Given the popularity of this future tenses exercise, I thought it would be good to expand on that with another in the same format.
As before, in the following exercise, complete the sentences choosing the correct future tense form for the verb in brackets. The future tense forms to choose from include:
- simple present
- present continuous
- will-future
- going to-future
- will+present perfect
- will+present perfect continuous
Bear in mind there is flexibility in some of the answers.
Future Tenses Exercise
- We __________ (to stay) with my parents this weekend.
- Your package __________ (to send) by 5 o’clock.
- I __________ (to go) to do the dance with you!
- Our Skype call __________ (to start) at 6pm.
- The cyclists __________ (to ride) for six hours when they arrive.
- My friend __________ (to visit) in August.
- If you wash the dishes, I __________ (to dry) them.
- We’re so late, they __________ (to eat) dinner before we arrive.
- The students __________ (to go back) to university in September.
- Cheer up, everything __________ (to get better).
- It’s dark in here, I __________ (to turn on) a light.
- By tomorrow, all the shop __________ (to sell) all the new phones.
- My car is getting repaired, I hope it __________ (to be) ready by noon.
- Next week, Billie __________ (to fly) to Germany to see her father.
- If you need us, we __________ (to play) football in the park.
- When you __________ (to complete) your homework, you can have ice cream.
- Oh no, the café __________ (to not open) for another two hours.
- Everything is planned: we __________ (to cook) lasagne for Sunday’s dinner.
- By the time they stop performing, the play __________ (to run) for three months.
- Get here soon; I __________ (to wait) by the entrance.
- Kim __________ (to live) in Belfast for sixteen months this January.
- Next year, I __________ (to move) to France.
- The train __________ (to depart) at 9:30.
- Our teacher __________ (to give) everyone individual grades.
- This time on Friday night, I __________ (to dance) my socks off!
- On Saturday morning, I __________ (to sleep) late.
- Charlie __________ (to speak) to management by the time we get back.
- My parents __________ (to drive) across the Alps.
Mixed Future Tenses Exercise Suggested Answers
- We are going to stay with my parents this weekend.
- Your package will have been sent by 5 o’clock.
- I will go to do the dance with you! (or am going to go)
- Our Skype call starts at 6pm.
- The cyclists will have been riding for six hours when they arrive.
- My friend is visiting in August. (or will visit / is going to visit, for an arrangement)
- If you wash the dishes, I will dry them.
- We’re so late, they will have eaten dinner before we arrive.
- The students go back to university in September.
- Cheer up, everything will get better.
- It’s dark in here, I will turn on a light.
- By tomorrow, all the shop will have sold all the new phones.
- My car is getting repaired, I hope it will be ready by noon.
- Next week, Billie is flying to Germany to see her father.
- If you need us, we will be playing football in the park.
- When you have completed your homework, you can have ice cream.
- Oh no, the café will not open for another two hours. (or is not open / is not going to open)
- Everything is planned: we are going to cook lasagne for Sunday’s dinner.
- By the time they stop performing, the play will have run for three months.
- Get here soon; I will be waiting by the entrance.
- Kim will have been living in Belfast for sixteen months this January.
- Next year, I am moving to France. (or will move / am going to move)
- The train departs at 9:30.
- Our teacher is going to give everyone individual grades. (or will give)
- This time on Friday night, I will be dancing my socks off!
- On Saturday morning, I will sleep late.
- Charlie will have spoken to management by the time we get back.
- My parents are going to drive across the Alps.
If you enjoyed this exercise you can also try the first exercise, or find more tenses exercise in the book below.
Want to master the English tenses?
Learn all the rules with The English Tenses Practical Grammar Guide, and practise them with The English Tenses Exercise Book, which contains 160 exercises.
Without a doubt, I do enjoy the exercise so much. I admire your good penmanship a lot. I wish to be like you.
Thank you, what a lovely message!
Thanks Phil for these very useful exercises. Unfortunately students often think the future in English is always with ‘will’. These exercises are very good examples of the different ways of talking about the future.
Really appreciate you sharing your work!
Thanks, Phil. Your exercises make always me think. Some of them need contest or perhaps intention from the people who say it, so, there could be other answers in some of them. Do you agree?
