5. The Simple Future Tense

Learning Outcomes

After completing Chapter 4, students will know how to:

  • use the functions of the Simple Future Tense.
  • form the Simple Future Tense in affirmative statements, negative statements and questions.
  • apply the Simple Future Tense in various situations.

Functions of the Simple Future Tense

The Simple Future Tenses is used for:

  1. Predictions
  2. Promises
  3. Offers/Refusals
  4. Requests
  5. Quick Decisions
  6. Future expectations

Let us discuss these points in detail.

Predictions

Actions that you think are going to happen in the future.  Some examples are:

  • It will rain tonight.
  • They will have a lot of children.
  • The population will grow in 5 years.
  • We won’t finish the project on time.

Promises

Actions that are an agreement or commitment for the future. Some examples are:

  • I will love you forever.
  • My parents will pay for my tuition next year.
  • The company will hire him after graduation.
  • We won’t hurt you.

Offers/Refusals

  • I will help you with your homework.
  • My husband will drive the kids to school.
  • Will you marry me?

**If the answer to the offer is “no”, then it is considered a refusal. For example: No, I won’t marry you.

  • I won’t help him ever again.
  • They won’t give him a chance.

Requests

Actions that are asking someone to do something. Some examples are:

  • Will you open the window, please?
  • Will they sign the contract on time?

Quick Decisions

Choices that are made at the moment of speaking. Some examples are:

  • Do you want tea, or coffee? I will have tea, please.
  • I will take the backroads home today because of the busy traffic.

Future Expectations

These are actions that we assume are going to happen. Some examples are:

  • Tanni is the best student in the class so she will get the highest mark.
  • Reham will arrive soon because she just left her house.

**Time Markers Used with The Simple Future Tense

Some common time markers used with The Simple Future Tense are:

  • tomorrow
  • the day after tomorrow
  • next week/month/year
  • in a couple of days
  • in # days/weeks/months/years
  • on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday etc…

Forms of the Simple Future Tense

Let us now explore how the Simple Future Tense is formed:

Affirmative Sentences Table: Subject + will + base verb
Subject + will + base verb
I will help.
He will wash the dishes.
They will study.
Negative Sentences Table: Subject + will + not + base verb
Subject + will +not* + base verb
I will not help.
He will not wash the dishes.
They will not study.

* will not = won’t

Yes/No Questions: Will + subject + base verb?
Will+ subject + base verb? Short Answer
Will you help? Yes, I will./No, I won’t.
Will they stay? Yes, they will./No, they won’t.
Wh-Questions: Wh- + will + subject + base verb?
Wh + will + subject +base verb? Long Answer
Why will you help? I will help because I am nice.
Where will she go? She will go to her sister’s house.

Watch It!

Watch the short video below to review the functions of ‘will’ and some more examples.

Watch the video Future Simple Tense – WILL – A Future Simple Tense Story (1 min)

Video Source:  Educraft. (2018, October 20). Future simple tense – Will – A future simple tense story [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vjoZvhzWfxI

Simple Future with ‘Will’ Functions Practice

Simple Future with will (Text version)

Guess which function of ‘will’ (prediction, promise, offer, a quick decision, an expected future action) the sentence represents. Turn the card around for the answer!

  1. Father: “You can’t go out with your friends. You haven’t done your homework yet. “Daughter: “OK, dad. I’ll do it before I go.”
  2. She will be here soon.
  3. Fernando Alonso will win the next Formula 1 race.
  4. Miko:  “It’s really hot in here. ” Lee: “I’ll open a window for you.”
  5. Server: “What would you like to drink?” Customer: “I’ll have an espresso.”
  6. I’ll be very busy for the next few weeks.
  7. Shop Clerk:  “So which sweater do you prefer?”. Customer:  “I’ll take the blue one.”
  8. Those bags look heavy. I’ll carry them for you.
  9. Dad will be upset when he finds out you didn’t do the dishes.
  10. Taylor:  “Will you marry me?”. Brook: “Yes! I will marry you!”
  11. I heard you need help painting your kitchen.  I’ll help you. I’m good at painting.
  12. The president will visit our company location next week.
  13. It won’t be sunny this weekend.
  14. She probably won’t pass the course because she hasn’t studied enough.
  15. Son:  “I don’t feel so good. I have a stomachache.” Mother: “I’ll get you some medicine.”
  16. I’m a bit bored.  I think I’ll watch a movie on Netflix.

Check your Answers: [1]

Activity source: “Simple Future with ‘Will'” by Sari Martin, licensed under CC BY-NC SA 4.0.

Simple Future with ‘Will’ Form Practice – Affirmative

Simple future (Text version)

Fill in the blanks using simple future form of the verb given in the bracket.

