Open World p 12. Future Forms. Extra Grammar

FUTURE TIME

Will

·         Predictions.

It looks as if Jake will lose his job.

In all probability, nothing much will change. 

Maybe they'll arrive a little later tonight.

I think it will rain.

I am sure you will pass your driving test
It'll probably be OK.

Perhaps it will snow tomorrow 

It is (more than) likely that the votes will have to be counted again.

There's little/not much prospect that this war will be over soon.

·         Future facts.

The factory will open in July.

·         Decisions made at the moment of speaking.

I know! I’ll ask for a pay rise tomorrow.

·         Offers at the time of speaking.

I’ll help you with the advertising campaign.

·         Promises.

I promise you you won’t lose your job.

Idon't have time today, but I can assure you I will finish it tomorrow.

·         Requests.

Will you give a presentation on the sales figures?

·         Refusals (won’t).

No, I won’t give a presentation on the sales figures.

Arrangements which have been made in some detail.

The tour will begin at 9.30 and all visitors to the site will need to wear good walking shoes.

For requests we can also use would, could or can. Would and could are more polite than will and can.
Would/Could/Can you give a presentation on the sales figures?

For refusals, we can also use couldn't or can't. Couldn't is more polite than won't and can't.
No, I couldn't/can't give a presentation on the sales figures.

 

Shall

We can use shall for the future, but only in the first person, after I or we.

I will be / I shall be on holiday in August.

We will know/ We shall know the results soon.

 

We use shall instead of will with I and we in rather formal contexts to make predictions and to talk about intentions or decisions. It is much less common than will.

We shall remember this day forever. 

 

Shall is used mostly in the questions shall I...? / shall we...?

For offers and suggestions in the question form, with I and we, we use shall not will. 

For offers we use  (Shall I/we...?)

For suggestions we use (Shall we...?)

It expresses the idea to the listener of Do you want to...? It asks somebody's opinion.

We also use shall to ask for suggestions or advice.

Shall I help you with the advertising campaign? (offer)
Shall we discuss this in the morning? (suggestion).

Shall we go and see that new movie? (suggestion).

I've got no money. What shall I do? (=What do you suggest?) 

What shall we have for lunch? (=What do you suggest?) 

 

We use shall we? in question tags after let's.

Let's forget about it now and talk about something else, shall we?

 

Shall: typical error

We use should, not shall, for advice and suggestions when it is not a question:

In my opinion, we should book another hotel.

Not: In my opinion, we shall book another hotel.

 

Shall as a modal can be used with all person subjects

We can use shall (or will) to express determination on the part of the speaker.

We lost a battle, but we shall never give up! 

I shall finish this if it kills me! 

You shall have whatever you want (=I promise that you will have...)

I shall never forget where I came from (= I promise that I will never...)

I shall take care of everything for you. (= I promise that I will...)

You shall be the first person to know. (= I promise that you will be the first person)

I shall get you a new bike for your birthday.

The enemy shall not pass (=we are determined not to let them pass)

 I said you could go, and so you shall

You shall apologize.  

You shall regret this.
They shall pay dearly.

 

Shall can be used for decisions made on the part of the speaker.

We propose/agree/have decided that each member of the club shall be asked to pay a subscription. (=be/ should be)

 

Shall can be used to emphasize that something will definitely happen.

The truth shall make you free. (predestination)

He shall become our next king. (predestination )
I'm afraid Mr. Smith shall become our new director. (inevitability)

Man shall explore the distant regions of the universe. 

 

 

Shall can also be used for orders and formal instructions with all the persons.

You shall/will all stay behind for thirty minutes and clean this room.

You shall not lie. (= You are commanded not to lie.)     

She shall obey my orders. (= She is commanded to obey my orders.)     

He shall go at once. (= He is commanded to go at once.)
This door shall be kept closed at all times.

A record shall be kept of all students arriving late to class (= school regulations) 

Students shall remain silent throughout the exam.

 

Be going to
Predictions based on present evidence.