Anyway, the fact you make students think is an achievement.
jaime
Hi Jaime,
Yes, it’s definitely a problem with quick single-sentence drills like this, especially with something as diverse and flexible as the future tenses. Context can make a big difference, and even then there might not be absolutely correct answers. But as you say, the purpose is really to get students thinking, and if come up with a different answer then trying to understand if it might also be acceptable is a powerful way to learn!
Phil
Thanks again, Phil. I think I understand the point right now, I need your answers to be confident about my thoughts.
I was thinking that could be a course about “understanding” English is written, for instance, you read a chapter or a chunk from one of your novels and ask the student what they think about the feelings or attitudes of the character o the environment or situations or if the student could get other forms to make the situation different and why. I’m not sure if I’m explaining right myself, sorry, but as you’re a teacher plus a writer, perhaps could prompt you any idea.
I’d like to hear what you think about.
As always many thanks for your teaching us.
Jaime
Hi Jaime, yes I do think that’s a good idea; honestly I’d like to do more content in that way, with explorations of reading exercises, because as you say I’m more of a writer and it’s easier for me to go into advanced nuances that way. I’m also finding that I’ve less original content to put up regarding simpler exercises and rules!
But yes I’m not sure exactly what kind of exercise you’d be suggesting there, essentially a comprehension of the writing to test understanding, or something more dynamic to explore ways it could be written differently?
Phil
Hi Phil.
Thanks for your email. Regard your exercises I think they ar great, very useful, every student of English should study them, That’s my case and for that, I try each time to understand the English language better.
As a learner of the English language, I use to translate or compare how I’d say that in my own language, The result is that there several forms to say “the shop is closed till five” it’s three o’clock. from one of your exercises, for instance,
” the shop open in 2 hours”… schedule
“The shop will be closed for another two hours”. meaning that he/she has two hours free.
“the shop is closed till five” meaning that you can’t buy anything because you have to leave earlier.
What I mean is that there are many ways to say a fact with different intentions. Playing with any nuance that comes up to your mind is interesting. Am I clear enough?
What to say about different characters, old, young, layman, bachelor, policeman, army, bosses, attendants and so on. or different events, party, meetings, conferences, dangerous or unarmed. I do not know.
I must confess that I keep learning thinking about these things, doing these things in English I’ve learned a lot about my native language, but I’m alone.
Obviously, I’d like to be clearer, first I might think more about the issue and secondly being better in English.
I appreciate you a lot for your time teaching us the English language.
Jaime
Hi Jaime,
Thank you, yes that gives some interesting food for thought. I could certainly present more scenarios in short reading exercises to illustrate points like that. To start with, though, I’m going put up a post next week that will analyse a section of one of my novels and we’ll see if that’s useful!
Phil
Hi everybody there:
Please,Tell me what you think about this. It’s about how to use the same fact but conveyed in different ways, showing aspects of the person who uses it.
1. We stay with my parents this weekend. (just information or excuse)
In a conversation about “What to do this weekend” You say, you can’t do anything else, you’re busy this weekend.
2. We’re staying with my parents this weekend. ( It was scheduled, It’s not up to me)
It’s scheduled, perhaps not by you. It’s a compromise, you’re obliged
3. We’re going to stay with my parents this weekend. ( We can’t do another thing because we’re engaged already
Here you say where you’re going to stay because you have already planned.
3. We will stay with my parents this weekend. (There’s a will)
Perhaps here you show your will about what you’ll do this weekend.
What I mean is under the fact there’s a “reason” that show the feelings of the person who say it, and this I guess happens continuously. That’s what I’d like to learn.
Thanks to all of you.
Hi Jaime,
Yes, I’d say you’re right that the different choices can certainly reflect different attitudes, although this could be rather subjective. You’re roughly correct with your summary, though the present simple stands out here, as we’d only really use it for future schedules, less so to discuss one-off plans.
The different attitudes are certainly something at least touched upon in The English Tenses Practical Grammar Guide, but I’m not sure I have a piece up on this site about them – nor can they really be fully nailed down, as while we have certain patterns as you’ve demonstrated this isn’t based on hard rules.
Phil
Phil.
These reflections arise because I’m an adult learner, don’t use to happen to people in their native language, nor even is thought about these nuances. I must appreciate the English language that I feel more aware of how people write and speak in my native language.
Thanks a lot.
I’ve got your books, I need to work harder on them