Extension Exercises

Index | Chapter 13 - The future | Possible Answers

Exploring English

How you respond to this question will depend on the samples of language use you choose. However, you will almost certainly find tense choices that wouldn't be predicted by the standard rules of thumb.

Course materials

How you respond to this question will depend on which courses you choose. The meanings of different forms are often introduced and taught very separately and clearly, and practice exercises often reinforce the distinctions the book makes. Books sometimes lead us to paint a very black and white picture of how we use future tenses.

Comparing reference grammars

How you respond to this question will depend on which reference grammars you choose and also on which ways of expressing future time you consider.

Grammars sometimes consider the meanings of the different forms as being completely separate. They don't always acknowledge how our choices can be affected by stylistic or other factors.