The modal verb “will” is used in English to express various future meanings. Here are some of its uses:
Future Affirmative: “Will” is used to talk about the future. For example, “I will help you tomorrow.” Here, “will help” indicates a future action that is going to take place.
“Will” is used to express beliefs about (the present or) future. For example, “John will be in his office.” Here, “will be” expresses a belief or assumption about (a current or) future state. The present meaning is much less taught to learners.
“Will” is also used to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do. For example, “We’ll see you tomorrow.” Here, “We’ll see” indicates a plan or intention for a future action.
In all these cases, the main verb in the sentence is in the infinitive form (without “to”).
Future Negative Forms: “Will not” or “won’t” is used to talk about something that is not going to happen in the future. For example, “I won’t go to the party tonight.” Here, “won’t go” indicates a future action that is not going to take place.
“Will” is used to express willingness or to make offers. For example, “I’ll help you with your homework.” Here, “I’ll help” indicates a willingness to help. Similarly, in offers, we use “will”. For example, “I’ll buy you a drink.” Here, “I’ll buy” is an offer.
When asking about someone’s plans or intentions, we can use “will” in yes-no questions. For example, “Will you go to the party tonight?” Here, the question is asking about the person’s plan or intention.
We can also use “will” to make polite requests. For example, “Will you please close the door?” Here, the speaker is making a request.
1. “Will” is used to talk about what we think will happen in the future. For example, “I think it’ll rain tonight.” Here, “it’ll rain” is a prediction about the future.
2. We can use “will” and “won’t” in question tags. For example,we can use “will” in a question tag as in “It will rain tomorrow, won’t it?” Here, “won’t it” is the question tag.
3.While we often use “will” to talk about future plans, it’s important to note that for fixed plans in the future, especially those with timetabled times or dates, we typically use the present tense rather than “will”. For example, we say “The train leaves at 8 pm” instead of “The train will leave at 8 pm”. However, if a decision about a future event has been made at the time of speaking, we can use “will”. For example, if someone asks you if you are going to a party and you decide at that moment to go, you might say: “Yes, I’ll go to the party.”
“Will” can also be used to express willfulness or disapproval, especially when talking about general behavior. This is often used in an exclamatory sentence to show strong feelings. Here are a few examples:
“He will keep his room messy!” In this sentence, the speaker is expressing disapproval of a habitual action.
“She will be late every time!” Here, the speaker is expressing frustration or disapproval about a recurring situation.
“They will argue about everything!” In this case, the speaker expresses exasperation or disapproval about a habitual behavior.
In all these examples, the use of “will” expresses the speaker’s strong feelings (often of annoyance or disapproval) about someone’s repeated behavior.
Profiling Research
In this post, we cover the hard-to-distinguish proficiency levels when using the future simple ‘will’. Note that some of these overlap with ‘shall’ but we are not focussed on that here. We also are not covering ‘will’ and something that is easier to formally differentiate the grammar point. These points are doubled up on Future and Modality. *Point numbers come from downloading the full categories.
A1
FUTURE 1 AFFIRMATIVE | MODALITY 9 affirmative
FUTURE 2 plans and intentions | MODALITY 8 PLANS AND INTENTIONS
A2
FUTURE 6 negative forms ‘will not’ and ‘won’t’ | MODALITY 14 will A2 negative forms
FUTURE 7 WILLINGNESS | MODALITY 54 WILLINGNESS, OFFERS
FUTURE 8 PLANS AND INTENTIONS (*all the examples are yes-no questions) | MODALITY 28 ask about plans and intentions.
FUTURE 19 QUESTIONS | MODALITY 43 will A2 question form
FUTURE 20 make requests. (questions) | MODALITY 44 make requests in a limited range of contexts
B1
FUTURE 27 PREDICTIONS | MODALITY 82 B1 make predictions & question tags
*FUTURE 33 FIXED PLANS often with timetabled times and dates | MODALITY 106 B1 ‘will’ to talk about fixed plans in the future, often with timetabled times or dates.
