Future time

EXPRESSING FUTURE TIME: BE GOING TO AND WILL

a) I am going to leaveat nine tomorrow morning. b) I will leaveat nine tomorrow morning. c) Marie is going to beat the meeting tonight. d) Marie will beat the meeting tonight.	Be going toand willare used to express future time. a) and b) have the same meaning c) and d) have the same meaning.
Shallis also used (primarily with I and we) to express future time. The use of shallto express future time is infrequent and indicates strong emphasis.

Exercise 1 – Oral. Make sentences with be going to about your future activities.

1. tomorrow afternoon 7. this weekend

2. tomorrow night 8. the day after tomorrow

3. tonight 9. pretty soon

4. next week 10. after a while

5. later today 11. next year

6. in a couple of hours 12. sometime

Exercise 2 – Oral. Make sentences about your activities. Use present, past or future verbs.

1. yesterday 7. right now

2. tomorrow 8. every day

3. today* 9. last week

4. this morning * 10. this week*

5. this afternoon* 11. next week

6. tonight* 12. two days ago

· Time expressions such as today, this morning,this afternoon, this evening, tonight, this week, this month, this year, this semester can be used with past, present or future verbs.

Past: It rained this morning.

Present: It is raining this morning.

Future: I’m going downtown this morning.