Tricky Future

Tricky future forms review

Do these things have the same or different meanings? If there are more than two, they are all the same or all different.

Time clauses

• in five days/ in five days' time
• five days after/ five days later
• in five days/ five days after
• I will do it at the weekend/ I will do it next weekend
• by Friday/ until Friday/ before Friday
• in two days/ the day after tomorrow

Verbs

• expect/ hope
• look forward to/ expect
• will/ would
• want to/ would like to
• hope I can/ wish I could
• goal/ aim/ target
• I will be speaking to him at 5/ I will speak to him at 5
• It can happen/ It could happen
• It may happen/ It might happen

 

How can you say these phrases in other ways with the same meanings?

Verbs

We anticipate…

… is approaching…

We predict…

We guarantee…

Nouns

We have made a commitment to…

Our objective is…

Adjectives

Forthcoming

Subsequent

Ongoing

Adverbs

Could potentially happen

Will definitely happen

 

Fill the gaps in between the extremes below.

It will definitely happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It definitely won’t happen.

Put these phrases into order. Some are the same as each other.

almost certainly won’t

could

could perhaps

definitely won’t

is / are likely to

isn’t / aren’t likely to

may

might

probably won’t               

will almost certainly

will definitely

will probably

will surely

 

Compare with the answers under the fold.

 

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Suggested answers

will definitely

will surely

will almost certainly

is / are likely to/ will probably

may/ might

could

could perhaps

isn’t / aren’t likely to

probably won’t               

almost certainly won’t

definitely won’t

 

Put any other phrases you came up with into the same list.

 

Homework

Write about the possible and most likely future of something, including analysis of reasons for those possibilities and positive and negative consequences of them.