Lesson:Future forms

This is a lesson used to teach the differences in meaning of the different future forms. I think it is intermediate or upper-intermediate level.

Some books make a distinction between a plan and a prediction when talking about the future. This lesson however was used in Russia, where that distinction isn't made in the native language.

Introduction
''Teacher introduces the subject matter. Tries to get a discussion going and writes the difficult words on the board.''

Text
''Here I present a standard text with various future forms. This is where copyright in English language teaching could be a problem. Usually I take a newspaper article about some technical novelty. Try to get an interview or a text with a lot of quotes, that will definitely have all the different forms.

The text should ideally have a gist question and a more detailed question exercise.

Grammar focus
''Teacher presents the following text. Students fill in the blanks.''

Complete these rules using the text

In the English language, there is no real future tense. There are several ways to talk about the future. We use will, going to, the present perfect and sometimes even the present simple to talk about the future.

We use ...................... for something in the future we have evidence for. We also use it if it is based on a commitment that was made earlier.

We use ...................... for something in the future we do not have evidence for or something we decide in the moment.

We use .......................... for a fixed appointment with somebody. This form is usually followed by a future time clause, i.e. 'next week', 'in a few months'.

Watch out! In clauses with "when" and "if", we use ........................ to talk about the future.

Sometimes we use the verb shall in stead of will, but it sounds very official and a bit old-fashioned.

Grammar focus answers
Here the teacher collects the answers open class.

Complete these rules using the text

In the English language, there is no real future tense. There are several ways to talk about the future. We use will, going to, the present perfect and sometimes even the present simple to talk about the future.

We use "going to" for something in the future we have evidence for. We also use it if it is based on a commitment that was made earlier.

We use "will" for something in the future we do not have evidence for or something we decide in the moment.

We use present continuous for a fixed appointment with somebody. This form is usually followed by a future time clause, i.e. 'next week', 'in a few months'.

Watch out! In clauses with "when" and "if", we use present simple to talk about the future.

Sometimes we use the verb shall in stead of will, but it sounds very official and a bit old-fashioned.

Extra
''This is the moment when usually I ask my students for key words indicating specific future forms, like "probably will" and "definitely going to". Ideally these are in the text I used to introduce this lesson.''

First exercise
'''Ex 1. Complete the dialogue. Use the words between brackets. Put the verbs in the correct future form.'''

O. Robert says he............................ (study in Ecuador) next year.

X. Oh yes, well that ...................................(definitely happen), NOT!

O. Why are you saying that? Don't you think he .............................. (succeed)?

X. Robert is a drunk. He hasn't been able to get anything done in the past years. This plan.............................. (fail), again. Mark my words.

O. Well, I think you shouldn't be so negative about him. He sounded really serious about it. I think he ........................ (manage).

X. Well, I don't. But tell him I wish him well when you ......................(meet) him. My cynicism .......................... (only discourage him). And I want him to finally get off his arse.

O. Ok, I ........................... (tell) him you wish him well. In fact, I ....................................(meet) him tonight.

X. In the students' bar, I presume?

O. Ehm, yes. How did you know?

Second exercise
Students write five sentences using the different future forms. You might want to tell the students that the difference in meaning between the future forms is not as strict as i.e. the past forms. This exercise will probably generate sentences where more future forms can be used.

Homework
This is a natural text from a newspaper, rewritten to avoid copyright issues and put in a different setting. In some cases valid arguments can be made to use a different future form than is used in the original text. Most books tend to avoid these ambiguities, but I like to remind students that in the end of the day, the rules are only a tool for expression.

Complete the text using the correct future forms.

'''No seeding on the Prairie until June '''

''Weather outlooks say that seeding operations in Western Canada ......... probably ........ be limited. This particularly affects the eastern regions of Saskatchewan and a large part of Manitoba.''

Bob Drogie of Global Weather Institute in Springville predicts hard times for Western Canadian farmers. "There ........ definitely ........ be wet and cooler weather conditions over the next couple of weeks across the grain and oilseed growing areas of the eastern Canadian prairie regions"

After a storm hit the Prairies in the past week, the fields are covered with snow. “Farmers ............ be unlikely to get into the fields until June if we see one more storm like that,” Mr. Drogie said.

Warming temperatures are expected, but they .......... be interrupted by short bursts of cold. Rain and snow ........... be frequent as well, which ......... not allow time for the fields to dry. "I even cannot say that there .......... not .......... be any snow" Drogie said.

Since the fields are already wet and some areas are even flooded, it .......... be difficult for heavy machinery to work the fields in a good portion of the eastern Prairies, Drogie cautioned. "I just can't see any significant drying time to allow individuals in some of the excessively wet fields of Manitoba or parts of eastern Saskatchewan for at least three weeks," he said.

In the western regions of the Prairies, Drogie said, some farmers have started to prepare their fields. Especially southwestern Saskatchewan and into the neighbouring southern areas of Alberta. In some of the other areas of central and western Saskatchewan and Alberta, producers were also said to have started some sporadic field preparations.

Shorter-season crops

The outlook for the western areas of the Prairies ....... include periodic rain and a average temperature for the next 30 days. “If all that occurs, we ........ see some good seeding progress made in that region,” Drogie said.

"Everybody expected farming in Western Canada to be improving, but now we .......... have areas in the east that are off limits," Drogie said. If wet conditions in the eastern Prairies continue, producers ............ have to consider switching to shorter-season crop varieties, he said.

Homework answers
No seeding on the Prairie until June

''Weather outlooks say that seeding operations in Western Canada will probably be limited. This particularly affects the eastern regions of Saskatchewan and a large part of Manitoba.''

Bob Drogie of Global Weather Institute in Springville predicts hard times for Western Canadian farmers. "There are definitely going to be wet and cooler weather conditions over the next couple of weeks across the grain and oilseed growing areas of the eastern Canadian prairie regions"

After a storm hit the Prairies in the past week, the fields are covered with snow. “Farmers will be unlikely to get into the fields until June if we see one more storm like that,” Mr. Drogie said.

Warming temperatures are expected, but they will be interrupted by short bursts of cold. Rain and snow will be frequent as well, which will not allow time for the fields to dry. "I even cannot say that there won't be any snow" Drogie said.

Since the fields are already wet and some areas are even flooded, it is going to be difficult for heavy machinery to work the fields in a good portion of the eastern Prairies, Drogie cautioned. "I just can't see any significant drying time to allow individuals in some of the excessively wet fields of Manitoba or parts of eastern Saskatchewan for at least three weeks," he said.

In the western regions of the Prairies, Drogie said, some farmers have started to prepare their fields. Especially southwestern Saskatchewan and into the neighbouring southern areas of Alberta. In some of the other areas of central and western Saskatchewan and Alberta, producers were also said to have started some sporadic field preparations.

Shorter-season crops

The outlook for the western areas of the Prairies will include periodic rain and a average temperature for the next 30 days. “If all that occurs, we will see some good seeding progress made in that region,” Drogie said..

"Everybody expected farming in Western Canada to be improving, but now we are going to have areas in the east that are off limits," Drogie said. If wet conditions in the eastern Prairies continue, producers will have to consider switching to shorter-season crop varieties, he said.