The Future Tense

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Introduction

In this assignment I tried best to emphasize deeply on future tense. Usually it is thought to be the simplest and easiest of all tenses in English by maximum number of people specially students in Non-English countries. But, a lot of us do not know the complexity of the Future Tense. The fact is that this might be as complex as other tenses, i.e The present and The future tenses. We often do not feel the complexity of this tense while using, and even the listener, sometimes the native speaker of English language would not be able to find out the errors, or may be he or she would be able to find out the errors but would rather neglect or would not have time to discuss because these mistakes at the first place are too small to be picked out for discussion. But here I will try my best to express thoroughly the usage of all Future tenses and the usage of shall and Will.

Expressions of future tense

The main concept of the future tense however remains more complicated than it is itself. It varies from time and situations. A native speaker may use typical expressions about what he or she is going to do in future but it does not carries the typical meanings but sometimes more complicated intention and it also varies from speaker's conviction. This happens because of two main reasons when we do not understand the native speaker:

The absolute value of the future tense

The first thing we should keep in mind is that around 99% non English speaking people (here I mean to say only some of us do know) use the absolute value of the future tense. Absolute value of the future tense means a traditional way in which we have learned and read about future tense in schools and colleges. So there are some typical standards which we know and use them traditionally when we speak in English.

Secondly comes the relative value of the future tense. This is more complex part which is defined in my this assignment thoroughly. There are a lot of chances that complexity may vary from situation to situation and sometimes even from person to person.

Thus, a given language may exhibit more than one strategy for expressing futurity. In addition, the verb forms used for the future tense can also be used to express other types of meaning. For example, «will», in English, may express direct volition as well as mark the future form of a verb. The auxiliary werden «become» is used for both the future tense and the passive voice in German.

1. What is a tense?

What is a Tense? [The word tense comes from Latin tempus, time.] We have three kinds of time,

· Present

· Past

· Future

What ever we say and whenever we say, it is related to a particular time. It can not happen that you say a sentence and it is not related to any tense. So tenses are very important in any language. Here you must note that every language does not have grammar, but still they are spoken. But a lot of languages are those which do have grammar and rules and regulations. Tenses does not mean to learn only structures and then you are on your way to using them. But here we shall only emphasize on the Future Tenses.

2. The future tense «Going to»

Most commonly used future sentences in our daily life are made up of «Going To» although we just don't feel that we are using future tense, because we want to or intend to express things in Present Tense but «Going to» slightly refers to Future Tense.

The future tenses are itself very simple tenses of their kind. But still we cannot say while working in depth with future tenses specially when using future tenses in the past. There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future: for example,

I'm going to see him later today.

They're going to launch it next month.

We're going to have lunch first.

But please Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future

When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.

In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

Look out! That cup is going to fall off.

Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.

Here, a very interesting question arises in our minds that «can we replace 'going to go' by 'going'»? The answer is «Yes», we can.

I'm going out later.

She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

But please note that:

«I'm going to Germany.» isn't really the future tense. (This is just Present Indefinite.)

If you want to say it in a future form you will have to say:

I'm going to go to Germany.

But sometimes:

We say something is going to happen when it has already been planned.

For example:

Question: Where are you going on holiday this year?

Answer: We're going to Spain.

We also use it to show something has already been decided.

For example:

We're going to buy a new car next year.

We also use going to when we can see something is about to happen.

For example:

Look at that cloud it's going to rain.

Watch out that car's going to crash!

You can also use going to to predict the future based upon the evidence now.

For example:

It looks as though Manchester United are going to win the European cup.

I think my friend Louise is going to have a baby.

So, It means that basically going to is used in «Near Future Time» sentences. Near future means that the time which is very close or just will take place within a short time period. But some times, very rarely we also can use going to in «Far Future Time» it means thing which will take place after a long time period of the said sentences.

3. What does actually Shall or Will means?

Mostly people who live in non-english speaking countries do not really know or do not make an appropriate usage of will or shall.

1. (auxiliary verb.) will am (is, are, etc.) about or going to:

I will be there tomorrow. She will see you at dinner.

2. will am (is, are, etc.) disposed or willing to:

People will do right.

3. will am (is, are, etc.) expected or required to:

You will report to the principal at once.

4. will may be expected or supposed to:

You will not have forgotten him.

5. will am (is, are, etc.) determined or sure to (used emphatically):

People will talk.

6. will am (is, are, etc.) accustomed to, or do usually or often:

She would write for hours at a time

7. will am (is, are, etc.) habitually disposed or inclined to:

Tyrants will be tyrants.

8. will am (is, are, etc.) capable of; can:

This tree will live without water for three months.

9. (v.i.) will to wish; desire; like:

Take what you will. Ask, if you will, who the owner is.

10. (n.) will the faculty of conscious and particularly of deliberate action:

the freedom of the will.

Definition of 'Shall'

1. shall plan to or intend to:

I shall go later.

2. shall will have to or is determined to:

You shall do it. He shall do it.

3. shall (in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to:

Council meetings shall be public.

4. shall (used interrogatively):

Shall we go?

5. shall used to offer, suggest, or ask politely

Shall I make some drinks?

6. shall used with «I» and «we» to talk about the future

We shall be away that week.

7. shall used to give legal instructions

The defendant shall not be required to pay any damages.

