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

Irregular verbs rap

The microphone I 

TAKE (took, TAKen). You SHAKE (shook, SHAken). 

WAKE (woke, WOken) to the STYLE Im creAting. 

THINK (thought, THOUGHT). SEEK (sought, SOUGHT).

LISten to the LESson that I TEACH (taught, TAUGHT).

Dont SLEEP (slept, SLEPT). I CREEP (crept, CREPT). 

I SNEAK (snuck, SNUCK UP). You LEAP (leapt, LEAPT).

I KEEP (kept, KEPT) HAVing FUN. 

Im never BEAT (beat, BEAten); I WIN (won, WON).

DO (did, DONE). BeGIN (began, beGUN).

SHOOT (shot, SHOT)—no, I DONT own a GUN. 

I LEAD (led, LED) so I can FEED (fed, FED). 

the KNOWledge you NEED, STRAIGHT to your HEAD. 

When I BRING (brought, BROUGHT) it, you CATCH (caught, CAUGHT) it.

Sit BACKreLAX. Dont FIGHT (fought, FOUGHT) it.

Please don't

FREEZE (froze, FROzen) when I SPEAK (spoke, SPOken). 

Its REAL. You can FEEL I dont STEAL (stole, STOlen). 

I CHOOSE (chose, CHOsen) the VERy best RHYMES and

WRITE (wrote, WRITten) them INto my LINES and

INto your MIND. When we MEET (met, MET)

Ill BET (bet, BET) I wont LET you forGET 

(forGOTforGOTten). I GET (got, GOTten)

EVery head NODding. Dont THINK about STOPping

just COME (came, COME). 

THIS is hip hop. I dont SING (sang, SUNG).

I STING (stung, STUNG). I CLING (clung, CLUNG).

On EACH and every WORD, you HANG (hung, HUNG).

It's not enough to

DREAM (dreamt, DREAMT); youve got to SPEND (spent, SPENT)

TIME on your GOALS. Please LEND (lent, LENT) me your

EAR. Come NEAR and Ill LAY (laid, LAID)

DOWN this new SOUND that I MAKE (made, MADE). 

I HOPE you dont SAY that you THINK its JUNK.

I HOPE you dont THINK that I STINK (stank, STUNK).

If youre THIRSty for ENGlish, come DRINK (drank, DRUNK).

because I SINK (sank, SUNK) ALL compeTItion when they 

HEAR (heard, HEARD) that I GIVE (gave, GIVen)

encouragement when I SPIT (spat, SPAT).

Never QUIT (quit, QUIT); dont SIT (sat, SAT).

Yeah, I LIKE it like THAT. Ill even KNEEL (knelt, KNELT).

and BEG you to exPRESS what you FEEL (felt, FELT).

I RISE (rose, RISen) when I DRIVE (drove, DRIVen) through 

the BEAT; tap your FEET as you RIDE (rode, RIDden). 

Those that HIDE (hid, HIDden) I FIND (found, FOUND).

If you FLEE (fled, FLED) then Ill TRACK you DOWN.

Now you SEE (saw, SEEN) that I MEAN (meant, MEANT) 

every WORD of the MESsage that I SEND (sent, SENT). 

I SHOW (showed, SHOWN) I can FLY (flew, FLOWN).

Now you KNOW (knew, KNOWN) I SHINE (shone, SHONE).

Ill THROW (threw, THROWN) you the BALL. Its your TURN. 

GROW (grew, GROWN) with the VERBS that youve LEARNED. 

GRAMmar through LYRics I DRAW (drew, DRAWN). 

PEACE to elLS, now I GO (went, GONE)!

English verbal tenses for BAT.

A Review of Verb Tense

The tense of a verb indicates the time of the action or state of being that is expressed by the verb. Each of the six tenses has a basic form. All basic forms are derived from the principal parts: present (base), present participle (be verb plus –ing), past (‐ed), and past participle (‐ed plus have, had, has). Using the correct tense of verbs when you speak and write is essential to understand in what time period actions took place.

There are four categories of verb tenses: simple, perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive,
with a version of the present, past, and future in each category. Each tense has its own meaning.
When the actions take place (completed, ongoing, continuing into the future, has yet to occur) determines which tense to use.

Simple Forms

Let’s start with the simple tenses.
Present
First is the present tense, which indicates actions or conditions occurring now. Present tense is often used to state general information as well as thoughts and opinions.
Ex. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Ex. They are angry about the decision.
Past
Next is the past tense, which indicates actions or conditions that have occurred already and do not extend into the present.
Ex. She felt better after her test. Ex. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
Future
The last one of the simple tenses is the future that indicates actions that have yet to begin. To form the future tense, you will use will plus the base or the present principal part of the verb.
Ex. I will graduate the year after next.
Ex. The exhibition will come to Houston in September.

