FUTURE

‘Future’ can be a tense that expresses actions that have not yet happened.  However, ‘future’ is often expressed in many ways.

if CLAUSE + will CLAUSE (FUTURE CONDITIONAL)

Listed at A2, the “future” or “first” conditional in English is a grammatical structure used to discuss possible future events. This structure often expresses a cause and effect relationship, with the effect (main clause) being conditional on the cause (if-clause). The typical structure is: “If” + present simple tense, “will” + verb (base form). The page provides examples of this structure from various sources, including student writings, expert examples, and lines from 1934 movies. It also discusses how different English Grammar Profile points highlight this grammar point.

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If + PRESENT SIMPLE + MODAL CLAUSE

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 74 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: PRESENT SIMPLE ‘IF’ CLAUSE + MODAL, FUTURE, POSSIBLE OUTCOME: introduce a possible future condition, with modal verbs in the main clause, to talk about a possible result. A search in TED corpus for expert examples: If you‘ve got a couple of final words you want to share, that would be great. listen So if you look that up, you can hear more of those tunes. listen PELIC

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BE set to INFINITIVE

‘set to’ just means: be ready or prepared to do something.   C1 English Grammar Profile point 209 in MODALITY  is defined as: ‘BE SET TO’ – strong assertion about the future, especially in institutional contexts An iWeb search for: _VB set to _VVI 1 IS SET TO TAKE 4027 2 IS SET TO BEGIN 3858 3 IS SET TO OPEN

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will + ADVERB + have + PAST PARTICIPLE

C1 English Grammar Profile point 61 in FUTURE is defined as: future perfect simple with adverbs in the normal mid-position For example: Something somewhere will always have changed.   An iWeb search for: will _R have _VVN 1 WILL PROBABLY HAVE NOTICED 102 Forbes How To Make This E-Commerce Holiday Season Your Best Yet Anyone shopping in-store will probably have noticed the first few holiday decorations being put up. 2 WILL

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shall not

C1 English Grammar point 60 in the category of FUTURE/simple is defined as: negative form ‘shall not’ On the uselessness of climbing Mt. Everest: We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, and not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. A search in iWeb for shall not _VVI 1 SHALL NOT APPLY 9981 2 SHALL NOT EXCEED 7825 3 SHALL

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if you should

C1 points: 114 in CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: subordinate conditional clauses with ‘if you should’, in polite, formal contexts *Most of the English Grammar Profile examples include: ‘if you should have any’ (questions|concerns|problems) + don’t hesitate…’ Therefore, this is offering help or giving advice.  ‘should’ here gives a slight feeling of  ‘it is unlikely’ or

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SHALL (formal & predictions)

Here are examples of using ‘shall’ in a formal context and to make a prediction: You shall shortly be sent home in disgrace. listen We shall have no peace until she goes. listen This post is another example of two overlapping grammar points found in two different categories in the English Grammar Profile.  Although they are worded differently, they can be used to describe the exact same examples. C2

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(conditional) inverted SHOULD + WOULD clause

In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 120 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: inverted ‘should’, + ‘would’ in the main clause to talk about possible future outcomes, in polite or formal contexts. Example: Should they come forward, that would be a tricky situation for us. Listen In the COCA corpus we can do a

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suggest | recommend | insist + present simple

C1 English Grammar Profile point 62 in the category of FUTURE is defined as: present simple after speech act verbs expressing suggestions and obligation. For example: l cannot recommend that you go heliskiing. listen   But remember where we left off because I insist you finish later. listen This is not easily located formally in corpora but we can start with a search in iWeb for the speech act verbs

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will be + VERBing (future continuous)

The future continuous tense, used in sentences like “Sarah will be joining us for dinner,” indicates a planned or confirmed action that will occur over a period in the future. It expresses certainty about the future and is often used when the action is expected to happen as a matter of course. While usually not used with stative verbs, exceptions exist, especially in informal contexts. For instance, “I guess I’ll be needing a receipt off you there, Red” is a polite, indirect request.

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will be able to

“Will be able to” is a phrase that expresses future ability or possibility. It means that someone or something has the power, skill, or opportunity to do something later. ‘you will be able to‘ is the 6th most frequent 5-word Ngram in English. iWeb 135,128 Here are some Expert examples: Well, I highly doubt that you will be able to get a job good enough to do that. listen

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