8. shall to owe; to be under obligation for

9. shall to be obliged; must

Please note that:

There are different things which can show future time. But students usually think that only «WILL» shows future time which is a wrong idea. As I said that there are different things which can show future time. For example, Present Indefinite & Present Continuous can also be used to show future.

4. The future tense «Shall or Will» Or Future Indefinite Tense

Expressing Future in Time Clause or value

Observe the following example;

Aslam will come soon. When Aslam comes, we will talk to him.

«When Aslam comes» is a time clause.

When + Subject + 1st form of a verb = a time clause.

Note: Will or be going to is not used in a time clause. The meaning of the clause is furute, but the Simple Present is used.

A time clause begins with such words as when, before, after, as soon as, until and includes a subject and a verb. The time clause can some either at the beginning of a sentence or in the second part of a sentence:

When he comes, we'll see him.

OR:

We'll see him when he comes

To express a Prediction:

Use either WILL or GOING TO;

(a) According to the weather report, it will be cloudy tomorrow.

(b) According to the weather report, it is going to be cloudy tomorrow.

In both of the sentences the speaker is making a prediction (a statement about something which he or she thinks will be true in the future). So, there is no difference between the both.

To express a PRIOR PLAN:

Use only GOING TO;

A: Why did you buy this watch?

B: I am going to gift it to my friend. Here you can observe that (B) bought a watch and his plan is to gift that watch in the future. In other words, the desicion or plan of gifting the watch was already taken.

To express decisions taken at the time of speaking:

Use only WILL;

A: What are you doing now a days?

B: I'm learning English.

A: Really! Is the institute good and inexpensive?

B: Yes, it is.

A: I will also take admission in that institute.

To express Willingness:

Use only Will;

Willingness means that you are ready to volunteer for something.

A: The phone's ringing. B: I'll get it.

In the above example, B: is saying that he is willing and happy to answer the phone. He is not predicting. He has made no prior plan to answer the phone. He is, instead, volunteering to answer the phone and uses WILL to show his willingness.

Please note that: Future Simple or Future Indefinite, both are same.

5. Future tense «Shall be or Will be» (Continuous)

Future Continuous has two different forms: «will be doing» and «be going to be doing.» Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

Forming Future Continuous with «Will»

[will be + present participle]

Examples:

· You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

· Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

· You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Forming Future Continuous with «Be Going To»

[am/is/are + going to be + present participle]

Examples:

· You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

· Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

· You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Please do not forget that:

It is possible to use either «will» or «be going to» to create the Future Continuous with little difference in meaning.

Interrupted Action in the Future

Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

· I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.

· I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.

· I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me.

Please Notice that:

In the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future

In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples:

· Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I will be in the process of eating dinner.

· At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert.
We will be in the process of driving through the desert.

Please remember that:

In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.

Examples:

· Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner.

· I am going to start eating at 6 PM.

· Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.

· I am going to start earlier and I will be in the process of eating dinner at 6 pm.

Parallel Actions in the Future

When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:

· I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.

· Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

Atmosphere in the Future

In English, we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a specific point in the future.

Example:

· When I arrive at the party, everybody is going to be celebrating. Some will be dancing. Others are going to be talking. A few people will be eating pizza, and several people are going to be drinking beer. They always do the same thing.

Please remember that there should be No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future tenses, the Future Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Continuous, Present Continuous is used.

Examples:

· While I am going to be finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Not Correct

· While I am finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Correct

And also remember Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Future.

Examples:

· Jane will be being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct

· Jane will be at my house when you arrive. Correct

Adverb replacement

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

· You will still be waiting for her when her plane arrives.

· Will you still be waiting for her when her plane arrives?

· You are still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives.

· Are you still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives?

·

Active and Passive voice in the Future Continuous

Examples:

· At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. Active

· At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John. Passive

· At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. Active

· At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John. Passive

NOTE: Passive forms of the Future Continuous are not common.

Conclusion

This grammar reference section provides a quick review of the basic tenses used in English to speak about a future moment in time and events or states which have happened up to a future moment in time.

Importance of the Auxiliary Verb

In English, tenses are formed by conjugating an auxiliary verb plus a standard form of the principal verb (the base form, the gerund form, or the past participle form). It is import to focus on the variations in the auxiliary verb to properly use English tenses.

Future with 'Will'

Use the future with 'will' to:

· Make a future prediction

· Express a decision made about the future at the moment (spontaneous reactions to events)

· Make a promise

· Think about future possibilities

Examples:

It will rain tomorrow.

I think he won't attend the meeting.

Oh! You're all wet. I'll fetch you a blanket.

Future with 'Going to'

Use the future with 'going to' to speak about future intentions or plans made before the present moment.

Examples:

We are going to study abroad next semester.

Who are you going to visit in Seattle?

Peter isn't going to attend next week's meeting.

Future Continuous

Use the future continuous to speak about an activity that will be happening at a precise point in time in the future.

Examples:

I'll be playing tennis at four this afternoon.

When you arrive in Boston, I'll be sleeping soundly in my bed.

What will you be doing this time next week?

Future Perfect

Use the future perfect to express something that will have been done up to a precise point in time in the future.

Examples:

She'll have read the book by the time you arrive.
I'm afraid we won't have finished by the end of tomorrow afternoon.
What will you have studied by the time you finish college?

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