Unit 8

UNIT 8 WORKSHEET

Task 1 – Identify the following future ‘tenses’:

a) I am going to the theater later this evening.

This sentence utilizes the present continuous tense.

b) They’re going to play basketball on Tuesday afternoon.

This sentence uses the “be going + infinitive” (‘going to’ future) tense.

c) Jane will have left her job by the end of the week.

This sentence utilizes the future perfect tense.

d) The train leaves at 6.00 pm.

            This sentence uses the present simple tense.

e) At this time tomorrow I will be lying on the beach.

            This sentence utilizes the future continuous tense.

f) Next year, Paul will have been living in Italy for 3 years.

            This sentence uses the future present continuous tense.

g) It will probably rain tomorrow.

            This sentence utilizes the future simple tense.

Task 2 – State as many usages as possible of the future tenses below and give one example sentence of your own for each usage (not a sentence from the unit!):

a) Future simple

1. Future facts and certainties- He will start school in August this year.

2. Promises- I’ll pick you up from school at 3:00.

3. Predictions (based on no present evidence) - Someone will ring the door at noon.

4. Assumptions/speculations- I wonder if she’ll ever come back.

5. Spontaneous decisions- I’ll skip school tomorrow and go somewhere.

6. Threats- She’ll punch you if you don’t return her toy.

b) Future continuous

1. To say that something will be in progress at a particular moment in the future- This day next month, Jim will be flying to Mexico.

2. To predict the present to say what we think or guess might be happening now- Susie will probably be working right now.

3. For polite enquiries referring to other people’s plans, but not to influence the listener’s intentions- Will you be joining us for dinner?

4. To refer to future events which are fixed or decided (without suggesting personal intention) – Jake and Molly will be having their wedding next June.

c) Future perfect

1. To say that something will have been done, completed, or achieved by a certain time in the future- Sarah will have graduated from college by then.

d) Future perfect continuous

1. To say how long something will have continued by a certain time- By next month, we will have been living together for exactly 10 years.

e) ‘Going to’ future

1. Intentions- He’s going to break her heart if he does that.

2. Predictions based on present evidence- I think the teacher is going to assign a lot of homework since she just divorced.

3. Plans (decisions made before speaking) – Jake decided that he’s going to take dancing lessons for homecoming.

Task 3 – State how the tenses below are formed grammatically.  Explain positive, negative and question forms:

a) Future simple

Affirmative: subject + will + base form of verb (For the pronoun we, you can use shall/will.)

Negative: subject + will/shall + not + base form of verb

Question: Shall/Will + subject (+ base form of verb)?

b) Future continuous

Affirmative: subject + will + be + verb + ing (present participle)

Negative: subject + will not/won’t + be + verb + ing (present participle)

Question: Will + subject + be + verb + ing (present participle)?

c) Future perfect

Affirmative: subject + will + have + past participle of verb

Negative: subject + will not/ won’t + have + past participle of verb

Question: Will + subject + have + past participle of verb?

d) Future perfect continuous

Affirmative: subject + will + have +been + verb + ing (present participle)

Negative: subject + will not/ won’t + have +been + verb + ing (present participle)

Question: Will + subject + have + been + verb + ing (present participle)

e) ‘Going to’ future

Affirmative: subject + verb ‘to be’ in the present + going to + base form of verb

Negative: subject + verb ‘to be’ in the present + not + going to + base form of verb

Question: verb ‘to be’ in the present + subject + going to + base form of verb?

Task 4 – Give at least 2 activate stage teaching ideas for the tenses below and give examples of sentences that you would expect your students to produce:

a) Future simple

1. Students can role-play as “psychics” and tell the fortune for each other. For example, “You will become a doctor.” Or “You will get a pleasant surprise.”

2. Students pretend to have won the lottery and are interviewed by another student. “What will you do now with all that money?” “I will buy a Wii,” or “I will buy a sports car.”

b) Future continuous

1. Turn down an invitation. “Do you want to meet on Friday?” “No, I’ll be washing my dog.” “Saturday?” “Sorry, I’ll be working all day.”