Exercise 1
Let’s test your knowledge of the information above before moving on.
In each blank below, write the tense of the verb in parenthesis.
1. She ____________ around the living room. (run‐present)
2. We ____________ our plans for the weekend. (discuss, past)
3. The boat ______________ as soon as the cargo of machinery is loaded. (sail, future)
4. Natasha __________ listening to music. (enjoy, past)
5. He ____________ musical comedies. (like‐present)
6. I __________ you my new leather jacket. (lend, future)
7. These arguments _________ you that I am right. (convince, future)
8. Although the car is old, it __________ well. (run‐present)
9. The shopper ____________ to see the manager. (ask, past)
10. The man in the corner ___________ lead guitar in the band. (play, present)

Exercise 2
Identify the tense of the underlined verb in each sentence.
1. She will attend a conference in Washington.
2. Barbara and Marie refused to sign the petition.
3. The dancers rehearse everyday.
4. Storytelling existed before written history.
5. Blue jays have many unusual habits.
6. A squirrel drops its nuts when it gets frightened.
7. A good story will have action and drama.
8. We spotted a bird with red wings and tail.
9. The animals’ unpleasant shrieks warn other animals of danger.
10. We will practice our math skills this year.

Perfect Forms

The next tenses to consider are the perfect tenses, which give information about the time frame of an action’s completion. The perfect tenses indicate the action of the verb has been completed by a specific point in the past, present, or future.

Present Perfect
The present perfect tense describes an event that has already been completed in the present. It is formed using have or has plus the past participle form of the verb (‐ed, ‐en).
Ex. I have walked to school for five years. Ex. Dad has written many stories of his childhood.
Past Perfect
The next tense is the past perfect, where the action was completed before a specified time in the past. To form the past perfect tense, you will use had plus the past participle form of the verb.
Ex. We had considered several alternative plans. Ex. Bill had finished packing before the taxi arrived.
Future Perfect
The last one of the perfect tenses is future perfect, which states that the action will have been completed by a specified time in the future. To form the future perfect tense, you need to use will have or shall have plus the past participle form of the verb.
Ex. In ten years the original investment will have doubled. Ex. The students will have used all their paper by December.

Exercise 3
Again, let’s test your knowledge before we move on. Underline the verb in each of the following sentences. Then identify the tense of each verb.
1. They had notified us of their arrival.
2. Our dogs have bitten no one.
3. The family will have finished dinner by seven.
4. We have seen that movie twice.
5. Tom will have departed before Brain’s arrival.
6. Janet has refused any credit for the team’s success.
7. By this evening, I will have cleaned the whole downstairs.
8. We had avoided each other for 20 years.
9. We had considered several alternate plans.
10. I have memorized two poems by Walt Whitman.

Exercise 4
Write the basic form of the verb as directed in parenthesis.
1. The Johnsons ________________ three times in the past year. (move‐present perfect) 
2. They _______ everything they wanted to by the end of their vacation. (see‐past perfect) 
3. By the end of their tour, the group ___________ in eleven cities. (perform‐future perfect) 
4. Sharon __________ to her counselor earlier in the day. (talk‐past perfect) 
5. We ________ very fond of our new neighbors. (grow‐present perfect) 
6. Margie ____________ before the spring semester. (graduate‐future perfect) 
7. We _______ three times this week. (exercise=present perfect) 
8. The manager ___________ to the pitcher twice by that time. (talk‐past perfect) 
9. I ________ the whole kitchen by the time Mom returns. (clean‐future perfect) 
10. The rescuers _____________ the area for the past three hours. (search‐present perfect)

Progressive Forms

The next set of tenses is known as the progressive forms, which means the action or conditions are unfinished (ongoing, continuing).
Present Progressive
Present progressive indicates actions are ongoing even as we speak. It is formed with the present participle with –ing plus is, am, or are.
Ex. The kids are playing outside. Ex. Sam is attending church.
Past Progressive
With the past progressive, the action was going on during a past period being discussed. It is formed with –ing (the present participle) plus was and were.
Ex. By the 1970s, many Americans were buying smaller cars. Ex. I was writing to you when you telephoned me.
Future Progressive
The last one of the progressive tenses is future progressive, which indicates that the action will be ongoing during some future time frame. To form the future progressive, you will use will be or shall be plus the present participle form of the verb (‐ing).
Ex. A team of observers will be monitoring the elections. Ex. Clarissa will be studying music at a special camp this summer.