Tomorrow, students _________[Blank 1 – assemble] in the school playground at 08:00 am, to go to Heritage Village.  They _________[Blank 2 – have] their school picnic.  The bus _________[Blank 3 – arrive] at 08:30 am, sharp.  We _________[Blank 4 – reach] the Heritage Village at around 10:30 am.  On reaching, students _________[Blank 5 – go] around to see various displays.  The staff at the spot _________[Blank 6 – welcome] the students with flowers and scented perfumes.  They _________[Blank 7 – offer] the students snacks.  After they eat their snacks, children _________[Blank 8 – play] in the park.  Around 01:00 pm, all students_________[Blank 9 – assemble] for lunch.  They _________[Blank 10 – sit] in a circle and _________[Blank 11 – sing] songs.  At around 04:00 pm, students _________[Blank 12 – gather] near the bus.  They _________[Blank 13 – board] the bus in a queue.  At around 06:00 pm, they _________[Blank 14 – reach] school.  Their parents _________[Blank 15 – pick] them up from the school.

Check your Answers: [2]

Activity source: “Simple future” by Annapurna Madhuri from “8 Future Simple” In Effective English for Teachers by Annapurna Madhuri, licensed under CC BY-NC SA 4.0. / Converted to text.

Simple Future with ‘Will’ Form Practice – Negative

Simple Future – Negative (Text version)

Rewrite the given sentences in negative form.

Example: He will come here tomorrow.

He will not come tomorrow

  1. It is going to rain.
  2. Ram will buy a car next month.
  3. I will give Jyothi a nice gift on her birthday.
  4. She will take the exam at the end of the month.
  5. Sam will come to office tomorrow
  6. They are going to win the match.
  7. They will shift to a new home next week.
  8. Lakshmi will wait for me.
  9. We will know the results in a few days.
  10. The bus is about to leave.

Check your Answers: [3]

Activity source: “Simple Present- Negative” by Annapurna Madhuri, edited by oeratgc, from “8 Future Simple” In Effective English for Teachers by Annapurna Madhuri, licensed under CC BY-NC SA 4.0. / Converted to text and minor accessibility edits.

Simple Future with ‘Will’ Form Practice – Interrogative

Simple Future – Interrogative (Text version)

Rewrite the given sentences in interrogative form i.e. yes/no questions.

Example: He will come here tomorrow.

Will he come here tomorrow?

  1. India will win the match
  2. Ram will buy a car next month
  3. I will give Jyothi a nice gift on her birthday.
  4. She will take the exam at the end of the month.
  5. Sam will come to office tomorrow
  6. They are going to win the match.
  7. They will shift to a new home next week.
  8. Lakshmi will wait for me.
  9. We will know the results in a few days.
  10. The bus is about to leave.

Check your Answers: [4]

Activity source: “Simple Future – interrogative” by Annapurna Madhuri, from “8 Future Simple” In Effective English for Teachers by Annapurna Madhuri, licensed under CC BY-NC SA 4.0. / Converted to text.

Verb Tenses in Music

For a fun activity, search the web and find the following songs:

  • I Will Remember You by Sarah McLaughlin
  • My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

Can you hear the Simple Future Tense in the lyrics?

Teacher: "One day our country will be corruption free," which tense is it? Student: Future impossible tense.
The Simple Future Tense Joke by Virginia McHardy, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, “The Simple Future Tense” by Sari Martin & Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

    1. promise (if you said a spontaneous, quick decision, that's OK too!).
    2. an expected action
    3. prediction.
    4. Offer (but if you said spontaneous, quick decision, that's OK too!)
    5. A spontaneous/quick decision
    6. an expected action
    7. A spontaneous/quick decision
    8. offer (if you said spontaneous, quick decision, that's OK too).
    9. prediction
    10. promise
    11. offer
    12. an expected action
    13. prediction
    14. prediction
    15. Offer (if you said a spontaneous, quick decision, that's OK too!)
    16. a spontaneous, quick decision
    ↵
  2. 1. will assemble 2. will have 3. will arrive 4. will reach 5. will go 6. will welcome 7. will offer 8. will play 9. will assemble 10. will sit 11. will sing 12. will gather 13. will board 14. will reach 15. will pick ↵
    1. It is not going to rain.
    2. Ram will not buy a car next month.
    3. I will not give Jyothi a nice gift on her birthday
    4. She will not take the exam at the end of the month.
    5. Sam will not come to office tomorrow.
    6. They are not going to win the match
    7. They will not shift to a new home next week.
    8. Lakshmi will not wait for me.
    9. We will not know the results in a few days.
    10. The bus is not about to leave.
    ↵
    1. Will India win the match?
    2. Will Ram buy a car next month?
    3. Will I give Jyothi a nice gift on her birthday?
    4. Will she take the exam at the end of the month?
    5. Will Sam come to office tomorrow?
    6. Are they going to win the match?
    7. Will they shift to a new home next week?
    8. Will Lakshmi wait for me?
    9. Will we know the results in a few days?
    10. Is the bus about to leave?
    ↵

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Verb Tenses for English for Academic Purposes Copyright © 2019 by Sari Martin and Virginia McHardy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book