Look at that wall. It looks as if it’s going to fall down.

Intentions and plans that have already been decided before we speak.

I’m going to get my degree, then get a well-paid job.

I'm going to have a staycation this summer (=I had already decided this before I said it)

Present continuous

·         Fixed plans or arrangements, especially social and travel arrangements. It generally indicates that something has been agreed with someone else.

I’m meeting Fiona on Friday to discuss.

·         Intentions.

I’m asking for a pay rise tomorrow.

WATCH OUT!

Both be going to and present continuous can be used for intentions. However, present continuous is not usually used for intentions in the distant future.

I’m going to work for a really successful company one day. 
(Not: I’m working for a huge multinational one day)

Present simple
Fixed future events (e.g. timetables and schedules). A scheduled or arranged event at a known time in the future.

The shop closes at 3 pm next Saturday.

My flight leaves at 11.30 this morning. 

The university term starts at the beginning of October.

Future perfect simple

·         Completed situations before a certain time.

It looks as if Jake will have lost his job by the end of the week.

·         Continuing situations up to a certain time.

This time next month, I’ll have worked at the company for exactly 25 years.

Future perfect continuous

·         Continuing situations up to a certain time (emphasises duration).

This time next month, I’ll have been working at the company for exactly 25 years.

Future continuous

·         Situations in progress at a certain time in the future.

This time next week, I’ll be travelling round Russia on business.

·         Situations which will happen in the future in the normal course of events.

The company Chairperson will be arriving on Thursday.

·         Habits or repeated actions at a point in the future

I think that, in the future, more and more people will be commuting to work by plane.

To appear very polite 

Will you be needing anything to drink, Sir?

Time clauses

After many time words and phrases, such as when, while, once, as soon as, etc., we do not use will or be going to. We use:

·         Present simple

I’ll give you a pay rise when you start working harder!

·         Present continuous

I’ll give you a pay rise once you’re bringing in three new customers a week.

·         Present perfect simple

I’ll give you a pay rise as soon as you’ve proved you’re a hard worker.

·         Present perfect continuous

I won’t give you a pay rise until you’ve been working here for three years.

Other ways to express the future

to be (just) about to (used for the (very) near future)

I'm just about to ask for my pay rise.
 

to be (just) on the point/verge of + gerund/noun (used for the (very) near future)

I'm just on the point/verge of asking for my pay rise.  

These measures brought the country to the verge of economic collapse.

 
to be on the brink of + gerund/noun. 

On the brink of collapse/war/death/disaster.  

Scientists are on the brink of making a major new discovery

 

to be bound/certain/likely/unlikely to (to express certainty/possibility)  

It's bound to be sunny again tomorrow.  

They are certain to agree.

We use the continuous phrases be planning to do something, be aiming to do something, be thinking of doing something to talk about plans.

Kevin is planning to walk across America

He's aiming to do it in less than 100 days

I am thinking of taking up French 

 

Have the intention to

You come here with the intention of having a great experience.

·
Be due to + infinitive

I’m due to meet my boss at eleven o’clock (for formal arrangements)

Rose is due to start school in January (it is expected)
 

Modals to express certainty, possibility, etc.

I might ask for a pay rise tomorrow.

 

Be to + infinitive

We use be to + infinitive when discussing formal or official arrangements or to give formal instructions or orders. 

You’re to get those reports written before Friday! (for orders)

The Prime Minister is to make a further visit to Devon next week.


We are to receive a pay rise in line with inflation in September.


I don't mind her going to Ruth's party but she's not to be back late.


You are not to leave this house without my permission. Is that clear?  

The be to + infinitive structure is also frequently used in newspaper, radio and television reports to refer to future events. It expresses near certainty that what is forecast will happen. Study the following:
 

The factory is to open in July. (for formal announcements)

A man is to appear in court later this morning charged with the murder of the footballer, Darren Gough.


The Ministry of Trade and Industry has announced that it is to move three thousand jobs out of the capital and re-locate them in the North East.


