Simple Future Tense~  

The FUTURE TENSE indicates that an action is in the future relative to the speaker or writer. There are no inflected forms for the future in English (nothing like those -ed or -s endings in the other tenses). Instead, the future tense employs the helping verbs will or shall with the base form of the verb:

  • She will leave soon.
  • We shall overcome.
    • The future is also formed with the use of a form of "go" plus the infinitive of the verb:
  • He is going to faint.
    • English can even use the present to suggest the future tense:
  • I am leaving later today."

    • Note that the auxiliary will can be combined with "be" and a progressive form of the main verb to create a sense of the future that does not harbor any hint of insistence (which is possible with the auxiliary alone). For instance, if stress is placed on the word will in "When will you arrive?", the sentence can sound impatient, insistent. In "When will you be arriving?" there is less of that emotional overtone.

    The construction form of to be + infinitive is used to convey a sense of planning for the future, command, or contingency.
  • There is to be an investigation into the mayor's business affairs.
  • You are to be back on the base by midnight.
  • If he is to pass this exam, he'll have to study harder.

    • To create a sense of imminent fulfillment, the word about can be combined with the infinitive.
  • He is about to die.
    • Other adverbs can be used in similar constructions with various effects:
  • He is liable to get in trouble.
  • She is certain to do well in college.
    •
    Singular Plural
    I will walk we will walk
    you will walk you will walk
    he/she/it will walk they will walk

    Singular Plural
    I will sleep we will sleep
    you will sleep you will sleep
    he/she/it will sleep they will sleep

    Singular Plural
    I will be we will be
    you will be you will be
    he/she/it will be they will be

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