Future forms and activities

1. FUTURE FORMS
There are several different ways in English that you can talk about the future.
Use
Present progressive: we use the present continuous to talk about things we have arranged
to do in the future – Cesar won’t be at school tomorrow because he is having an
appointment to his doctor.(They are normally connected to a schedule)
Going to:
•
Future plans and intentions, that is, things that we have personally decided to do in the
future: I’m going to buy a new laptop next week.
•
Predictions based in evidence: Look at that car! It is going to crash into the lamp post.
Will:
•
Offers and promises: As soon as I save enough money I will buy a new car.
•
Predictions: It will rain in the evening.
•
Spontaneous decisions: Ok, I’ll see you on Friday.
Expressions that normally appear with ‘will’: probably, perhaps, I think, I believe …
Future continuous: we use the future continuous to talk about actions in progress in the
future. The action will start before that moment but it won’t have finished at that moment.
For example, tomorrow I will start working at 2pm and stop doing it at 6pm – At 4pm
tomorrow, I will be working (At 4pm, I will be in the middle of working)
Future perfect: The structure of the future perfect is: will + have + past participle  I will
have sung. We use the future perfect simple to talk about completed actions in the future,
that is, the past in the future. It expresses an action in the future before another action in
the future. For example – The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the
station at 9.15am. When you arrive, the train will have left.
By the time, by the year, by then …
I. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of the verbs in brackets
(will or be going to):
a. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?
B: I __________________ (write) a letter to my friends back home in Barcelona.
b. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I __________________ (get) you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.

2. c. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I __________________ (turn) it up so you can hear it.
d. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We __________________
(visit) Paris, Nice and Grenoble.
e. Sue __________________ (come) to the party. Peter __________________ (be) there
as well.
f. Ted: It is so hot in here!
Sarah: I __________________ (turn) the air-conditioning on.
g. I think he __________________ (be) the next President of the United States.
h. After I graduate, I __________________ (attend) medical school and become a doctor. I
have wanted to be a doctor all my life.
i.
A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is simply too
small for four people.
B: That man at the service counter __________________ (help) you.
j.
As soon as the weather clears up, we __________________ (walk) down to the beach
and go swimming.
k. Look, this child __________________ (fall) from the ladder.
l.
I think my mother __________________ (like) this CD.
II. Fill in with the appropriate form of present continuous or ‘be going to’:
a. I __________________ (play) bridge tonight with Tom and Ann.
b. He __________________ (have) an operation next week.
c. It’s very cold. __________________ (light) a fire.
d. We __________________ (have) some friends to lunch tomorrow.
e. My nephew __________________ (come) to stay with me next week.
f. We __________________ (take) the children to the seaside this summer.
g. I __________________ (read) you some of my own poems.
h. Have you got a ticket for the big match on Saturday? No, I don’t even know who
__________________ (play)
i.
The inspector __________________ (ask) you a few questions.

3. j.
Mr Pitt has just phoned to say that he __________________ (not come) back till
Wednesday night.
III. Complete the following sentences using ‘will’, ‘be going to’ or ‘present continuous’:
a. Look at those black clouds. It __________________ (rain).
b. I __________________ (meet) Mary on Saturday at 5 o’clock at the cinema. Would you
like to come?
c. “It’s hot in here”.
“I __________________ (open) the window”.
d. “I’ve got a headache”.
e. “Oh dear, I __________________ (get) you an aspirin”.
f. I __________________ (visit) Peru one day, that’s my dreamed holiday.
g. What __________________ (do) on Friday night?
h. I __________________ (go) to a concert. I got the tickets this morning.
i.
Probably I __________________ (stay) at home.
j.
I__________________ (study) Japanese next year, at least that’s my intention.
k. It __________________ (rain) tomorrow according to the weather forecast.
l.
Brazil 7 - Finland 0 (minute 89). The Brazilians __________________ (win).
m. The Brazilians __________________ (win) the world cup.
n. If I can I __________________ (go) skiing with them.
o. What __________________ (be) like tomorrow?
p. (Reading the newspaper) According to your horoscope you __________________ (travel)
a lot next year.
q. I __________________ (stay) in a 4-star hotel. I booked it this morning.
r. We __________________ (have) a party on Saturday. I’ve invited all my friends.
IV. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate form of the verb in brackets
(future simple or future continuous). Then match pictures to the sentences:

4. a. I promise I __________________ (call) you as soon as I have any news.
b. This time tomorrow Tim __________________ (fly) over the Atlantic on his way to
Boston.
c. Those bags look heavy. I __________________ (carry) one of them for you.
d. They are getting married on Saturday. All the guests __________________ (wear) white.
e. The following week they __________________ (enjoy) the sun in the West Indies.
f. The sky is a bit cloudy. __________________ (rain) do you think?
g. If you look at this map you __________________ (see) where the islands are.
h. You should have no problem finding him. He __________________ (carry) a guitar.
i.
I'm hungry - Oh, I __________________ (make) you a sandwich.
j.
This time next month I __________________ (surf) Pacific Ocean.
k. I doubt if robots __________________ (replace) factory workers in the next five years.
l.
Don't ring me at 7 o'clock tonight. I __________________ (bake) apple pie, ring me at 9.
m. I have a terrible headache. I think I __________________ (take) aspirin.
n. She __________________ (sleep) when you telephone her.
o. Tomorrow at nine I __________________ (write) a test.
V. Rewrite the underlined verb forms and use future simple or continuous:
a. Don’t call me at 10 o’clock. I am going to fly to Spain. ____________________________
b. I suppose we are going to stay at a hotel next summer. ___________________________
c. Come to see me in the afternoon. I work in the garden. __________________________
d. Do you think it is snowing at the weekend? ____________________________________
e. Is the coat O.K.? - Yes, I am taking it. __________________________________________
f. This time on Sunday we are going to ski in France. _______________________________
g. I don't know if I will stay here. Perhaps I move to a big city one day. _________________
h. Every student is using a computer in the future. _________________________________
VI. Future tenses: will, be going to, present continuous, future continuous or future
perfect. Complete the sentences with the correct future tense:
a. Hurry up! You _______________________________ (miss) your bus.
b. Tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock I ______________________________ (study) in the
library.

