IELTS Grammar | Unit 6: Future Tenses 2 | Present Simple: Be about to; Future Continuous; Future Perfect

In this unit, we learn about the future tenses 2 which focus on presen simple: be about to, future continuous; future perfect.

Before starting to learn this lesson, you can also read about the unit 5: Future Tenses 1

As usual, we kick off with the warm up listening activities.

A. Context Listening

1. Janet is a university lecturer. She gets nervous when she gives talks at conferences. Look at the pictures. Which do you think would help Janet feel more confident and relaxed?

2. Listen to Janet’s conversation with her colleague, Phil. What advice does Phil give her?

3. Listen again and complet the sentences below. Write no more than three words for each answer.

1. Janet ……………. on the report all next week.
2. By the end of the year, Janet ……………. the same talk at six conferences.
3. When she gets to Rome, Janet ……………. very nervous.
4. Before he gives his talk in London, Phil ……………. it at least ten times.
5. Janet is in a hurry because the train to the airport ……………. in 20 minutes.

4. Look at the sentences used in Exercise 3 and answer these questions

1. Which sentences talk about events that will be over before a time in the future? …………………….
2. Which sentences talk about events or situations in progress at a particular time in the future? …………………….
3. Which sentence talks about a scheduled event? …………………….

B. Grammar

1. Present simple

We use the present simple with a future meaning

+ to talk about timetables or schedules:

The conference only lasts three days.
The train to the airport leaves in 20 minutes.

+ after conjunctions such as when, as soon as, after, before, until, as long as:

I’ll be feeling really nervous when I get to Rome. (not when I will get to Rome)
Can you do it before we have the departmental meeting? (not before we will have the meeting)

Note that other present tenses are also possible:

I won’t be able to relax until I’m actually giving my talk.

2. Be about to

We use be about to to talk about something likely to happen in the immediate future:
I’m about to go to Rome for a conference. (I will be leaving very soon)

▲ The negative form suggests the speaker has no intention of doing something:
I’m not about to cancel my trip. (= I have no intention of cancelling my trip)

3. Future continuous

We use the future continuous

+ to describe or predict events or situations continuing at a particular point in the future or over a period of time in the future:
I’ll be working on the report all next week.

I’ll be thinking of you in Rome.
By the year 2015 it is estimated that well over one billion people will be learning English.

+ to talk about events that are planned or already decided (this use is similar to the present continuous for future arrangements):
I’ll be seeing Sarah at lunch.

4. Future perfect simple

We use the future perfect simple to talk about a future event that will finish before a specified time in the future, often with before, by + fixed time, or in + amount of time:
By the end of the year I will have given the same talk at 6 conferences!
I’ll have finished it by next Friday.
In a week’s time I’ll have written the report.

5 Future perfect continuous

We use the future perfect continuous to show how long an activity or situation has been in progress before a specified time in the future. We usually mention the length of time:
By the end of the month I’ll have been working here for three years.

Grammar extra: The future in the past
We use was/were going to, was/were planning to, was/were about to + verb to talk something planned which did not or will not happen:
I was going to leave this morning but they cancelled my flight.
We were about to leave when the phone rang.