Work is to begin this week on the new bridge across the Nile north of Aswan.

We often use be to + infinitive in the if-clause in conditional sentences when talking about preconditions for something to happen. Study the following:


If we are to catch that train, we shall have to leave now.


If I were to increase my offer from five hundred to five hundred and fifty pounds, would you be interested in selling me your car then?


If we are to solve the world's pollution problems, we must address environmental issues now.

Be to + passive infinitive is often used when giving instructions. It is noticeable always on medicine bottles and can be seen on other official notices too:


To be taken three times a day after meals.


These benches are not to be removed from the changing rooms.


No food of any kind is to be taken into the examination room.
 

Note that although this structure is used to talk about current and future arrangements and events, it is configurated in present and past tenses - see the above examples. However, be to + perfect infinitive is sometimes used to show that a planned event did not materialise:


He was to have appeared in the West End show but broke his collar bone during rehearsals.


They were to have picked strawberries this morning, but the torrential overnight rain made the field too muddy.


Sammy was to have married Sarah but then Jamie came along and the engagement ring he had given her was returned.

 

·       

Speakout Advanced p 93. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex 4A
KEY
1
a) The capsule was supposed to be opened in 2007


b) His capsule was to remain hidden for the foreseeable future


c) The other wasn't going to be touched for five thousand years.


d) It was to have been the world's biggest time capsule.



2.
a) was supposed to


c) wasn't going to



d) was to have been



3. 
They were going to leave these untouched (It describes a plan that did not become reality)


The crypt wasn't meant to be opened until 8113 (It describes a plan that did not become reality)


One of them would be opened regularly


In years to come someone would find such glories of our time.



Ex 4B
KEY

1 was/were



2 was/were



3 was/were



4was/were



p 143
Ex 1
KEY

1f)



2d)



3a)



4c)



5b)



6e)



Ex 2
KEY

1 We were about to ascend the mountain when snow started to fall.



2 Correct.



3 Melissa meant to tell you about the dinner invitation but she forgot.



4 We were to have taken the 6.02 train to Manchester but it was cancelled



5. She got sick when she was on the verge of becoming a superstar.



6 Correct.



7 Thompson then travelled to Bali, where he would later meet his sixth wife.



8 I was but hoping to work with Donna again, but she left the company.



9 Correct.



l0 I was to meet Daley and his gang in the subway at midnight.



Ex 5
KEY

1 Our time capsule was to be opened in 2020.



 2 The document wasn't to be seen until 2050.



3 The safe was supposed to be locked for ten years ...



4 We were going to visit Montevideo...



5 It was to have been the world's biggest outdoor festival...



6 Jim went to Peru, where he would live for twenty years.

Speakout Advanced p 92. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex 1A

A time capsule is a box in which you place objects to represent a time and a culture. It is then buried for future generations to dig up years later.

Ex 1B
Vocabulary
On/to the verge of something/of doing something: very near to the moment when somebody does something or something happens. E.g. He was on the verge of tears. They are on the verge of signing a new contract. These measures brought the republic to the verge of economic collapse.

nostalgic: feeling sadness mixed with pleasure and affection when you think of happy times in the past. E.g. nostalgic memories. I feel quite nostalgic for the place where I grew up.

dawn (of something) the beginning or first signs of something. E.g. the dawn of civilization/ time/ history. At the dawn of the new millennium.

barbed wire: strong wire with short sharp points on it, used especially for fences. E.g. a barbed wire fence.

A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. E.g. a high school code of conduct.

issue: one of a regular series of magazines or newspapers. E.g. the July issue of ‘What Car?’ The article appeared in issue 25.

Girls' Life Magazine

a hearing aid: a small device that fits inside the ear and makes sounds louder, used by people who cannot hear well. E.g. to have/ wear a hearing aid.

Closed-circuit /ˈsɜːkɪt/ TV camera: (also CCTV)  a television system that works within a limited area, for example a public building, to protect it from crime.