5. c. By the time Nicole finishes university, she _________________________ (learn) four
languages.
d. _________________________________ (you / work) this summer?
e. I think she ________________________ (get) better marks this year.
f. Tell me about my future. ____________________________ (I / ever meet) the love of
my life?
g. They _______________________________ (lie) on the beach at this time next year.
h. Are you sure of that? Then I ________________________ (go) to the party, too.
i.
The concert _______________________ (start) at exactly 10 o’clock.
j.
See you at the station! I _____________________________ (wear) a red jacket.
k. Don’t worry! I _____________________________ (not leave) without you.
l.
Speak lower! You ___________________________ (wake) the baby up.
m. We certainly _____________________________ (not finish) the work by this time
tomorrow.
n. It’s definite. My friends and I _________________________ (travel) to Colombia next
summer.
o. Anne _______________________________ (invite) some of her friends for dinner after
work.
p. _____________________________ (she / remember) to call us this afternoon?
q. What _________________________________ (you / do) at the weekend?
r. Look! That driver __________________________ (crash) into the lorry.
s. My brother _________________________ (not leave) by the time I get home, so I’ll be
able to speak to him.
t. I believe scientist ______________________ (find) a cure for AIDS in the near future.
u. Gerry can’t come to the party on Saturday night because he _____________________
(work) then.
v. Isn’t that a beautiful ring? I ____________________________ (buy) it.
w. The film _______________________ (end) in half an hour.
x. By the time you finish eating, I ____________________________ (wash) all the dishes.
y. I’ve already seen the film so I ______________________ (go) to see it again.
z. Don’t come after 9.00 because I _______________________ (leave) and nobody will be
at home.

6. VII. Fill in the text with the correct future tense:
Jeff’s family usually comes to stay with us for Christmas, but this Christmas we
_______________________ (visit) them instead. They live on the coast of Queensland in
South Australia. I can hardly wait – I ________________________ (have) a fantastic time
there.
School
holidays
_________________________
(start)
on
Friday
and
we
_____________________________ (leave) the following morning. At this time next week, I
________________________ (swim) in the sea, and snorkelling with Jeff. He’s an expert
snorkeller, and he _________________________ (practise) with me every day. On the last
day of our visit, Jeff’s dad ________________________ (take) us to visit the Great Barrier
Reef. I hope by then I ______________________ (improve) enough to snorkel at the reef
and see the magnificent coloured corals and brightly coloured fish close up. The reef is 2,200
kilometres long
and people say it’s an underwater wonderland. Next year I
________________________ (learn) scuba diving, because only serious divers can dive in
the deeper waters on the outer edges of the reef.
VIII. Complete each sentence using the verb in brackets and the correct future tense:
a. Tennis practice starts at 10, and we plan to play for two hours. (finish)
By 12 o’clock, ______________________________________________________
b. There’s someone at the door. (open)
I _________________________________________________________________
c. Do you want to come to the disco with us? (come)
_____________ you ________________________________________________ ?
d. Look at that child! (fall down)
He _______________________________________________________________
e. Their plane lands at 7.30. Let’s get there earlier. (wait)
At 7 o’clock we ______________________________________________________

7. VII. Fill in the text with the correct future tense:
Jeff’s family usually comes to stay with us for Christmas, but this Christmas we
_______________________ (visit) them instead. They live on the coast of Queensland in
South Australia. I can hardly wait – I ________________________ (have) a fantastic time
there.
School
holidays
_________________________
(start)
on
Friday
and
we
_____________________________ (leave) the following morning. At this time next week, I
________________________ (swim) in the sea, and snorkelling with Jeff. He’s an expert
snorkeller, and he _________________________ (practise) with me every day. On the last
day of our visit, Jeff’s dad ________________________ (take) us to visit the Great Barrier
Reef. I hope by then I ______________________ (improve) enough to snorkel at the reef
and see the magnificent coloured corals and brightly coloured fish close up. The reef is 2,200
kilometres long
and people say it’s an underwater wonderland. Next year I
________________________ (learn) scuba diving, because only serious divers can dive in
the deeper waters on the outer edges of the reef.
VIII. Complete each sentence using the verb in brackets and the correct future tense:
a. Tennis practice starts at 10, and we plan to play for two hours. (finish)
By 12 o’clock, ______________________________________________________
b. There’s someone at the door. (open)
I _________________________________________________________________
c. Do you want to come to the disco with us? (come)
_____________ you ________________________________________________ ?
d. Look at that child! (fall down)
He _______________________________________________________________
e. Their plane lands at 7.30. Let’s get there earlier. (wait)
At 7 o’clock we ______________________________________________________