When we get to Sydney, we will have done half
the journey

 Seven is too early, I won’t have got home from

work by then.
The  How long will the spaceship have been in orbit?
future
perfect
• to talk about something  I’ll have finished this book soon. I’m nearly at
being over at a time in the the end.
future
 We don’t need all day for the museum. I expect
we’ll have seen enough by lunch time

 Sarah won’t have competed her studies until

she’s twenty-five.
NOTE
• 1. In the first person we can also use shall.
• Example : When we get to Melbourne, we will/shall have done half the
journey.

• 2. We can sometimes use be going to as well as will

• Example : They aren’t going to have finished the repairs until next
week.

• 3. The future perfect can express an assumption about the past .

• Example : You’ll have met my boss-he was at the meeting you went to.
The future perfect continuous

Explanation Example
The
• will have been + ing-  It’s Mike’s party in December. He’ll have
future
perfect form been working here for ten years.
continuous
Future perfect or future perfect continuous

Future perfect Future perfect continuous

Focus : On the result of the action Focus : On the action going on

I’ll have written the report by six, so it’ll This report is taking ages. I’ll have been
be on your desk tomorrow morning. writing it for a week by the time I finish.
A . Was/were going
• Talking about a past situation
to
• E.g. When we are telling story
• Refer forward to later events

Situations Example
For a prediction in the past Alice felt so relieved. Everything was
going to be all right after all.

For an intention in the past I was going to buy some presents, so I

took my credit card with me .
(I intended to buy some presents.)

Sometimes the intended action does not The bus pulled away just as we were
actually happen going to get on it.
(We did not get on the bus because it
pulled away too soon. )
 B. Would
• As a past form of will
Situations Examples

Rather literary They set off at daybreak. They would

reach the camp before nightfall.
( Past action : [reaching the camp] is
seen from a time when it had not yet
happened.)

In indirect speech They thought they would reach the

camp before nightfall.

Would not : The car wouldn’t start this morning.

unwillingness or a refusal in the past
 Was to, was about to, was on the point of
• The workers were arriving for their last shift. The factory was to close the next day.

• We had to hurry. The bus was about to leave .

• Max was on the point of saying goodbye to everyone when he suddenly noticed an
attractive girl looking across the room at him.
Perfect tense
 present perfect

past perfect

future perfect
perfect tense
present perfect continuous

past perfect continuous

future perfect continuous

Present perfect tense
1.Definition:
To express past action with no specific time indicated.

2. The formula:
Has/ have + past participle of the verb
Eg. has/ have + ( known/ come/ cheated/ sent)
 uses of present perfect tense
• eg. The applicant has received a
1.An action which took place in
favourable reply from the company.
the past. The time of the action
is unknown. • eg. His strategies have worked from the
2. An action which started in the start.
past, but it's effect has continued
until the present and will • eg.The tourists have visited KLCC three
probably continue into the times.
future.
3.Repeated actions in the past.
 formula

subject positive negative question

i
you
we have+ past participle have not + past have +subject
they participle + past
participle

he
she has+ past participle has not + past participle has + subject +
it past
participle
 examples
1. The positive:
eg. The economist has used the consumer price index as an indicator of the standard of living.

2. The negative:
eg. The economist has not used/ hasn't used the consumer price index as an indicator of the
standard o living.

3.The question:
eg. Has the economist used the consumer price index as an indicator of the standard of living .
 PAST PARTICIPLE
• For regular verbs, just add “ ed”.

He has finished.

For irregular verbs, use the participle form.

 time expressions
• since • eg. Recently/ lately, the price of oil has
• for soared to a record high.
• yet
• recently/ lately • eg.Have you ever been to the U.S?
• already
• just • eg. The business student has not
• until now/ up to now/ so far submitted her research proposal yet.
• ever and etc.
Past perfect tense
1. definition
Describes an action which took place before another action in past.

