Future Tenses

Future Simple

The future simple is used to talk about a time later than now and can be used in lots of
different ways.It is made up of the verb will/won’t + base infinitive (infinitive without
to).Because will is a modal verb it doesn’t change depending on the person doing the
action. In the negative, we can also use will not for more emphasis. Won’t is more common
in speech.

Uses and examples

​ Instant or spontaneous decisions – I’m hungry. I think I’ll make a sandwich.
​ Future predictions based on a belief – I’m sure you’ll pass the test.
​ Promises – I won’t tell anyone your secret.
​ Offers – I’ll carry your bags for you.
​ Requests – Will you tell Henry I called?
​ Threats – If you do that again, I’ll tell Mum.
​ Future facts – I’ll be back later tonight.
​
Shall
We can use shall instead of will for future time references with I and we. However, it is
slightly more formal.
E.g. We shall never forget this beautiful day.
It is also common to use shall in questions to make offers, suggestions or ask for advice.

Be going to vs will
It’s important to note that for predictions based on evidence and for future plans we use be
going to not will.
E.g. Look at those grey clouds. It’s definitely going to rain! (The grey clouds give us
evidence that rain is almost evident)
A: What are you doing after work?
B:I’m going to the gym. (The plan has been made prior to the question)
Future Continuous

Generally, we use this tense to talk about things in progress at a particular time in the
future. Take a look at the form: The structure of the future continuous is as follows: will/won’t
+ be + ing form

Uses and examples

​ An action in progress at a specific time in the future (at 5pm, this time
tomorrow, in two weeks, in five years time etc.). This time tomorrow, I’ll be flying
to Barbados.
​ An action we see as new or temporary. I’ll be working for my Dad until I find a new
job.
​ Predictions or guesses about future events. He’ll be coming to the party, I guess.
​ Predictions about the present. She’ll be getting married right now, I imagine.
​ Polite enquiries. Will you be joining us for dinner?

Stative verbs
It’s important to remember that some verbs cannot be used in the continuous tense. These
are called stative verbs. Stative verbs describe states, feelings, thoughts and opinions.
Instead of the future continuous, we use the future simple tense for these verbs. Here are
some examples:

Future Perfect

The future perfect is used to talk about a completed action in the future. Here’s a look at the
form:The form of the future perfect is will/won’t + have + past participle.
Uses and examples
​ An action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. Next
September, we’ll have been married for 50 years.
​ Use by or by the time to mean some time before. I’ll have finished this report by
the time you’re home.
​ Use in, in a day’s time, in two weeks’ time, in three months’ time etc. to mean
at the end of this period. In three years’ time, I’ll have completed my degree.

Future Perfect Continuous

We use the future perfect continuous to show that something will continue up until a
particular event in the future. We normally use it to emphasize how long something will have
been happening for.

Uses and examples

​ To show that something will continue up until a particular event in the future.
In October, I’ll have been working here for ten years.
​ To show something finished just before another time action (cause and effect).
When I arrive, I’ll have been working all day, so I’ll be tired.
​ With time expressions (by + then / tomorrow / next year etc., by the time,
when). By the time we arrive, we’ll have been travelling for fifteen hours.
​

Conditional Sentences (0, 1 & 2)

Zero Conditional

Zero conditional sentences express general truths—situations in which one thing always causes
another. When you use a zero conditional, you’re talking about a general truth rather than a
specific instance of something. Consider the following examples:
E: If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.
E:When people smoke cigarettes, their health suffers.

There are a couple of things to take note of in the above sentences using the zero conditional.
First, when using the zero conditional, the correct tense in both clauses is the simple present
tense. A common mistake is to use the simple future tense.

When people smoke cigarettes, their health will suffer.

Second, notice that the words if and when can be used interchangeably in these zero
conditional sentences. This is because the outcome will be the same any time the condition is in
place; there’s no difference in meaning for if and when to communicate.

First Conditional

First conditional sentences are used to express situations in which the outcome is likely (but not
guaranteed) to happen in the future. Look at the examples below:

E: If you rest, you will feel better.

E: If you set your mind to a goal, you’ll eventually achieve it.

Note that we use the simple present tense in the IF CLAUSE and the simple future tense in the
MAIN CLAUSE—the clause that expresses the likely outcome. This is how we indicate that
under a certain condition (as expressed in the if-clause), a specific result will likely happen in the
future.

Second Conditional

Second conditional sentences are useful for expressing outcomes that are completely
unrealistic or will not likely happen in the future. Consider the examples below:

E: If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

E: If I owned a zoo, I might let people interact with the animals more.