*216 MODALITY C2 WILLFULNESS OR DISAPPROVAL ‘will’ to talk about general behaviour, often disapprovingly. (the example uses an exclamation point)
Considering so many uses. it is easier to turn to the vocabulary used with ‘will’. Although there are various grammar points in the EGP based on a range of vocabulary found with a structure, there is none for this very common one. It would make sense for us to create our own. Something like: A1 with A1 verbs or A1 pronouns, A2 with A2 nouns as subjects or verbs, etc.
Willingness
We know that the affirmative of Will can be used at A1, but at A2 it can be used to express willingness. Willingness is very hard to locate formally. Willingness is a noun that refers to the quality or state of being prepared to do something. It is often used to describe the quality of being happy to do something if it is needed. Will can express willingness in the present. The 2 A2 examples in the EGP do follow a similar structure:
-
My mother will drive us…
-
… my elder sister will help us…
The meaning is that these family members are prepared and ‘happy’ to do something for them. Yet, this is hard to differentiate from being a plan or intention.
If we follow the same pattern in iWeb corpus, we only get some examples of willingness:
_AP _NN1 will_VM _VVI _P
1 YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU 1037
2 YOUR DOCTOR WILL TELL YOU 756
3 YOUR DOCTOR WILL GIVE YOU 443
4 YOUR DOCTOR WILL ADVISE YOU 360
5 YOUR DOCTOR WILL ASK YOU 343
6 YOUR GUIDE WILL TAKE YOU 328
7 YOUR SKIN WILL THANK YOU 316
8 OUR TEAM WILL HELP YOU 267
The phrase “Our team will help you find answers!” indicates that the team is ready and willing to assist in finding answers to any questions you may have. The use of “will” here conveys a promise or an assurance of help from the team. It’s a way of expressing commitment to perform the action stated (i.e., helping you find answers). So, in this context, “will” is indeed used to express willingness.
9 OUR TEAM WILL CONTACT YOU 267
10 YOUR WALLET WILL THANK YOU 254
11 YOUR BODY WILL TELL YOU 241
12 YOUR DOCTOR WILL HELP YOU 230
13 YOUR GUIDE WILL LEAD YOU 214
14 OUR TEAM WILL SHOW YOU 191
15 HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT 184
16 OUR GUIDE WILL HELP YOU 178
17 YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP US 160
18 YOUR BACK WILL THANK YOU 155
19 YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP US 139
20 YOUR GUIDE WILL MEET YOU 133
A search in iWeb corpus for the most common bare infinitives after ‘will’ in the affirmative:
*ll_VM _VVI
1 WILL HELP 934856
2 WILL NEED 903579
3 WILL TAKE 716264
4 WILL MAKE 645610
5 WILL GET 603176
6 WILL SEE 492702
7 WILL FIND 484858
8 WILL CONTINUE 482905
9 WILL GIVE 473572
10 WILL WORK 371504
11 WILL PROVIDE 365896
12 WILL GO 358749
13 WILL RECEIVE 354727
14 WILL ALLOW 347241
PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Every incident you go through will allow you to learn something which will help you through out your life.
Arabic, Female, level 5, writing class
15 WILL COME 335013
16 ‘LL FIND 264955
When he goes back to his country, he‘ll find a job.
Turkish, Male level 3, grammar class
17 ‘LL NEED 262503
18 WILL USE 254356
19 WILL BECOME 242900
Here’s a logical grouping of the corpus frequency data for the results between 20-100 by AI:
- Perception and Cognition: This category includes phrases that involve mental processes, such as ‘will see’, ‘will look’, ‘will show’, ‘will tell’, ‘will know’, and ‘will notice’.
- Communication: This category includes phrases that involve communication or expression, such as ‘will say’, ‘will discuss’, and ‘will ask’.
- Change and Transformation: This category includes phrases that involve change or transformation, such as ‘will start’, ‘will change’, ‘will increase’, ‘will reduce’, ‘will improve’, and ‘will develop’.
- Movement and Action: This category includes phrases that involve movement or action, such as ‘will go’, ‘will run’, ‘will move’, and ‘will return’.
- Possession and Transfer: This category includes phrases that involve possession or transfer, such as ‘will get’, ‘will bring’, ‘will give’, and ‘will receive’.
- Emotion and Desire: This category includes phrases that involve emotion or desire, such as ‘will want’, ‘will love’, and ‘will enjoy’.
