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While the last of the three major tenses, the future tense is definitely the most difficult of them all. In the English language, it is considered a tricky area. So many different things can be expressed with the future tense. Even some present tenses get involved, which can be especially confusing for students. This unit covers the different parts of future tenses, and discusses some difficulties that students can often have.
One frequent trouble spot for students is the difference between ‘be going to’ and future simple. However, there are some differences. One is decisions: future simple often states decisions made on the spot, while ‘be going to’ expresses decisions made prior to the speaker saying them. For example: “It’s raining, so we’ll go see a movie.” Versus “It’s raining, but we’re still going to see a movie.” It’s subtle, but the differences in their meaning can be seen.
The ‘going to’ structure can also cause confusion in a different way, since the structure can appear very similar to the present continuous. This is especially difficult for students when the present continuous sentence has the verb ‘to go.’ Again, here are some examples: “We are watching TV tomorrow.” Versus “We are going to watch TV tomorrow.” The forms are different because in the ‘going to’ structure, “going to” is always followed by a verb.
The future tense can be a confusing area for students, especially if they are unsure about the differences and uses of each structure and form. Since so many things can be expressed in the future tense, it’s important for teachers to clearly explain the differences in structure, and the difference in use, of each form.