2. The formula:
Had + past participle of the verb
eg. Had + ( decreased/ left)
 uses of past perfect tense
1. Two situations or actions that happened in the • eg. The managment trainee had
past. The verb of the earlier action is in the past prepared the report before she left for a
perfect, while the verb of the later action is in the
simple past.
seminar.
2. A situation or action that happened before a
particular time in the past. • eg. Before the recent trip, he had never
travelled overseas.
3.Duration before something in the past.We can also use the past perfect to show that
something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past

eg.

1. We had owned our car for 10 years before it finally died.

2. They had seen married for 5 years when they had their first
child.
 formula

subject positive negative question

all subjects had + past had not + past had + subject +

participle participle past participle
 examples
1. The positive:
eg. The party had already started when they arrived.

2. The negative:
eg. They had not found/ hadn't found of a solution to the problem when they met the counselor.

3.The question:
eg. Had he gone to the market when she arrived at his house?
 time expressions
• before • eg. After he had done his assignment, he
submitted it to his lecturer.
• after
• as soon as • eg. I went home as soon as the rain had
stopped.
• when
• until • eg. When the staff had spoken to the
• by the time Manager, he relayed the message to the Chief
of Staff.
 important notes

in most cases, the simple past tense is more commonly used with before and after since the time
relationship is already clear.

examples:
She has visited the U.S once in 2000 before she moved here in 2005. past perfect

She visited the U.S once in 2000 before she moved here in 2005. simple past

some time expressions used in present perfect tense can also be used with the past perfect tense such
as already, ever, never, still and yet.
3.Duration before something in the past.We can also use the past perfect to show that
something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past

eg.

1. We had owned our car for 10 years before it finally died.

2. They had seen married for 5 years when they had their first
child.
Present perfect continuous tense

1. definition:
This tense is called the present perfect continuous tense. There is usually a connection with the present
and now. There are basically two uses for the present perfect continuous:
1) an action that has just stopped or recently stopped.
We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that started in the past and stopped
recently. There is usually a result now.

eg. I'm tired because i've been running.

Why is the grass wet? Has it been raining?
You don't understand because you haven't been listening.
2. An action continuing up to
now
We use the present perfect
continuous tense to talk about an
action that started in the past and is
continuing now. This is often used
with for or since.

eg. I have been reading for two

hours.
（ I started reading 2 hours ago and
i'm still reading. ）
fomula
 for and since with present perfect continuous tense

• we often use for and since with the present perfect tense.
• we use for to talk about a period of time----5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.
• we use since to talk about a point in past time---9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.
eg. I have been studying for 3 hours.
I have been watching TV since 7pm.
He has been playing football for a long time.
He has been living in the US since he left school.
for or since
for or since
Past perfect continuous tense
Definition
1. duration before something in the past
we use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and
continued up until another time in the past.

eg. They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of
business.
2. cause of something in the past
using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a
good way to show cause and effect.

eg. Jason was tired because he had been jogging.

Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
formula

subject positive negative question

all subjects had been + doing had not been + doing had + subject + been
doing
past continuous vs. past perfect continuous

if you do not include a duration such as “ for five minutes,” “ for two weeks” or “ since
Friday,” many English speaker choose to use the Past continuous rather than the Past
Perfect continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence.

Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous

emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past.
study the examples below to understand the difference.

• He was tired because he was He was tired because he had been

exercising so hard. exercising so hard.

• this sentence emphasizes that he
was tired because he was
exercising at that exact moment.
this sentence emphasizes that he was tired
because he had been exercising over a
period of time. it is possible that he was
still exercising at that moment or that he
had just finished.
Rememer non-continuous verbs
It is important to remember that Non- Continuous
Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses.
eg. The motorcycle had been beloging to George
for years before Tina bought it. ( not correct)
The motocycle had belonged to George for
years before Tina bought it. ( correct)
feeling: hate like, love, prefer, want, wish
senses: appear, feel, hear, see, seem, smell. sound, taste
communication: agree, deny, disagree, mean, promise,
satisfy, surprise
thinking: believe, imagine, know, mean, realize,
recognize, remember, understand
other states: be, belong, concern, depend, involve,
matter, need, owe, own, possess.
REFERENCE

• Eastwood, J. (2009). Oxford : Learner’s Grammar. Oxford University Press