The 'Going To' Future Tense
The 'Going To' Future Tense is a fundamental aspect of English grammar used to express future plans, intentions, and predictions. This page provides a comprehensive overview of its structure and usage in various sentence types.
Definition: The 'going to' future tense is formed using the verb 'be' (am/is/are) + 'going to' + the base form of the main verb.
Affirmative Statements
Affirmative statements in the 'going to' future tense follow a straightforward structure. The subject is followed by the appropriate form of 'be' (am/is/are), then 'going to', and finally the base form of the main verb.
Example: "I am going to call her tomorrow."
This structure is consistent across all subjects:
- You are going to...
- He/She/It is going to...
- We/They are going to...
Highlight: The 'going to' future tense is particularly useful for expressing predetermined plans or intentions.
Negative Statements
To form negative statements, simply insert 'not' after the form of 'be':
- I am not going to...
- You are not going to...
- He/She/It is not going to...
- We/They are not going to...
Example: "They are not going to call her tomorrow."
Yes/No Questions
For yes/no questions, invert the subject and the form of 'be':
- Am I going to...?
- Are you going to...?
- Is he/she/it going to...?
- Are we/they going to...?
Example: "Is she going to call her tomorrow?"
WH- Questions
WH- questions in the 'going to' future tense follow this structure:
WH-word + be + subject + going to + base form of verb
Example: "Who is going to play football?"
Vocabulary: WH-words include who, what, when, where, why, and how.
These questions can be about the subject or other parts of the sentence, allowing for a wide range of inquiries about future plans or events.
Highlight: The 'going to' future tense is versatile and can be used for talking about future plans, making predictions based on present evidence, and discussing predetermined future actions.
