Future tense in English, some examples from BBC service.

A question from Yukiazb in Japan:

Dear Sir,

I'm a 63 year old man learning English in Japan. I'll be glad if you would let me know the differences in meaning of the following sentences: 

1) I'll see you tomorrow; 
2) I'm going to see you tomorrow; 
3) I'm seeing you tomorrow; 
4) I'll be seeing you tomorrow 

Listen to this here!

Well, thank you very much for this question and indeed, talking about the future in English is not straightforward, partly because we don't have one specific future tense. 

You have asked about four forms which are often confused - and they are often confused because they are, in fact, confusing! They are confusing because the differences between these forms are not fixed or absolute. Sometimes all four forms might be suitable for a situation. Today, I'll talk about each form individually. 

Now, remember that the context for these sentences seems to be social or work plans for tomorrow. 

The first example: 
'I'll see you tomorrow.' - This is 'will' + the infinitive. We use this form when we speak at the same time that we make a decision about the future plan. 

For example: 
'When can you give me an answer?' 
'Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Is that okay?' 

Now, the second example: 
'I'm going to see you tomorrow' - This is 'to be going to' + the infinitive. We use this form when we have made the decision and plan before we speak. We are telling someone what we have already decided or agreed to do. 

Look at these two examples to compare the first two forms: 

1. 'They say the weather will be nice tomorrow' 
'Really? Oh well, in that case, I think I'll go to the beach' 

2. 'They say the weather will be nice tomorrow' 
'I know - I checked the news yesterday. I'm going to go to the beach. Would you like to come?' 

So, you can see the difference between these two forms. In the first one, the decision is made at the time of speaking. In the second one, the decision was made earlier; the plan has been made. 

Now, the third form: 
'I'm seeing you tomorrow' - This is the present continuous with a future meaning. We use it to talk about definite plans and arrangements. Things have been decided already, and arrangements have been made. As you can see, this is very similar in use to 'to be going to'.

Importantly, we generally use the present continuous when we are thinking about a particular time in the future. And it is commonly used to talk about social plans and meetings. On a Friday at work, the most common question is probably: 

'What are you doing this weekend?' 

Finally, the last form: 
"I'll be seeing you tomorrow." - This is 'will' + the continuous infinitive. We use this form when we want to bring some of the meaning of the continuous form to our description of future events. 

The continuous form emphasises that an activity is happening at a certain time, and this activity lasts for a limited period of time. This meaning is now combined with one meaning of 'will' - namely that 'will' can describe future facts or predictions. 

So, if you want to describe a future event and you want to emphasis the activity that will take place over time of this event, you say: 

'At this time tomorrow, I'll be swimming in the sea. No more work for me - I'm on holiday!' 

I hope this helps you understand these four forms a little better. 
Remember that 'to be going to' and the present continuous both suggest that plans have been made already. 
'Will' is used for spontaneous decisions and 'will be doing' emphasises the action at a particular time in the future. 

Anyway, time to finish. I'm meeting my boss in an hour and I haven't read the report yet! 


from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1837_aae/page13.shtml

FOOD FOR THOUGHT! :Lizzie Velasquez, Law of Attraction, Seeker of Truth or Believer

Dear students, here you are some videos you could watch and that I hope will make you think.

Make the most of them!

VERA DRAKE, wife, mother, criminal. (2004)

Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions.

The film also contains a subplot about an upper class young woman, Susan (Sally Hawkins), the daughter of one of Vera's employers.
Susan is raped by a suitor, becomes pregnant, and asks a friend to put her in contact with a doctor, through whom she can obtain an abortion.
The doctor refers her to a psychiatrist, who prompts her to answer questions in a certain way, so that he can legally recommend an abortion on therapeutic psychiatric grounds: that she has a family history of mental illness and that she may commit suicide if not allowed to terminate the pregnancy.
The abortion costs her a hundred guineas.

The name guinea was long used to indicate the amount of 21 shillings (£1.05 in decimalised currency).
The slang term for a shilling as a currency unit was a "bob".

Driving in Saudi Arabia

It’s not illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia but it is illegal for them to drive without a Saudi license. And licenses aren’t issued to women. The embargo is purely cultural. A combination of deeply embedded tradition and a powerful religious establishment ensures that progress in the desert kingdom happens slowly.

The numerous anti-driving arguments put forward by conservatives who fear change have no foundation in common sense. This was most famously demonstrated by the cleric Sheikh Saleh Al Lohaidan who warned women that “physiological science” shows that driving “automatically affects the ovaries and pushes up the pelvis … and that is why children born to most women who continuously drive suffer from clinical disorders of varying degrees”.