Future forms

Future forms

1. The future constitutes a complex area of grammar. Frequently more than one form can be used, usually with a difference in meaning

   • The will/shall future
     • affirmative: I/we shall/will; you/he/they will + bare infinitive
       • negative: I/we shall/will not; you/he/they will not + bare infinitive
         • interrogative: shall/will I … ?; will you/he/they …? + bare infinitive
           • contractions: ’ll for shall and will; shan’t for shall not; won’t for will not
   • The be going to future
     • affirmative: I am / you are / he is etc. + going to + bare infinitive
       • negative I am not / you are not / he is not etc. + going to + bare infinitive
         • interrogative: Are you not / Is he not + going to + bare infinitive … ?
   • The present continuous as future
     • affirmative: I am / you are / he is etc. working next Saturday
       • negative: I am not / you are not / he is not etc. working next Saturday
         • interrogative: Are you / is he etc. working next Saturday?
   • Present simple as future
     • It is used to talk about fixed plans, programmed events, people’s schedules such as travel itineraries, organized trips and the like.
       • The present simple is also used to refer to future events in clauses of time and condition following if, unless, as long as, when, as soon as, before, after, until, by the time etc.:
         • Example:
           • I’ll pay you as soon as you have finished the work
   • The future continuous
     • The construction will + be + -ing form is used to talk about actions/processes in progress at a particular time in the future.
       • Example:
         • Don’t call on him early in the afternoon. He’ll be sleeping Thank God, in a few days I’ll just be lying on the beach
   • The future perfect
     • The future perfect is formed by will/shall + have + past participle. It is used to talk about something which will, or won’t, be finished or completed by a certain time in the future
       • Example:
         • I won’t have finished this book by tomorrow The bridge will have been built two years from now
   • The future in the past
     • In order to talk about an event which was in the future at a certain time in the past we can use the past forms of the various future structures, namely should/would instead of shall/will, was/were going to instead of am/are/is going to, the past progressive instead of the present progressive, was/were to instead of are/is to:
       • Example:
         • He said he would send them a postcard The ceremony was beginning at 7 p.m. They were going to argue again