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English Future Tense Guide

The document discusses the simple future tense in English. It can be formed using "will" or "be going to" followed by a verb. "Will" is used for voluntary actions, complaints, promises. "Be going to" expresses plans. Both can express predictions. The simple future cannot be used with time clauses. Modal verbs like "must", "might", and "could" express varying levels of probability or obligation. "Must" implies certainty while "might" and "may" suggest possibility. "Could" indicates one possibility among others. "Have to" and "must" can both show obligation or necessity but "have to" refers to external obligation while "must" implies subjective necessity.

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168 views5 pages

English Future Tense Guide

The document discusses the simple future tense in English. It can be formed using "will" or "be going to" followed by a verb. "Will" is used for voluntary actions, complaints, promises. "Be going to" expresses plans. Both can express predictions. The simple future cannot be used with time clauses. Modal verbs like "must", "might", and "could" express varying levels of probability or obligation. "Must" implies certainty while "might" and "may" suggest possibility. "Could" indicates one possibility among others. "Have to" and "must" can both show obligation or necessity but "have to" refers to external obligation while "must" implies subjective necessity.

Uploaded by

Víctor Tarín
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Simple future

Simple future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to."

WILL+VERB
Voluntary action (I will send you the information once I get it)
Complaint or request (I will not make you dinner)
Promise (I will call you when we arrive)

AM/IS/ARE+GOING TO+VERB
Express a plan (I am going to be a doctor when I grow up)

WILL/ BE GOING TO
Express a prediction (He will be the next president/He is going to be the next president)

Like all future forms, the simple future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time
expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc

● When you ​will arrive​ tonight, we will go out for dinner. ​Not Correct
● When you ​arrive​ tonight, we will go out for dinner. ​Correct

Adverbs
You will never help him
You are never going to meet her
Modal verbs of probability
Modal​ ​verbs​ of probability are used to express an opinion of the speaker based on
information that the speaker has. Put another way, you use modal verbs when
you want to guess something.
He must be at work, is 10 oclock

Using Must in Present and Past Tense

Use ​must ​plus the verb when you are almost 100 percent sure that something is
the case. The construction would be:

Present = must + verb (do)


Past = must have + ​past participle​ (done)

Using Might or May


Use ​might​ or ​may​ to express an opinion that you think has a good possibility of
being true

Present = might / may + verb (do)


Past = might / may + have + past participle (done)

Using Could
Use ​could​ to ​express a possibility​ which is one of many. This form is not as strong
as might or may. It is just one of a number of possibilities. The construction in the
present would be:

Present = could + verb (do)


Past = could have + past participle (done)

Can't or Couldn't

Use ​can't ​to express an opinion that you are 100 percent sure is not true. Use
must be ​or ​must have been​ if you are sure in a positive sense but ​can't be,​ ​can't
have been,​ or ​couldn't have been​ if you are sure in a negative sense.

Present = can't + verb (do)


Past = can't / couldn't + have + past participle (done)
have to, must 
We often use h
​ ave to​ to say that something is obligatory, for example: 

● Children ​have to​ go to school. 

The basic structure for h


​ ave to​ is: 

subject  +  auxiliary verb  +  hav +  to-infinitive 


e 

Look at these examples in the Present Simple tense: 

  subject  auxiliary verb  main verb  to-infinitive   

have 

+  She    has  to​ work.    

-  I  do not  have  to​ see  the doctor. 

?  Do  you  have  to​ go  to school? 

In general, ​have to​ expresses ​impersonal​ obligation. The subject of ​have to​ is 
obliged or forced to act by a separate, external power (for example, the Law or 
school rules)
  auxiliary  main  to-infiniti     
verb  verb  ve 
subject 
have 

Past Simple  I     had  to​ work  yesterday. 

Present  I     have  to​ work  today. 


Simple 

Future  I  will  have  to​ work  tomorrow. 


Simple 

Present  She  is  having  to​ wait.    


Continuous 

Present  We  have  had  to​ change  the time. 


Perfect 

modal ​may  They  may  have  to​ do  it again. 


must​ for subjective obligation 
We often use m
​ ust​ to say that something is essential or necessary, for 
example: 

● I must go.
The basic structure for must is: 

subjec +  auxiliary verb  +  main verb 


t 
must  base 

The main verb is always the same form: base


Look at these examples: 

subject  auxiliary verb  main verb   

must  base 

I  must  go  home. 

You  must  visit  us. 

We  must  stop  now. 

Like all auxiliary verbs, ​must​ cannot be followed by t​ o​. So, we say: 

● I must ​go​ now. 


not​ ​I must to go now

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