- Existence and Occurrence: This category includes phrases that involve existence or occurrence, such as ‘will appear’, ‘will remain’, and ‘will happen’.
- Volition and Intention: This category includes phrases that involve volition or intention, such as ‘will try’ and ‘‘ll want’.
Each of these categories represents a different semantic field in which the modal verb “will” is used in English.
won’t
Here are the most common phrases with ‘won’t in the Playphrase.me corpus:
I won’t let anything happen to you.
I won’t say anything.
I won’t tell anybody.
without saying goodbye?
They won’t be able to see you.
This won’t take long.
won’t even let me.
won’t go back.
You won’t even know.
You won’t tell anyone.
They won’t let us.
Here are most common lexical verbs after ‘will not’ or ‘won’t’ in iWeb corpus:
wo|will _XX _VVI
1 WON’T GET 56290
2 WILL NOT WORK 43522
I will not work for Larry Levy.
3 WON’T WORK 40450
he won’t work in the US
because he doesn’t have a visa.
Spanish, Female, level 3, grammar class
4 WON’T GO 28939
5 WON’T FIND 27375
6 WON’T NEED 26515
7 WILL NOT GET 25755
8 WON’T LET 24115
9 WON’T MAKE 21765
10 WILL NOT ALLOW 20952
11 WON’T SEE 19812
12 WILL NOT GO 18706
13 WON’T TAKE 18187
14 WON’T WANT 17371
15 WILL NOT MAKE 16701
16 WILL NOT RECEIVE 16271
17 WILL NOT CHANGE 15943
18 WON’T KNOW 15807
19 WILL NOT NEED 15803
20 WILL NOT AFFECT 15676
Here’s a logical grouping of the corpus frequency data 21-100 by AI:
- Rejection and Denial: This category includes phrases that express refusal or denial, such as ‘will not accept’, ‘will not take’, ‘won’t give’, ‘will not let’, and ‘won’t allow’.
- Absence and Non-Existence: This category includes phrases that denote the absence or non-existence of something, such as ‘won’t happen’, ‘will not see’, ‘will not come’, ‘will not appear’, and ‘won’t be’.
- Inaction and Passivity: This category includes phrases that express inaction or passivity, such as ‘won’t help’, ‘will not use’, ‘won’t stop’, and ‘will not move’.
- Negative Predictions and Expectations: This category includes phrases that make negative predictions or express negative expectations, such as ‘will not find’, ‘won’t change’, ‘won’t last’, and ‘will not happen’.
- Resistance and Defiance: This category includes phrases that express resistance or defiance, such as ‘will not give in’, ‘won’t back down’, and ‘will not surrender’.
Each of these categories represents a different way in which the modal verb “will” is used in English to express negative meanings.
Plans and intentions
The A1 examples of ‘plans & intentions’ in the EGP are affirmative with subject pronoun ‘I’:
- I will try…
- I’ll bring…
The A2 examples are yes/no questions with the subject pronoun ‘you’. However, it is at A2 that any questions can be formed with ‘will’.
- Will you have…?
- Will you come…?
Here are the most common phrases with ‘will you’ in PlayPhrase.me:
Not all of these are asking about plans or intentions. Many of them are requests.
- will you please just (53)
Will you please just stop? (listen)
In the context of the phrase “Will you please just stop?”, ‘will’ is used to form a polite request. It’s a way of asking someone to do something. In this case, the speaker is politely asking or requesting someone to stop doing something. The use of ‘please’ further emphasizes the politeness of the request. The word ‘just’ is used for emphasis in this context. So, the whole phrase is a polite, yet firm, request for someone to stop a certain action.
- will you do me a favor (53)
- Will you please stop (45)
- will you come on (45)
- will you come back (39)
- will you be staying (39)
- will you get out of (37)
- will you be able to (36)
- shut up will you (35) B2 imperative + question tag
Sit down and shut up, will you?
- When will you be back? (34) (This point overlaps WH- interrogative clauses with modality.)
