19 Simple Future

Tense

At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

€€ identify the verbs used in the simple future tense.
€€ describe when to use the simple future tense.
€€ use the simple future tense in your conversations and writing.

Choose the correct option to fill in the blanks.

1. I ____________ to your house tomorrow.
a. will come b. come
2. They ____________ to the movie this evening.
a. will go b. will they go
3. She ____________ the meeting as she is unwell.
a. not attend b. will not attend
4. ____________ colder tomorrow?
a. Will it be b. It is
5. When ____________ to England?
a. will you go b. you will go

Read the following sentences:

1. I will meet you tomorrow.
2. The bus will arrive at 3 p.m.
3. We will play tennis.
4. It will not rain tomorrow.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us about actions that will take place in
the time to come, i.e., in the future. They are in the simple future tense.

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 The simple future tense is used to refer to an action that will happen in
the time to come.

Uses of Simple Future Tense

Simple future tense is used in many ways. It is used to:
€€ talk about an action that will happen in the future. For example,
´´ We will meet Mary tomorrow. ´´ He will come here next week.
€€ predict the future. For example,
´´ I think the train will be late due to bad weather.
€€ express decisions made at the moment of speaking. For example,
´´ It is cold. I will get a blanket for you.
Structure of Simple Future Tense
€€ For assertive sentences
Sentence structure: Subject + helping verb (will) + main verb (simple form)
Subject Helping verb Main verb
I will play.
You will play.
He/She/It/Amar will play.
We will play.
You will play.
They/Amar and Ayesha will play.
€€ For negative sentences
Sentence structure: Subject + helping verb (will) + not + main verb (simple form)
Subject Helping verb + not Main verb
I will not/won’t dance.
You will not/won’t dance.
He/She/It/Amar will not/won’t dance.
We will not/won’t dance.
You will not/won’t dance.
They/Amar and Ayesha will not/won’t dance.
€€ For interrogative sentences
1. For yes/no questions

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 Sentence structure: Will/Shall + subject + main verb (simple form)
Helping verb Subject Main verb
Shall I eat?
Will you eat?
Will he/she/it/Amar eat?
Shall we eat?
Will you eat?
Will they/Amar and Ayesha eat?
2. For wh- questions (who, why, how, when, what and where)
Sentence structure: Wh-(question word) + will/shall+ subject + main verb
(simple form)
Question word Helping verb Subject Main verb
Wh- shall I study?
Wh- will you study?
Wh- will he/she/it/Amar study?
Wh- shall we study?
Wh- will you study?
Wh- will they/Amar and Ayesha study?
Read the following sentences:
1. I am going to study now.
2. We are going on an excursion next month.
In the above sentences, we find the usage of be going to form. We occasionally use be
going to form to refer to the future.
Let us understand the usage of be going to in detail.
The form be going to is used to:
€€ express future intentions and arrangements that have already been planned before
the moment of speaking. For example,
´´ He is going to buy a new car.
´´ They are going to London the next month.
€€ make a prediction about the future. For example,
´´ She is going to bag the first prize in the running race.
´´ It is going to be very hot tomorrow.

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Let us have a look at the structure of be going to form.
€€ For assertive sentences
Sentence structure: Subject + being word/verb + going to + main verb (simple form)
Subject Being verb + going to Main verb
I am going to play.
You are going to play.
He/She/It/Amar is going to play.
We are going to play.
You are going to play.
They/Amar and Ayesha are going to play.
€€ For negative sentences
Sentence structure: Subject + being word/verb + not + going to + main verb (simple
form)
Subject Being verb +not + going to Main verb
I am not going to dance.
You are not going to dance.
He/She/It/Amar is not going to dance.
We are not going to dance.
You are not going to dance.
They/Amar and Ayesha are not going to dance.
€€ For interrogative sentences
1. For yes/no questions
Sentence structure: Helping verb + subject + going to + main verb (simple form)
Helping verb Subject Going to Main verb
Am I going to eat?
Are you going to eat?
Is he/she/it/Amar going to eat?
Are we going to eat?
Are you going to eat?
Are they/Amar and Ayesha going to eat?

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 2. For wh- questions (who, why, how, when, what and where)
Sentence structure: Wh-(question word) + am/is/are + subject + going to
+ main verb (simple form)
Question word Helping verb Subject Going to Main verb
Wh- am I going to study?
Wh- are you going to study?
Wh- is he/she/it/Amar going to study?
Wh- are we going to study?
Wh- are you going to study?
Wh- are they/Amar and Ayesha going to study?
A. Fill in the blanks with the simple future tense form of the verbs given in the brackets.
1. My brother ____________ (play) tomorrow.
2. I ____________ (clean) my room in the evening.
3. When they complete their work, they ____________ (go) out to play.
4. I ____________ (not go) to the movie in the evening, as I have to study.
5. I think you ____________ (win) the race.
6. When ____________ we ____________ (eat)? I am hungry.
7. She ____________ (give) me the book tomorrow.
8. ____________ he ____________ (come) tonight for the birthday party?
9. They ____________ (not go) to the dance class tomorrow.
10. My father ____________ (not buy) another bat for me.
B. Write a question using going to for each situation. One has been done for you.
1. Your friend has lost his Science book.
You ask: (what/do?)
What are you going to do?
2. Your sister has decided to throw a party on her birthday.
You ask: (who/invite for the party?)
______________________________________________________________
3. Your father has just bought a new sofa.
You ask: (where/put it?)
______________________________________________________________
4. Your friend has to go to Delhi to take an exam.
You ask: (when/to Delhi?)
______________________________________________________________

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 5. Your friend’s brother is going to buy a bike.
You ask: (which/to buy?)
______________________________________________________________

C. Frame sentences with the following words in the simple future tense as instructed.
One has been done for you.
1. he/come/to play/tomorrow
affirmative sentence : He will come to play tomorrow.
negative sentence : He will not come to play tomorrow.
interrogative sentence : Will he come to play tomorrow?
2. we/study/for the exam/tomorrow
affirmative sentence : _________________________________________
negative sentence : _________________________________________
interrogative sentence : _________________________________________
3. they/have/a meeting/tomorrow
affirmative sentence : _________________________________________
negative sentence : _________________________________________
interrogative sentence : _________________________________________
4. my brother/meet/the principal/tomorrow
affirmative sentence : _________________________________________
negative sentence : _________________________________________
interrogative sentence : _________________________________________
5. coffee/turn cold
affirmative sentence : _________________________________________
negative sentence : _________________________________________
interrogative sentence : _________________________________________

Collaboration

Play this game in groups of five.

Write the things you will need to prepare for a class picnic. Then ask each member of
your group about their contribution to the class picnic using the simple future tense.
For example, one member might say, I shall bring sandwiches for all of you.
This exercise continues till each member makes his/her contribution to the picnic.

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