A chillum, or chilam, is a straight conical pipe with end-to-end channel, traditionally made of clay and used since at least the 18th century by wandering Hindu monks in India. It was invented in India. The culture of owning and smoking in a chillum has spread from India to the world since the mid-1960s. 

 Arguably: /ˈɑːɡjuəbli/ used (often before a comparative or superlative adjective) when you are stating an opinion that you believe you could give reasons to support. Sp. se puede decir que. E.g. He is arguably the best actor of his generation.

pharaoh: /ˈfeərəʊ/ a ruler of ancient Egypt.

lead: /led/ Sp. plomo.

gramophone:  /ˈɡræməfəʊn/ a record player.

artifact (AmE): (also artefact (BrE) )

crypt: a room under the floor of a church, used especially in the past as a place for burying people.

weld: to join pieces of metal together by heating their edges and pressing them together. Sp. soldar. E.g. All the parts of the sculpture have to be welded together.

for/in the foreseeable future for/in the period of time when you can predict what is going to happen, based on the present circumstances. E.g. The statue will remain in the museum for the foreseeable future. It's unlikely that the hospital will be closed in the foreseeable future (= soon).

encase something (in something) (formal): to surround or cover something completely, especially to protect it. Sp. recubrir. E.g. The reactor is encased in concrete and steel. His upper body was completely encased in bandages.

resin:  /ˈrezɪn/ a sticky substance that is produced by some trees and is used in making varnish, medicine, etc.
 
at/from the outset (of something): at/from the beginning of something. E.g. I made it clear right from the outset that I disapproved. 

Ex 2A
KEY
I Antonio Carlos Jobim 



2 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
 


3 Ralph's Fine Dining



4 Bharatpur,India 



5 France's National Library 



6 Professor Thornwell Jacobs



7 Panasonic and Mainichi Newspapers 



8 In 2025


Ex 3A
KEY
1 at the dawn of (more literary and used only for very big occasions)
the outset



2 in years to come 



3 on the verge of, 
was about to 



4 for the foreseeable future

Ex 3B
KEY
1 In years to come, we will remember this as a golden age



2. Scientists are on the verge of finding a cure for AIDS. 



3 Humanity probably won't exist at the dawn of the next millennium.



4 We are about to enter an age of natural disasters



5 From the outset, the internet was able to unite people around the world. 



5 Poverty will be with us for the foreseeable future.

Speakout Advanced p 78. Future and Concessives. Extra Exercises

Find extra exercises HERE

Speakout Advanced p 70. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex 9

What inventions would you like to see in the future?

black box equipment that records what happens on a flight
 
switch: to change or make something change from one thing to another. E.g. switch (over) (from something) (to something) We're in the process of switching over to a new system of invoicing.

soothe somebody: /suːð/ to make somebody who is anxious, upset, etc. feel calmer. E.g.  The music soothed her for a while.


soothing: /suːðɪŋ/ having a gently calming effect. Calming. E.g. she put on some soothing music. A soothing voice/ lotion.
 
drift off (to sleep) to fall asleep. E.g. I didn't hear the storm. I must have drifted off by then.

contraption: /kənˈtræpʃn/ a machine or piece of equipment that looks strange. A machine or device that appears strange or unnecessarily complicated, and often badly made or unsafe. Sp. aparato, artilugio. E.g. She showed us a strange contraption that looked like a satellite dish. Repairing stereos and making contraptions out of spare electronic bits.

aerosol  /ˈeərəsɒl/ a metal container in which a liquid such as paint or hairspray is kept under pressure and released as a spray. E.g. ozone-friendly aerosols. An aerosol can/ spray

Ex 10A
KEY
Paragraph 1 
on
on track: doing or saying things that are likely to be successful or correct. E.g. We're right on track to create two million new jobs.

surpass (somebody/something/yourself): /səˈpɑːs/ to do or be better than somebody/ something. E.g. He hopes one day to surpass the world record. Its success has surpassed all expectations. Her cooking was always good, but this time she had surpassed herself (= done better than her own high standards). Scenery of surpassing beauty.

average: /ˈævərɪdʒ/ an amount, standard, level, or rate regarded as usual or ordinary. E.g. underground water reserves are below average. They take about thirty minutes on average

trial: the process of testing the ability, quality or performance of somebody/ something, especially before you make a final decision about them. E.g. We had the machine on trial for a week.

keep up (with somebody/ something) to move, make progress or increase at the same rate as somebody/ something. E.g. Slow down—I can't keep up! I can't keep up with all the changes. Wages are not keeping up with inflation.

