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Future Tense: How To Write It
Future tenses are an odd lot. For one, according to grammarians, there is no real future tense in the English language. Instead, what we get in English are ways of talking about future events. At any rate, the whole “no future tense” is an issue best left to those who study the underpinnings of the language, instead of folks like us whose main interest is simply writing well in it.
If you’re finding a hard time writing in “future tense” even with the help of a writing software, here’s a quick guide to the various ways in which we speak of the future. Hopefully, it helps you get a better grasp of how things that are yet to happen can best be expressed.
1. Predictions
Both “will” and “going to” are used to predict things that are set to happen in the future. While they are meant to show an assuredness in the speaker, there is actually no guarantee that any future statements following them will ever come true.
Example: “The crystal ball tells me that you will marry late.”
2. Future Plans
When you are talking about future plans (i.e. things have already been decided but is yet to be executed), you use either a present continuous form or “going to”. In this form of future statements, the talked-about event is more likely to happen than not.
Example: “We are spending the summer in the Bahamas.”
The future participle (“will have” + past participle) can also be used to indicate a decided future event.
Example: “We will have finished our summer vacation by the end of next month.”
3. Imminent Event
When talking of imminent events, such as when your plane is about to land, you should use “going to”.
Example: “We are going to hit the tree, hit the brakes now!”
With an event, on the other hand, that is set in stone (in some ways) such as a flight schedule or a wedding, we can use the simple present form.
Example: “The ceremonies start at 9.”
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