2. Students will be acting as secretaries who are supposed to tell their employer their schedule. “At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, you will be speaking at a conference in Miami.” Or “At 6 p.m. on Thursday, you’ll be having dinner with the Johnsons.”

c) Future perfect

1. Students tell each other what they will have done by certain ages/years.

“By the time I’m 22, I will have graduated from college.”

“I will have bought my first car by next year.”

2. Choose a famous historical personage and note down important dates in his/her life.

“Marie Curie will have won the Nobel Prize by 1903.”

d) Future perfect continuous

1. Students survey one another to determine who has been doing an action for the longest. “How long will you have been learning English/ living in this city?”

2. The teacher will make various statements on piece of paper that will give dates of someone’s life. Students randomly pick a piece of paper and will have to tell how long this person has been doing this action. For example, the paper reads, “He’s been a teacher since 1971.” The student can reply, “He will have been working as a teacher for 30 years.”

e) ‘Going to’ future

1. Making birthday/holiday plans- Ask students about future plans. “This Christmas, we are going to ski in Nevada.” Or “For my birthday next year, I’m going to see a concert.”

2. Describe what students are going to be when they grow up.

“I’m going to become a teacher.” “I’m going to own my own business.”

Task 5 – Give examples of each of the pairs of tenses listed below and explain the difference in usage and structure between them as you would do to a low-level student:   

a) Present continuous (with a future meaning) and the ‘going to’ future

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

The ‘be going to’ structure is always followed by a verb. The present continuous tense only uses the present participle (verb + ing) form of the verb and doesn’t have another verb following it after.

ii) Differences in usage:

The ‘going to’ tense is used for intentions and plans (made before speaking). The action is more though out and deliberate.  The present continuous tense is used for actions that will most likely happen. It is used for definite arrangements and plans (without a time frame).  

iii) Example sentences:

‘Going to’: I am going to see the opera.

Present continuous: I am going to the opera.

The first sentence has the ‘going to’ structure followed by another verb “to see.”

The second sentence has going to as well but it is not followed by a verb. The action itself is going; whereas in the first sentence, the action verb is to see.

b) Future simple and future continuous

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

Future continuous tense has the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ as well as the present participle form of the verb (verb + ing). Future simple tense does not need any auxiliary verb and uses the base form of the verb.

ii) Differences in usage:

The future continuous tense is used for actions that will continue around a specific point in the future. Future simple tense just mentioned that it will happen in the future. It doesn’t mention if it will be finished or started in the future and doesn’t need to specify a point of time.

iii) Example sentences:

Future continuous: Karen will probably be watering her plants right now.

Future simple: Karen will water her plants later.

The first sentence has the present participle form of ‘to water’ and mentions a specific point of time. The second sentence has the verb ‘to water’ in the base form and doesn’t specify. All it says is that it will be done later in the future.

c) Future simple and ‘going to’ future

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

Going to structure has the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ as well as ‘going.’ The future simple tense does not have the verb ‘to be.’

ii) Differences in usage:

The future simple is used for spontaneous decisions and predictions based on no present evidence. It is more for speculation and when the speaker is not sure or predetermined. The ‘going to’ future tense is used for plans the speaker thought about previously and predictions based on present evidence.

iii) Example sentences:

Future simple: I will swim at the neighbor’s pool.

‘Going to’: I am going to swim at the neighbor’s pool.

The first sentence is a spontaneous decision with no previous thought. The second sentence shows intent and has the ‘to be’ + going to structure. The first sentence uses will to denote that it is a future action.

d) Future simple and future perfect   

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

Future simple tense uses the base form of the main verb while the future perfect tense includes the verb “to have” and doesn’t uses the base form of the verb. Instead, it uses the past participle form of the verb.

ii) Differences in usage:

The future perfect tense talks about the completion of an action by a certain time in the future. The future simple tense doesn’t really focus about the completion of an action, but rather whether or not that action will happen in the future.

iii) Example sentences:

Future present: When they arrive, I will have cleaned the whole house.

Future simple: I will clean the house when they arrive.                     

Sentence 1 uses the past participle of clean while sentence 2 just uses the base form of clean. Sentence 1 is saying by the time they arrive, the cleaning will be done. Sentence 1 implies that he/she will start cleaning when they arrive.