Notice that the correct way to structure second conditional sentences is to use the simple past
tense in the IF CLAUSE and a modal auxiliary verb (e.g., could, should, would, might) in the
MAIN CLAUSE (the one that expresses the unrealistic or unlikely outcome). The following
sentences illustrate a couple of the common mistakes people make when using the second
conditional:

INCORRECT: If I inherit a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

CORRECT: If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

Explanation: When applying the second conditional, use the simple past tense in the if-clause.

INCORRECT: If I owned a zoo, I will let people interact with the animals more.

CORRECT: If I owned a zoo, I might let people interact with the animals more.

Explanation: Use a modal auxiliary verb in the main clause when using the second conditional
to express the unlikelihood that the result will actually happen.

Articles and Determiners

Articles and Determiners Articles are the little words a, an, and the. There are two types of
articles in English: definite and indefinite. The use of these articles depends mainly on whether
the writer is referring to any member of a group or to a specific member of a group. Article
usage often depends upon the context of the entire work.

Indefinite Articles: A and AN

A and AN signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group.
Indefinite articles are used with singular nouns when the noun is all purpose; the corresponding
indefinite quantity word some is used for plural general nouns:

a + singular noun with a consonant: a boy

an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like ‘yoo-zer,’ i.e. begins
with a consonant ‘y’ sound, so a is used)

some + plural noun: some girls

Note also that in English, indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a profession,
nation, or region.
I am a doctor.

Patrick is an Irishman.

Liatsu is a practicing Buddhist.

Definite Article: The

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is particular or
specific. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.
The is not used with noncountable nouns referring to something in a general sense:

[no article] Coffee is a popular drink.

[no article] Portuguese is his native language.

[no article] Intelligence is hard to quantify.

The is used with noncountable nouns that are made more specific by a limiting modifying
phrase or clause:

The coffee in my cup is too hot to drink.

The Portuguese he speaks is a dialect of the Açores.

The intelligence of animals is variable but undeniable.

The is also used when a noun refers to certain well-known locations, events or ideas:

The White House

The theory of relativity

The 2003 fall collection

Geographical Uses of “THE”

Do not use the before:

Names of countries except the Netherlands and the United States

Names of cities, towns, or states (Boston, Dartmouth, Massachusetts)
Names of streets
Names of lakes and bays except with a group of lakes like the Finger Lakes or the Great Lakes
Names of mountains (Mount Everest) except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the
Appalachians or unusual names like the Matterhorn
Names of islands (Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket) except island chains like the Aleutians or the
Canary Islands
Names of continents (Asia, Europe)

Do use the before:

Names of oceans or rivers (the Atlantic, the Mississippi)

Points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)
Geographical areas (the Middle East, the South)
Deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas (the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the
Iberian Peninsula)

Past Perfect vs Past Perfect Continuous

Past perfect simple = I had worked

Past perfect continuous = I had been working

We use the past perfect simple with action verbs to emphasise the completion of an
event. We use the past perfect continuous to show that an event or action in the
past was still continuing.

Compare

Past perfect simple emphasises the

The builders had put up the
completion of the action (the
scaffolding around the house.
scaffolding is up).
 Past perfect continuous emphasises
The builders had been putting up the
a continuing or ongoing action.
scaffolding when the roof fell in.

We use the past perfect simple to refer to the completion of an activity and the past
perfect continuous to focus on the activity and duration of the activity.

Compare

Past perfect simple emphasises the

I’d waited an hour for the bus.
completion of the activity (the waiting is
over).

Past perfect continuous focuses on the

I’d been waiting an hour for
duration of the activity.
the bus.

The past perfect simple suggests something more permanent than the past perfect
continuous, which can imply that something is temporary.
Compare

We don’t know how long.

She’d always lived with her parents.

Suggests a temporary situation.

She’d been living with her parents.

Some verbs are not used very often in the continuous form.

We don’t use the continuous form with some verbs of mental process (know, like,
understand, believe) and verbs of the senses (hear, smell, taste):

We’d known for a long time that the company was going to close.

Not: We’d been knowing …

We’d tasted the milk and had decided it was bad, so we threw it away.

Not: We’d been tasting the milk …

We don’t use the continuous form with actions that are completed at a single point in
time (start, stop):

Had they started the game on time?

Not: Had they been starting the game on time?

