The going-to future is a common English future form used to express plans or predictions. It is formed with “to be” + going to + infinitive and can be replaced by the present continuous in some cases. Other future tenses include future-will, present progressive, and present simple.
Going-to future is one of the four future forms used in English. It is used more often than ‘will’ and indicates a plan that has been made for some time in the future, near or far. It is also used to make a prediction based on circumstances evident at the time of speaking that indicate something is certain to happen.
The sentence structure used to express time is to use the correct form of the verb “to be” + going to + infinitive. An example of this in affirmative sentences is “I will play soccer this afternoon.” In the negative, this becomes “I won’t play football this afternoon” and in the interrogative form it becomes “Will I play football this afternoon?” The use of this future tense form indicates that the plan has been made but perhaps no specific arrangements have been made yet.
Going-to future can be replaced by the present continuous when a tense expression is used. Using the same example, this becomes “I’m playing soccer this afternoon.” This is especially true when the sentence contains the verbs “go” and “come”. Instead of saying “I’m going to the dentist at 3”, it’s easier and perhaps a little more elegant to say “I’m going to the dentist at 3”.
In making an evidence-based prediction, the same structure is used. An example of this case is “Look at those clouds. It’s going to rain.” Going-to future is used when there is no doubt that something will happen in the very near future as in “Warning! You’re about to crash!”
The other three future tenses are future-will, present progressive, and present simple. Will-futures can also be used to make predictions, but these are usually long-term and not based on undeniable evidence in front of the speaker at the time of the prediction. Prediction is about things or facts that the speaker believes to be true about the future. The sentence can also be changed to a “probably” or “might” if things aren’t so certain. This form is also used to formulate hypotheses, promises and spontaneous decisions.
Present progressive is also used to talk about things that have been planned for the future, but with the difference that specific arrangements have already been made. Tickets were bought, phone calls made and invitations sent. There are times when this form and the future are interchangeable. Present simple is used to talk about future events that run on a schedule or schedule. For example, “The sun rises before 6 in the summer.”
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