Exercise 5
Supply the progressive form of the verb as directed in parenthesis.
1. Despite her height, Kate _________ to make the basketball team. (hope‐present progressive)
2. The rain ______________ all of our plans. (ruin‐present progressive)
3. The last ferry _______________ soon. (leave‐future progressive)
4. The workers _______________ the building. (repair‐future progressive)
5. The architect _______________ his plans. (explain‐present progressive)
6. They _________________ important political issues. (discuss‐present progressive)

Perfect Progressive Forms

There are also perfect progressive tenses that use a combination of perfect and progressive forms. Perfect progressive emphasizes the duration or the continuousness of the action. To write in the perfect progressive tense, you will use a form of have (perfect) followed by a be verb and –ing (progressive).

Present Perfect Progressive
The present perfect progressive describes something that began in the past, continues into the present, and may continue into the future. It is formed with has or have plus been and –ing form of the verb.
Ex. Kim has been writing a novel since she left high school. Ex. The Smiths have been breeding dogs since 2000.
Past Perfect Progressive
The past perfect progressive tense describes something that began in the past, continued in the past, and concluded in the past. It is formed with had and been plus the –ing form of the verb.
Ex. I had been riding the bus until I got my license. Ex. Frank had been leaving get well notes to his uncle.
Future Perfect Progressive
The future perfect progressive describes something that begins in the present and continues into the future. It is formed with will have and been plus the –ing form of the verb.
Ex. By the time the class ends, the students will have been working for 10 minutes without a break. Ex. Hannah will have been playing the piano for five years this June.

Exercise 6
Write the correct form of the verb as stated in parenthesis.
1. She _________________ all afternoon. (study‐past perfect progressive)
2. Susan ______________ for two hours by 9 a.m. (work‐future perfect progressive)
3. Diane ________________ us a folk tale. (tell‐present perfect progressive)
4. Reggie ___________________ a heavy course load this year. (carry‐present perfect progressive)
5. I was very relieved because I ____________ a much lower grade. (expect‐past perfect progressive)
6. He __________________ for two hours by noon. (swim‐future perfect progressive)
7. Nick ________________ second thoughts about the concert. (have‐present perfect progressive)
8. We ____________ the dancer carefully all evening (watch‐past perfect progressive)


Verb Tense Final Review

Review 1
Identify the tense of each of the following verbs.
1. will be going
2. ride
3. was bringing
4. had kept
5. had been leaving
6. wrote
7. will have written
8. has given
9. will ride
10. will have been crying

Review 2
Conjugate the following regular and irregular verb using the given pronouns as the subject.

visit (with he) Ex. He visits
Present: Past: Future: Present Perfect: Past Perfect: Future Perfect: Present Progressive: Past Progressive: Future Progressive: Present Perfect Progressive: Past Perfect Progressive: Future Perfect Progressive:

begin (with they)
Present: Past: Future: Present Perfect: Past Perfect: Future Perfect: Present Progressive: Past Progressive: Future Progressive: Present Perfect Progressive: Past Perfect Progressive: Future Perfect Progressive:

Review 3
Some of the verbs in this paragraph are in the wrong tense. Decide which verbs must be changed, then rewrite those sentences, correcting those verbs.
1) Last year for my birthday, my parents took me to New York City.
2) We visit the Empire State Building and take a boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
3)I will like best the boat ride through the harbor to the Statue and Ellis Island.
4)It made me think of the boat ride my great‐grandfather took to come to Ellis Island as an immigrant.
5)My father says he remembers his grandfather telling him the story of the ocean voyage.
6)When my great‐grandfather arrives in New York, he sees the statue.
7)I am sure that I had always remembered that story too.

LEARNING, welcome to academic year 2013-14!!!!

Is it possible for us? Discuss.

Write a comment telling what you think.

don't forget to write the group you belong to

Ways of expressing... FUTURE!

EXAMPLES:

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

I'm seeing the dentist on Tuesday.

We're having a party tomorrow.

BE GOING TO

She's not going to university next year.

They're not going to be at the party tomorrow.

It is going to rain, look at those clouds.

Be careful, you're going to fall.

WILL

I'm thirsty, I'll have a cold beer.

We are tired. We won't go out tonight.

Our team will beat theirs.

One day, peace will reign.

I'll do it for you, I promise.

WILL vs. GOING TO (sudden decision vs. plan)

Remember, 'going to' is used to describe a plan or decision that you have made about the future. 
We use 'will' for decisions which we make at the moment of speaking, something which hasn't been planned before.

For example, in a restaurant:

Waiter: What would you like?
Customer: (looking at the menu) Mmm, I think I'll have the steak.

