Warm-up
Dreams and the Future
Predictions, promises, conditions, final speaking project
Today’s grammar
Talk first
- What will you do tomorrow?
- What do you hope will happen this year?
- What is your biggest dream?
After this lesson you will be able to...
- Make predictions, promises and spontaneous decisions.
- Talk about real future possibilities with if.
- Review all grammar from the course.
- Give a 3-minute final speaking presentation.
Vocabulary
Words to learn
| dream | мрія My dream is to open a school. |
| goal | мета My goal is to speak English fluently. |
| hope | сподіватися I hope it will be sunny. |
| promise | обіцяти I promise I will call you. |
| probably | імовірно I’ll probably stay at home. |
| perhaps / maybe | можливо Perhaps I’ll travel next year. |
| achieve | досягати I want to achieve my goals. |
| career | кар’єра She has a successful career. |
Grammar
Will and won’t — predictions, promises, decisions
“Will” is used for the future in three main ways: predictions (It will rain tomorrow), promises and offers (I’ll help you), and spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking (I’ll have the soup). Form: will + base verb for all persons. Short form: I’ll, you’ll, he’ll… Negative: will not = won’t.
Questions: Will you come? What will you do? Short answers: Yes, I will. No, I won’t.
Time words: tomorrow, next week, in 2030, soon, one day. Words that show how sure you are: definitely, probably, perhaps, maybe. “Might” is less sure than “will”: I might travel in summer (maybe).
| I think it will rain tonight. |
| I’ll call you tomorrow, I promise. |
| Don’t worry, I’ll help you with your bags. |
| She probably won’t come. She might be busy. |
First conditional — real future possibilities
We use the first conditional to talk about real or likely future situations and their results. Form: If + present simple, will + base verb. “If it rains, I will stay at home.” We use the present simple after “if” — never “will”. The two parts can swap: “I will stay at home if it rains.” (no comma then).
Negative: If I don’t study, I won’t pass the exam. We can use “unless” (= if not): I won’t go unless you come. Other modals are possible: If you want, I can help you. If you are tired, you should rest.
| If I have time, I’ll call you. |
| If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the train. |
| I’ll be happy if we meet next week. |
| She won’t come unless you invite her. |
Course review: choose the tense
Present simple: habits and facts (I work every day). Present continuous: now or temporary (I’m working now). Past simple: finished past (I worked yesterday). Used to: past habits (I used to work late). Present perfect: experience, result (I have worked in a school). Be going to: plans (I’m going to work abroad). Will: predictions, promises (I will work hard).
When you speak, ask yourself three questions: Is it now, past or future? Is the time finished? Is it a plan, a prediction or a promise?
| I work in a school. I’ve worked here for five years. I’m going to work here next year, too. |
| Yesterday I went to the gym. I usually go twice a week. Next week I’ll go three times. |
Speaking
Easy — warm up your speaking
- What will you do tomorrow?
- What will the weather be like at the weekend?
- Where will you be in five years?
- What will you have for dinner tonight?
- Who will you talk to this evening?
- What are you going to do next summer?
- Will you travel this year?
- What will you do if it rains on Sunday?
- What will you do if you win a prize?
- Will you learn another language?
- What will you do after this course?
- What do you hope will happen this month?
Medium — say more
- What do you think will change in your life in the next five years?
- If you have a free year, what will you do?
- What is your biggest dream? What will you do to make it real?
- If you meet a famous person tomorrow, what will you say?
- What do you think life will be like in 2050?
- How will technology change the way we live and learn?
- What will you do if you can’t find a job you like?
- What will you do if you have a lot of free time?
- What will you do if you feel very tired next week?
- What do you promise yourself for the next year?
- What will you do if you travel abroad?
- What do you think your best friend will do in the future?
Deeper — explain and give reasons
- What are the most important qualities for a successful life?
- If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
- Will robots take our jobs? What will humans do?
- What will be the biggest problem for the next generation?
- Will people be happier in the future?
- If you win a lot of money, what will you do with it?
- How will learning English change your life?
- What do you want to say to yourself in ten years?
More questions
- What will you do this evening?
- Will you travel somewhere this year?
- What will your life be like in ten years?
- What will you do if it rains this weekend?
- If you have free time tomorrow, what will you do?
- What might you do next summer?
- Where will you be in five years?
- What will you buy with your next salary?
- If you win a lot of money, what will you do first?
- What will you say to a friend who is feeling sad?
- What might happen if you learn a new language well?
- What will you do tomorrow to feel better than today?
Opinions and what-ifs
- What will be the most important invention in the next 20 years?
- Will cities be bigger or smaller in the future?
- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- Will people work less in the future? Why?
- What might the world look like in 2050?
- If you could meet your future self, what would you ask?
- What do you hope will never change?
- What is the biggest dream you have, and what will you do to reach it?