Paragraph 2
at  
at risk
at risk (from/of something) in danger of something unpleasant or harmful happening. E.g. As with all diseases, certain groups will be more at risk than others. If we go to war, innocent lives will be put at risk. 

contract something (formal or medical) to get an illness. E.g. to contract AIDS/ a virus/ a disease.

at present



at least



Paragraph 3
by
by far



by nature
nature the usual way that a person or an animal behaves that is part of their character. E.g. It's not in his nature to be unkind. She is very sensitive by nature. We appealed to his better nature (= his kindness).

prolific: /prəˈlɪfɪk/ producing many works, etc a prolific author. A prolific goalscorer.



by law.



Paragraph 4
in
in decline



in danger



in effect.
in effect used when you are stating what the facts of a situation are. Sp. a todos los efectos, prácticamente. E.g. In effect, the two systems are identical. His wife had, in effect, run the government for the past six months. By asking for these particular qualifications, you are, in effect, excluding most women from applying. 



Paragraph 5  
out of 
out of control 



 out of sight



out of necessity

Ex 11A
KEY

2 in decline 



3 out of control 



4 out of necessity
 


 5 by far 



6 at least 



7 by law 



8 in danger 



9 on average
 


10 At present 

Ex 11B
Sample answer
Topic:
The world population will grow out of control 

Consequences: 
There won't be enough water

What should be done: 
We should develop new ways of producing clean water 

p 153
Ex 1A
KEY
1 b) 
typhoon: /taɪˈfuːn/  a violent tropical storm with very strong winds
off course: not following the intended route. E.g. the car went careering off course
career:  to move forward very quickly, especially in an uncontrolled way.



2 a)
off the pace: behind the leader or leading group in a race or contest. E.g. Duncan was two seconds off the pace. (Figurative) he was well off the pace when it came to team politics.



3 c) 
off balance: not even, stable, or in correct proportions. E.g. I was thrown off balance by the sudden gust of wind.


4 b)
above/ beyond suspicion: too good, honest, etc. to have done something wrong, illegal or dishonest. E.g. Nobody who was near the scene of the crime is above suspicion.



5 c) 

above board: legal and honest; in a legal and honest way. E.g. Don't worry; the deal was completely above board. If you do everything above board, you will have to pay tax on your earnings. Note: If card players keep their hands above the table (the board), other players can see what they are doing.

6 a)
above all: most important of all; especially. E.g. Above all, keep in touch. 


7 b)
over the hill (informal) (of a person) old and therefore no longer useful or attractive. E.g. Youngsters seem to think you're over the hill at 40!



8 c)
over the moon (informal, especially British English) extremely happy and excited. E.g. They're over the moon about their trip to Japan. 


9 a)
over the top (abbr. OTT) (informal, especially British English) done to an exaggerated degree and with too much effort. E.g. His performance is completely over the top. An over-the-top reaction



10 c)
under the weather (informal) if you are or feel under the weather, you feel slightly ill/ sick and not as well as usual.



11 a)
(be) under the impression that… believing, usually wrongly, that something is true or is happening. E.g. I was under the impression that the work had already been completed. The soldiers scattered, under the impression that it was an enemy attack.



12 b)
on/under oath (law) having made a formal promise to tell the truth in court. E.g. Is she prepared to give evidence on oath? The judge reminded the witness that he was still under oath. You have sworn under oath that you never met this man.