Will is a modal form. It always stays the same whatever the subject and is followed by a base infinitive (the infinitive without 'to'.) 
Although the form of 'will' doesn't change we usually contract it to 'll.

Subject	will	base infinitive
I s / he you we they	will 'll	go to bed now. have an early night. go to the shops, if you like. answer the door. bring a cake. look after it for you.

1-c, 2-b, 3-f, 4-h, 5-g, 6-a, 7-d, 8-e

Grammar unit 1: present, simple or continuous???

EXERCISES TO PRACTISE:

ex 1: Present Simple or Continuous?
ex 2: Do also this one!

more exercises

Present Simple

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

• You speak English. She speaks English.
• Do you speak English? Does she speak English?
• You do not speak English. She does not speak English.

do not = don't does not = doesn't

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual.
The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play tennis.
• She does not play tennis.
• Does he play tennis?
• The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
• The train does not leave at 9 AM.
• When does the train usually leave?
• She always forgets her purse.
• He never forgets his wallet.
• Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
• Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

• Cats like milk.
• Birds do not like milk.
• Do pigs like milk?
• California is in America.
• California is not in the United Kingdom.
• Windows are made of glass.
• Windows are not made of wood.
• New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now.

Examples:

• I am here now.
• She is not here now.
• He needs help right now.
• He does not need help now.
• He has his passport in his hand.
• Do you have your passport with you?

Present Continuous

FORM

[am/is/are + present participle]

Examples:

• You are watching TV.
• Are you watching TV?
• You are not watching TV.

USE 1 Now

Use the Present Continuous to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment.
It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Examples:

• You are learning English now.
• You are not swimming now.
• Are you sleeping?
• I am sitting.
• I am not standing.
• Is he sitting or standing?
• They are reading their books.
• They are not watching television.
• What are you doing?
• Why aren't you doing your homework?

USE 2 Temporary Actions

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)

• I am studying to become a doctor.
• I am not studying to become a dentist.
• I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.
• I am not reading any books right now.
• Are you working on any special projects at work?
• Aren't you teaching at the university now?

USE 3 Near Future

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

Examples:

• I am meeting some friends after work.
• I am not going to the party tonight.
• Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
• Isn't he coming with us tonight?

thanks to: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Go to this page,
you'll see a good chart which explains the differences in use between P.S. and P.C.

NOW HAVE A TRY, DO SOME EXERCISES!!!!!!!

ex 1: Present Simple or Continuous?
ex 2: Do also this one!

Stative Verbs

STATIVE VERBS (verbs not used in present continuous)

Indiquen un estat i no tant una acció en procés i, per això, gairebé sempre s’utilitzen en la forma simple i no en la progressiva.

Estan relacionats amb:

• Els gustos, les emocions i el sentiments (like, love, prefer, want, dislike, hate, hope)
• El pensament i l’opinió (appear, believe, consider, depend, doubt, forget, guess, imagine, know, mean, realise, remember, seem, suposse, think, understand)
• La percepció i els sentits (feel, hear, see, smell, sound, taste)
• La possessió (belong, have, owe, own, possess)
• Els preus i les mesures (cost, weigh, measure)

Alguns indiquen les dues coses, estat i activitat, i poden utilitzar-se en la forma simple i en la progressiva.

THINK

Per exemple, think en Present Simple expressa opinió 

i en Present Continuous activitat mental en procés.

I think he knows the truth.

(crec/opino que ell sap la veritat)

She’s thinking about talking to her teacher.

(Està pensant a parlar amb el seu professor)

SEE

I el verb see en Present Continuous 

fa referència a una acció futura fixada per endavant.

He’s seeing his boss tomorrow.

(Demà veurà el seu cap)

VERBAL TENSES: present perfect (have/has+past participle)

PRESENT PERFECT:

HAVE/HAS + ED/III column

I have worked a lot.

HAVE + -ed

She has learnt to use this blog!

HAS + III column for "learn"

This is a link to practise present perfect!

(new window, please!)
First read the text, and then do the exercises(Comprehension, form and use),

(new window, please!)

Dictionary
(new window, please!)
See this link (irregular vebs and their meanings)!
(new window, please!)


.

IRREGULAR VERBS 1

IRREGULAR VERBS

Open a new window for the dictionary!

Go to THIS LINK PAGE (open it on another window) .

Do exercises 5, 6, 7, 8, they are about Irregular Verbs, make sure you know their meaning by looking them up in a dictionary.

Do exercises 9, 10, 11, 12 as HOMEWORK,
you can also do the quizzes if you feel like it.

Have fun while learning!