- will you stop that (32)
- will you get me (31)
- will you just listen (28)
- will you be all right (27)
- will you tell us (26)
- will you please come (25)
- How long will you be gone? (23)
- will you please tell me (23)
- will you please go (22)
- will you please get (21)
- will you please shut (21)
An iWeb search for the most common pronoun + lexical verbs after ‘will’:
will_VM _P _VVI
1 WILL IT TAKE 14456
2 WILL I NEED 9194
3 WILL I GET 8649
4 WILL I RECEIVE 6627
5 WILL I KNOW 5461
6 WILL YOU NEED 5238
7 WILL WE SEE 4532
8 WILL YOU GET 4472
9 WILL IT COST 4465
10 WILL IT WORK 3972
11 WILL YOU FIND 3309
12 WILL YOU USE 3101
13 WILL YOU TAKE 2611
14 WILL YOU MAKE 2604
15 WILL YOU KNOW 2486
16 WILL YOU GO 2484
17 WILL IT MAKE 2135
18 WILL WE GET 2043
19 WILL YOU HELP 2019
20 WILL IT AFFECT 1949
For 21-100 we asked AI to group our results and then provide examples:
- Questions about Personal Actions:
- “Will you give me a hand with these boxes?”
- “Which path will you choose if both lead to unknown destinations?”
- Questions about Personal Feelings and Perceptions:
- “Will I see a difference if I start working out?”
- “Will I find peace in meditation?”
- Questions about Future Events or States:
- “Will it help if I apologize?”
- “How far will it go if I throw it with all my strength?”
- Questions about Other People’s Actions:
- “Will they get the project done on time?”
- “Will he go to the party tonight?”
- Questions about Personal Intentions or Plans:
- “Will I learn a new language this year?”
- “Will I make a difference in someone’s life?”
_NN will_VM
1 STUDENTS WILL 273062
2 PEOPLE WILL 267049
3 TEAM WILL 116719
4 WILL 100155
5 PROGRAM WILL 96446
6 SYSTEM WILL 93520
7 TIME WILL 85429
8 COMPANY WILL 79418
9 COURSE WILL 76064
10 EVENT WILL 73770
11 INFORMATION WILL 69236
12 PLAYERS WILL 64972
13 PROJECT WILL 63463
14 GAME WILL 61783
15 USERS WILL 59646
16 SERVICE WILL 56736
17 OTHERS WILL 56332
18 THINGS WILL 56257
19 STAFF WILL 55510
20 CHILDREN WILL 55122
Here’s a logical grouping of the corpus frequency data 21-100:
- People and Roles: This category includes nouns that refer to people or roles, such as ‘customers’, ‘kids’, ‘student’, ‘participants’, ‘members’, ‘winner’, ‘person’, ‘family’, ‘candidate’, ‘doctor’, ‘winners’, ‘readers’, ‘employees’, and ‘women’.
- Entities and Organizations: This category includes nouns that refer to entities or organizations, such as ‘government’, ‘companies’, ‘group’, and ‘committee’.
- Concepts and Abstract Ideas: This category includes nouns that refer to concepts or abstract ideas, such as ‘work’, ‘process’, ‘results’, ‘plan’, ‘experience’, ‘change’, and ‘role’.
- Objects and Tangible Items: This category includes nouns that refer to objects or tangible items, such as ‘services’, ‘data’, ‘card’, ‘items’, ‘product’, and ‘car’.
- Digital and Technological Terms: This category includes nouns that refer to digital or technological terms, such as ‘site’, ‘article’, ‘page’, ‘app’, ‘account’, and ‘code’.
- Places and Locations: This category includes nouns that refer to places or locations, such as ‘world’, and ‘city’.
Each of these categories represents a different semantic field in which the modal verb “will” is used in English.
B1 vocabulary from the above searches:
accept, account, allow, appear, application, applications, apply, article, benefit, candidate, continue, create, develop, disappoint, display, employees, event, experience, fee, government, increase, items, kids, lead, marry, option, position, produce, product, products, provide, readers, reduce, regret, remain, report, require, result, results, role, series, service, services, session, support, system, technology, user, users
A2
add, area, become, believe, bother, break, bring, card, companies, company, cost, cover, customers, cut, discuss, fans, file, fit, follow, forget, god, grow, guests, guide, happen, hold, hurt, improve, include, information, join, keep, let, list, lose, market, matter, mean, members, move, notice, offer, office, order, plan, post, program, project, receive, return, save, sell, serve, set, share, site, spend, staff, stand, team, teams, try, turn, winner, winners