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Past perfect continuous

We use the past perfect continuous to look back at a situation in progress.

• It was a good time to invest. Inflation had been falling for several months.
• Before I changed jobs, I had been working on a plan to reduce production costs.
• We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to stay here.

We use it to say what had been happening before something else happened.

• It had been snowing for a while before we left.
• We had been playing tennis for only a few minutes when it started raining.
• He was out of breath when he arrived because he had been running.

We use it when reporting things said in the past.

• She said she had been trying to call me all day.
• They said they had been shopping.
• I told you I had been looking for some new clothes.

Exercice:


Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect progressive).

1. We................. (sleep) for 12 hours when he woke us up.
2. They .................(wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
3. We...................... (look for) her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
4. I ....................(not / walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.
5. How long.................. (learn / she) English before she went to London?
6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he ..................(sing) in the rain too long.
7. He .......................(drive) less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they............... (help) on the farm all day.
9. I.....................(not / work) all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
10. They ..................(cycle) all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

The Future;

Going to & Will

1- Going to:


There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.

• I'm going to see him later today.
• They're going to launch it next month.
• We're going to have lunch first.
• She's going to see what she can do.
• I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.

• When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
• In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

• Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
• Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
• These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
• You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

• I'm going out later.
• She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

2- Will:

Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

• The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
• Next year, I'll be 50.
• That plane will be late. It always is.
• There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

• I'll probably come back later.
• He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
• Maybe it will be OK.
• Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

• I think I'll go to bed now.
• I think she'll do well in the job.
• I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
• I hope you won't make too much noise.

We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

• Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
• I'll answer that.
• I'll go.
• I won't tell him. I promise.

Exercise - Future Mix

Put the verbs into the correct form (will, going to, simple present or present progressive).

1. I love London. I................ (probably / go) there next year.
2. Our train .................(leave) at 4:47.
3. What ..................(wear / you) at the party tonight?
4. I haven't made up my mind yet. But I think I.................. (find) something nice in my mum's wardrobe.
5. This is my last day here. I ......................(go) back to England tomorrow.
6. Hurry up! The conference .......................(begin) in 20 minutes.
7. My horoscope says that I .......................(meet) an old friend this week.
8. Look at these big black clouds! It .......................(rain) .
9. Here is the weather forecast. Tomorrow .......................(be) dry and sunny.
10. What does a blonde say when she sees a banana skin lying just a few metres in front of her? - Oh dear! I ......................(slip) !

The Future Present Forms

We use the present continuous to talk about things that we have already arranged to do in the future.

• I've got my ticket. I'm leaving on Thursday.
• I'm seeing Julie at 5 and then I'm having dinner with Simon.
• He's picking me up at the airport.
• The company is giving everyone a bonus for Christmas.

In many situations when we talk about future plans we can use either the present continuous or the 'going to' future. However, when we use the present continuous, there is more of a suggestion that an arrangement has already been made.

• I'm going to see him./I'm seeing him
• I'm going to do it./I'm doing it.

We use the present simple to talk about events in the future which are 'timetabled'. We can also use the present continuous to talk about these.

• .My planes leaves at 6 in the morning
• The shop opens at 9.30.
• The sun rises a minute earlier tomorrow.
• .My plane is leaving at 8.30.
• The shop is closing at 7.00.
• The sun is rising at 6.32 tomorrow.

Exercice

Grammar exercises: expressing future



Rewrite the underlined expressions and use better verb forms
.
Example: I hope it rains tomorrow. - will rain


I am going to the cinema tonight. - Yes? I am joining you(.....)

Announcement: The new supermarket is going to open on 1 May(.........).

Why are you wearing the swimsuit? - I take a bath(.......).


Can you see the grey sky? It is snowing soon. I must go now(.......).

I play tennis with Greg tonight. Hurry up. The train is leaving in ten minutes(.....).


(......) Why aren't you learning for the test? You fail tomorrow.

Will - Other Uses

A lot of students have been confused by older textbooks which refer to 'will' as 'the future tense'.

A key factor to remember about 'will' is that when we talk about the future we cannot always use 'will' and that when we use 'will' we are not always talking about the future.

In these examples 'will' is clearly referring to the future.

• I'll probably visit Sue Kay when I go to Oxford.
• If I see her, I'll tell her about it.
• Next year she'll be 42. Or so she says.

However, in these examples 'will' is referring to events happening at the present.

• My car won't start.
• I'll answer that.
• Will you have another cup of tea?

When we use 'will' referring to the present, the idea being expressed is usually one of 'showing willingness' or 'will power'.

• My baby won't stop crying. I've tried everything and I'm really exhausted.
• I am the boss. You will do as I say.
• I need quiet to write this but he will keep on talking to me. I wish he would leave me alone.

Use 'will' for requests, orders, invitations and offers.

• Will you help me?
• Will you please sit down?
• Will you have some cake?
• I'll help you.

Use 'will' for promises and threats.

• I'll do it at once. I'll phone him immediately.
• I'll remember this. I'll get my own back some day.

Use 'will' for insistence.

• He will insist on smoking cigars during the meeting and it makes me ill.
• He won't listen to reason.

Use 'will' for habit.

• A cat will always find a warm place to sleep.
• My car won't go any faster than this.

Use 'will' for deduction.

• The phone's ringing. That will be Mark.
• I expect he'll want us to start without him.

Look again at all of these examples of 'will'. They are all to do with the present or are 'timeless'.