FUTURE TENSE
I personally like a lot talking about the future, what are you doing next; what will life on earth be in the future or how will we be doing when we get older? Anyway, the future is part of what amazes and amuses me.
Plans, predictions, offers, requests, and promises are some of the valuable actions we can set up with this tense, it marks our intentions and the possibilities our expectations bring to us.
Let's check some material to assure you understood the topic.
The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things that haven’t happened yet.
E.g. This year, Jen will read War and Peace. It will be hard, but she’s determined to do it.
Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.
The Simple Future
The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].
E.g. I will learn a new language. Jen will read that book. My brothers will sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You will see what I mean.
It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula for the simple future doesn’t change. But…
There is another way to show that something will happen in the future. It follows the formula [am/is/are] + going to + [root form verb].
E.g. I am going to learn a new language.
David is going to read that book.
My siblings are going to sleep till noon if no one wakes them up.
You are going to see what I mean.
The “going to” construction is common in speech and casual writing. Keep in mind though that it’s on the informal side, so it’s a good idea to stick to the will + [root form] construction in formal writing.
Make the Simple Future Negative
To make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form].
E.g. Joey will not quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus will not wait for you.
He will not say anything bad about his boss. I will not finish my homework in time for class.
Using the “going to” construction, the formula is [am/is/are] + not + going to + [root form].
E.g. Sam is not going to quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus is not going to wait for you.
He is not going to say anything bad about his boss. I am not going to finish my homework in time for class.
Ask a Question
To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form].
E.g. Will Jenny finish War and Peace over the summer?
Will I have the discipline to study Math every day?
What will you buy with the money you found?
The formula for the “going to” construction is [am/is/are] + [subject] +going to + [root form].
Is Jen going to finish War and Peace over the summer? Am I going to have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What are you going to buy with the money you found?