 Reported Speech
There are two ways to report what someone says or thinks:

Direct Speech

Direct speech shows a person's exact words. Quotation marks ("....") are a sign that the words
are the exact words that a person used.

Example

Hai asked, "Where are you going?"

Manny replied, "I'm going home."

Reported Speech

Reported speech puts the speaker's words or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks.
Noun clauses are usually used. In reported speech, the reader does not assume that the words
are the speaker's exact words; often, they are a paraphrase of the speaker's words.

Example

Hai asked Manny where he was going.

Manny said he was going home.

Note: Use of the word "that" is optional in reported speech. Both of the following sentences are
correct:

● The child said that they were lost.

● The child said they were lost.

Verb Tense in Reported Speech

When you report what someone said in the past, you usually shift back a verb tense from the
tense the speaker used. These are some examples of verb shifts:

● simple present to simple past

● past to past perfect
● present perfect to past perfect

Quotation Reported Speech

"I am hungry." She stated that she was hungry.

"I saw them leave." Aidan said that he had seen them
leave.

"Where have they gone?" Felicite wondered where they had

gone.

"Will you help me?" I asked Silvio if they would help me.

"I can't remember your name." Soungyoung said she couldn't

remember my name.

"The exam will be next week." Dr. Park said the exam will be next
week.*

*If the reported information is still true, you may use the same tense.

Questions in Reported Speech

Word order: The word order in a reported question is the same as in a statement. The subject
comes before the verb.
 ● Question: Are you ready?
● Statement: I am ready.
● Question in reported speech: She wanted to know if I was ready.

Punctuation: If the sentence is a statement, end it with a period even if it contains a reported
question.

● Statement containing a reported question: She asked me what I thought of the book.
● Question containing a reported question: Did she ask what you thought of the book?

Yes or No Questions
To change a yes/no question to a noun clause in reported speech, introduce the noun clause "if"
or "whether." "Whether or not" may also be used.

Quotation Reported Speech

"Did you turn off the coffee pot?" I asked Evelyn if she had turned off
the coffee pot.

"Is supper ready?" Dakhon wanted to know whether

supper was ready.

"Will you be at the party?" Hildene asked me whether or not I

would be at the party.

"Should I tell her the news?" Emra wondered whether she should
tell Hai the news.

Emra wanted to know if she should tell

Hai the news.
 Emra asked whether or not she should
tell Hai the news.

Information Questions
To change an information question to a noun clause in reported speech, begin the noun clause
with the question word and remember to use sentence word order.

Quotation Reported Speech

"Where do they live?" Abdul wanted to know where they live.

"What time is it?" Do you know what time it is?

"Why did you say that?" Pedro asked me why I had said that.

"Where will you stay?" Have you decided where you will
stay?

Pronouns

The person who is reporting what someone said is usually different from the person who made
the original statement. As a result, pronouns in reported speech often change.

Quotation Reported Speech

"I am hungry." Hongzia said she was hungry.

"Where will you be?" Anastasia wanted to know where I
would be.

"Have you seen my glasses?" Aiden asked me if I had seen their

glasses.

Place and Time

Changes in the situation between direct and reported speech can result in changes to words
indicating place and time.

Quotation Reported Speech

"I don't like this book." Seon said he didn't like that book.

"I'll see you tomorrow" (spoken on Michiko said she would see me
Thursday) yesterday. (reported on Saturday)

Recommend and Suggest

The subjunctive, or base, form of the verb (no tense, without "to") is used in reported speech
when the main verb is "recommend" or "suggest."

Quotation Reported Speech

"You should arrive early." Alex recommended that we arrive

early.

"Don't wait to apply." Hai recommended that I not wait to

apply.

"Shema should call me." I will suggest that Shema call you.
Infinitives
Infinitives (to + the simple form of the verb) may sometimes be used instead of noun clauses,
especially in commands and in requests for action or permission.

Commands
Commands can be reported two ways:

● A noun clause with a modal (usually "should")

● An infinitive

Quotation Reported Speech

"Call me when you get home." Mom said we should call her when we
get home.

Mom said to call her when we get

home.

"Plan ahead." My father told me that I should plan

ahead.

My father told me to plan ahead.

Requests for Action or Permission

Requests for action or permission can be reported two ways:

● A noun clause with "if"

● An infinitive

Quotation Reported Speech

Action: She asked if I would carry the box for
her.
"Will you carry the box for me?"
She asked me to carry the box for her.

Permission: Durand asked if he could make an

appointment.
"Can I make an appointment?"
Durand asked to make an
appointment.