Tomorrow (morning / afternoon / evening)

The day after tomorrow

In (the near) future

Soon

One of these days

in a few minutes / in a moment / in a week / in five months time / in a week’s time, etc.

• to predict the future

In the future, machines will do many of the jobs that people do now.

• for a sudden decision made at the time of speaking

Wait a minute — I’ll open the door.

• to show willingness to do or not to do something in the future

I promise I’ll give up smoking.

I’ll never speak to her again.

Positive form

I You He/She/It We You They

will (‘ll) stay here tonight.

NOTE: a) will is used with all persons (I, you, he, they, etc.).

b) shall is used instead of will with I or we, but in everyday speech, will is more common.

c) in spoken English ‘ll is used with subject pronouns.

He’ll be there in time.

BUT: John will be there in time.

Exercise 45. Put the verbs in brackets into the Future Simple Tense. Use contraction (‘ll) where possible.

Example: I think I (be) in Liverpool next week. — I think I ’ll be in Liverpool next week.

Fiona (be) 20 in March. — Fiona will be 20 in March.

1. They (arrive) home before midnight tonight.

1. The company (give) you an extra day’s holiday.
2. “Would you like something to drink?” — “Oh, thank you. I (have) some apple juice.”
3. I think the trip (be) rather exciting.
4. Alma (phone) after 3 o’clock.
5. Bill looks tired, I think he (go) to bed early tonight.

 

Negative form

I You He/She/It We You They

will not (won’t) work tomorrow.

NOTE: a) will not (won’t) is used with all persons (I, you, he, they, etc.).

b) shallnot(shan’t) is used with I or we, but in everyday speech, will is more common.

 

Exercise 46. Write negative sentences with the verb in the correct form.

Example: He won’t forget to take his medicine.(forget)

1. I know she ___ with this idea. (agree)

1. My parents ___ before twelve. (return)
2. It ___ today. (rain)
3. I ___ anywhere for a walk tonight. (go)
4. Don’t trust this company. You ___ your money again. (see)

Exercise 47. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb given in the box. Use each verb only once.

see, get, stay, win, tell, come, be, leave

Example: — Please, stay with me. — Don’t worry, I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you.

1. — I promise, I ___ on time. I ___ late.

— All right. See you then.

1. — Don’t say anything to Sally about my surprise party on Sunday.

— Don’t worry, I ___ her.

1. — You look sad. What’s the matter?

— My grandparents are on their way to America. They’re going to live there, so I probably ___ them again.

— Why not? You can go there for a holiday.

1. — Randy and Diana are in love with each other.

— Yes. I think they ___ married soon.

1. — I’m going to the big baseball match tonight. My team, Dallas Cowboys, are playing.

— Do you think they ___?

 

General questions

Shall	I we	help go	you? to the cinema?	— Yes, please. / No, thanks. — OK, let’s go. / I’m afraid, I don’t want to.
Will	he she it you they	stay	here?	— Yes, he/she/it/I/we/they will. — No, he/she/it/I/we/they won’t.

 

NOTE: a) Shall is generally used as a first person question (with I or we) to make suggestions and offers.

b) Will is used as a first person question with I to ask about future. Will I be happy, will I be rich...?

Exercise 48. Make these sentences into general questions. Give short answers.

Example: (you be) at home tomorrow? — Will you be at home tomorrow? — Yes, I will.? No, I won’t.

1. (You see) your parents this weekend?
2. (They go) to Scotland in June?
3. (Kate and you go) to the cinema next week?
4. (It be) Wednesday tomorrow?
5. (Sam be) at the party too?
6. (You open) your bank account in this bank?

 

Exercise 49. Make up your own sentences with Shall I...? / Shall we...?

Example: the theatre this evening? — Shall we go to the theatre this evening?

do the washing up for you? — Shall I do the washing up for you?

1) close the window?

2) the disco on Friday?

3) another television programme?

4) a game of tennis?

5) turn on the radio?

6) help you with this exercise?

Special questions

What	shall	I	do?	— Whatever you like.
Where	will	I	be in ten years’ time?	— Nobody knows.
Where	shall	we	go tonight?	— Let’s go to the cinema.
When	will	you	tell her the truth?	— One of these days.
How old	will	he	be next birthday?	— He’ll be twenty-nine.
How often	will	they	see each other in ten years’ time?	— Perhaps they will never see each other again.
How long	will	it	take?	— About an hour.
How much	will	the trip	cost?	— It won’t be expensive.
Why	will	she	stay in town this summer?	— Because she’s going to work as a tourist guide.
Which trip	will	you	take?	— I think I’ll take a bicycle trip.
Who	will	—	win the race?	— It’s rather difficult to predict.

Exercise 50. Complete the sentences.

Example: Who will arrange everything? — Nancy.

1. ___ help you with your homework? — A friend of mine will.
2. ___ Kate ___ next year? — She’ll be 19.
3. ___ at the station? — They’ll meet at about 3 o’clock.
4. ___ for breakfast? — I’ll have a cup of coffee and a toast.
5. ___ this summer? — I’ll go to the seaside.
6. ___ the World Cup? — Perhaps, Brazil.
7. ___ stay at home tonight? — Because he’s expecting a call from his British friend.

Tag questions

I’ll		give you a lift,	shall I?	— Yes, please. That’s very kind of you./ No, thanks. I’ll walk.
I	will	be rich,	won’t I?	— Yes, you will. / No, you won’t.
You	will	leave tomorrow,	won’t you?	— Yes, I will. / No, I won’t.
He/She	will	enjoy the camping trip	won’t he/ she?	— Yes, he/she will. / No, he/she won’t.
It	will	be Sunday tomorrow,	won’t it?	— Yes, it will. / No, it won’t.
We’ll		go by plane,	shall we?	— All right. Let’s go by plane.
They	will	be more careful next time,	won’t they?	— Yes, they will. / No, they won’t.

 

I	won’t	work next week,	will I?	— No, you won’t. / Yes, you will.
You	won’t	be late,	will you?	— No, I. won’t. / Yes, I will.
He/She	won’t	tell anyone else,	will he /she?	— No, he/she won’t. / Yes, he/she will.
It	won’t	help anyone,	will it?	— No, it won’t. / Yes, it will.
We	won’t	do this,	will we?	— No, we won’t. / Yes, we will.
They	won’t	come to see us,	will they?	— No, they won’t. / Yes, they will.

NOTE: a) after Let’s... the question tag is shall we?

Let’s go out for a walk, shall we?

b) After the imperative (Do/Don’t do...) the tag is will you?

Open the door, will you?

Exercise 51. Give the correct tag to these sentences.

1. I expect we’ll meet again before long, ___?
2. I’ll show you the way, ___?
3. They won’t need a lot of money for that trip, ___?
4. Everyone will like the idea, ___?
5. Tomorrow will be cold, with some snow in the afternoon, ___?
6. Let’s have dinner, ___?
7. Turn down the radio, ___/

 

Exercise 52. Ask questions about the information in italics.

1. At the weekend we’ll probably go to the cinema.