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Predictions with WILL and GOING TO.
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Both WILL and GOING TO can be used to make predictions about the future.
By using going to, we indicate a personal involvement when we predict the future. Going to is usually used when we have immediate evidence of something.
By using will, we indicate a neutral viewpoint when we predict the future, e.g. will is often used in scientific reports.
However, there are many situations when either will and going to can be used. The choice indicates the feeling of the speaker about the situation he/she is predicting, not the situation itself.
Work in pairs. Use WILL or GOING TO to make predictions about the things below. Remember that in some cases either can be used, depending on the viewpoint of the speaker.
You see a small child riding a toy car in the middle of a busy street.
You see some people driving towards the mountains. They have skis on top of their car.
Someone asks you to predict the winner of a sports event.
You are giving a presentation about your company. You are predicting figures for next year.
You are writing a report and you mention the finishing date of a project.
Work in pairs. Make three predictions about each of the things below.
1. The economy of your country,
2. Your company.
3. Your personal life.
Look at the information about the annual general meeting (AGM) and the memo, and answer the questions below.
Kingdom plc AGM 3rd May 10.00 am Falcon Crest Hotel
10.00 a.m. Opening address Dr Rees Powell CEO
10.30 am. Financial report Paul Greer Director
11.00a.m. Appointment of Directors Dr Rees Powell CEO
11.15 a.m. Open forum Dennis Mitchell Director
MEMORANDUM
To: Dr Rees Powell From: Dennis Mitchell
Date: 15 April 19 __
Rees,
Just to keep you up to date on plans for the AGM. We think there will be about 200 shareholders attending, but of course there might be more. Unfortunately, Paul Greer is flying to Paris on the 2nd May, and he thinks he's going to be late getting back because he's got a lot of business to attend to while he's there, so I'm going to ask Karen Faulkner to take his place. I think we should include a short report on international developments. Shall I invite Bob Yule to prepare something?
On a slightly different note, I'm meeting Nigel Hall from JPB tomorrow, so I'll give him our latest prices then.
See you on Thursday. Dennis.
1. When does the meeting start?
2. Who is giving the opening address?
3. How many shareholders will there be?
4. Where is Paul Greer flying to on the 2nd?
5. Does Paul think he is going to be back in time?
6. Who is Dennis going to ask?
7. What does Dennis offer to do?
8. What is Dennis doing tomorrow?
Find examples of different future forms from the previous exercise, according to the following functions:
Talking about time-tabled events.
Talking about plans and arrangements.
Talking about intentions.
Predicting.
Reacting (offering, deciding, promising etc.)
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LOOKING AT THE FUTURE.
In English we can use different forms and functions of the future to show that we are looking at the same event in different ways.
Examples:
The meeting starts at 3.00 p.m. (time-tabled event)
Mr Fujita is coming to the meeting. (fixed arrangement)
I'm going to ask Mr Fujita about the contract during the meeting.
(intention)
Look at this agenda! We're going to be in this meeting for hours!
(prediction with immediate evidence)
I expect about ten people will come to the meeting. (prediction)
I’ll come to the meeting tomorrow. (deciding/ offering / promising)
Look at the conversations below, and fill each gap with the correct future form. (Short forms, for example, I'll, take one gap.)
Deciding to get married.
A: ___ you many me, Julie?
B: Of course I ___,Frank.
Announcing.
A: ___ ___ ___ get married!
B: When?
A: We haven't decided yet
Talking about a fixed arrangement.
A: Have you heard the news! We've fixed a date. ___ ___ married
on the 5th of August!
Offering to help.
A: Have you got a photographer arranged yet?
B: Er, no. We haven't.
A: ___ take some photos during the wedding if you like.
Predicting.
A: Are you looking forward to Frank and Julie's wedding?
B: Oh, yes. I'm sure ___ be a lovely day.
A: Hmm. I think ___ ___ ___ be rather disorganized, actually.
They haven’t prepared anything yet and the wedding's this weekend.
Time-tabled events.
A: What time is it?
B: Don’t worry. It's only 930.
A: But me wedding ___ at 11.00! And the flowers haven’t arrived yet!
Look at the situations below. Write something you can say in each situation.
1. Someone is carrying some heavy bags. Offer to help him/her.
2. Say when your next English lesson is.
3. Talk about your plans for this weekend.
4. Talk about your next holiday.
5. promise to meet a friend.
6. Someone offers you a drink. Decide what to have.
7. Say when you start work tomorrow.
8. Say how you intend to improve your English.
9. You see your dog running in he middle of a road full of fast cars. What do you say?
THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE.
The use of the Past Simple:
A past activity or situation.
Examples:
Last month, the company results were much better. They installed new
machinery in the factory. Costs fell and productivity rose. Sales
increased by ten per cent.
I lived in Italy when I was a child.
The new Production Manager started last week.
Where did you stay?
Why didn’t you phone me on Monday?
He didn’t like classical music when he was younger.
He went to France for his holiday last year.
Susan bought a new car in January.
Did you have a good trip to Paris?
James didn't come to the meeting yesterday.
They didn't have time to finish the report.
He was ill yesterday so he didn’t go to his office.
Useful time phrases with the past:
last Monday, last week, last year, yesterday, in July, in 1998, two weeks ago.
EXERCISES
Complete the sentences as in the example by putting the verb in brackets into the correct form.
Example:
The sales meeting is usually in Manchester. Last week, it was in Birmingham. (be)
1. He works for Siemens.
Two years ago, he ___ for Digital. (work)
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2. He usually goes to London on Wednesdays.
Last Wednesday, he ___ to Manchester. (go)
3. Production costs go up every year.
Last year, production costs ___. (go up)
4. I usually buy a new Ford every two years.
Last year, I ___ an Opel. (buy)
5. He usually meets the clients at their office.
Last week, he ___ me clients at his office. (meet)
Use the words below to write questions about the past.
1. The new Financial Director started on Wednesday. (When?)
2. They launched the new product last week. (When?)
3. You went to Spain on holiday last year. (Where?)
4. He travelled to Paris by car. (How?)
5. He stayed there for two weeks. (How long?)
6. She had steak for dinner. (What?)
Use the verbs below to complete the paragraph. Remember to put the verbs into the Past Simple.
advertise, increase, be, develop, employ, become, start, rise.
The company (1) ___ in 1970. They (2) ___ a product for cleaning car windows. At first, it (3) ___ difficult to enter the market but they (4) ___ the product in newspapers and magazines. It soon (5) ___ a great success. In 1975, they (6) ___ more staff and (7) ___ production. A year later, profits (8) ___. The company is now one of the most successful of its land.
Put the following verbs into the correct form in the passage below.
return, attend, live, be, leave, get, travel, work, teach, become, study, go.
Maria Gonzales was born in Spain in 1950. She (1) ___ in Madrid with her family when she (2) ___ a child and (3) ___ to school there. When she (4) ___ school, she (5) ___ English at the university and later (6) ___ a language teacher. She (7) ___ English in Spain for two years and then (8) ___ to the United States where she (9) ___ an American college. When she (10) ___ to Europe, she (11) ___ a job in England where she (12) ___ until 1990.
THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
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