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sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

I'm looking at New Interchange- The yellow introduction book unit 11 and to me the grammar in the section is nonesense. The use of 'going to ' is not natural as far as I'm concerned . For example on Page 67 - Are you going to do anything exciting this weekend' is not as natural as 'are you doing anything exciting this weekend ' It's a plan with a time marker - Why use 'going to' ?

You're going to tell me it's because I'm English I bet but some of the crap in this book gets to me . 'Are the waiters going to sing to you ? ' It's just rubbish . When would anyone say such a thing ?

Is it me?

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Can't tell you if it's an "American" form of English, but it's fairly common usage there.

"I'm going to the store." generally means I'm leaving right now or maybe even on my way.

"I'm going to go to the store." generally means I'm doing it later.

I agree that it's redundant to say "going to" and then give the actual time you will do said action.

"I'm going to go to the store tomorrow." is probably better said as "I'm going to the store tomorrow."

I remember teaching that unit (and then you teach it again in the red book!) and feeling a little turned around with it and not too sure of myself when introducing it to the students.

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Oh good , it's not just me !! I find the students always use 'I will' for absolutely everything future related . Often this confuses me as to the certainty in them doing something . I do find this area difficult to teach . I'm going to plan a lesson for tommorow with the 'diary future' .I thought about getting the students to go around the class and fill in a timetable of activities for next week to do with classmates. For example - 'what are you doing on Saturday night ? I'm watching England play football with Kevin '. Problem is when I turn to chapter 11 in the book they're gonna get mightily confused with going to and will probably bin it all and carry on using 'I will '

Midlothian Mapleheart · Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 623 Location: Elsewhere

post deleted

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Yes, our expert CHinese English teachers...
How often have I heard "girls are BEAUTIFUL but boys are HANDSOME!"

In Mandarin boys are "shuai" and girls are "piaoliang" - hence we must not confuse the English adjectives either!

Paul Barufaldi · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 271 Location: Beijing

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

There are far too many future tenses in English for most Chinese students. They seem to prefer "will" in every instance, so are often both confusing and - grammatically speaking - just plain wrong. New Interchange does a pretty good job of presenting the various future tenses, individually, in their logical context. Once you and the students get through the present continuous, "going to," and "will" forms of the future tense, it should start to make more sense. "Going to" is perfectly correct for future plans, although "going to go" is somewhat redundant, and is generally shortened to the present continuous form in common usage; that is, "going shopping," instead of "going to go shopping," even when a future plan is indicated.

Paul Barufaldi · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 271 Location: Beijing

Super Frank · Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 365

They talk enough bollocks without learning all that crap aswell.

"Don't publish it" Shocked

Paul Barufaldi · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 271 Location: Beijing

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Paul Barufaldi · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 271 Location: Beijing

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

"Going to" is really a present tense structure that's used to talk about future actions and events that have some present reality. When we talk about something that is "going to happen", it usually means that the event is already planned, starting to happen, or we can see it coming now. (see Micheal Swan for this useful clarification)

For example: "Look at the clouds. It's going to rain". We obviously wouldn't say "Look at the clouds. It will rain".... or the difference between "We will buy a new car" and "We are going to buy a new car". The first lacks the decisive, "already decided-ness" of the latter.

We can also teach students how "going to" can be used in commands and refusals.

"You are going to attend this grammar class whether you like it or not"

"I'm not going to listen to a word of this dribble".

"Going to" is also often used for predictions about the future based on present evidence:

"Slow down. We are going to crash!" There's immediate, present evidence about crashing.

"Don't lend him your car. He's a terrible driver - he'll crash it" (the future aspect here is used based on knowledge about "him", though it's not guaranteed that the car will be crashed).

"He's going to crash it" of course means that crashing the car is already planned, and is most certain to occur.

That said, it can be difficult to teach these subtlties. I sometimes do a class on the "future perfect" and "future continuous". By the end, after controlled exercisies, and an extended role-play that requires the two future forms, students seem to get the idea of the difference between "will", "will be..." and "will have...". But when beginning, many question the necessity of the learning the two forms. Myself, I figure that since language is the base of every thought and expression, the more ways one has to speak at one's disposal, the closer one can come to accurately expressing those thoughts and ideas.

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

I don't mean to sound like a textbook but -' The present progressive can emphasise the idea of 'fixed arrangement' ; 'going to' can emphasise the idea of 'intention', or 'previous decision '

'Are you doing anything this weekend 'is asking about arrangements and is more natural than are you going to do anything this weekend . Interchange clearly has different ideas .

Another Interchange grammar focus in Unit 11 - 'Are the waiters going to sing to you ? Yes they are . They're going to sing "Happy Birthday" No they aren't .But they're going to give me a cake .
What Shocked

How much has J Richards made out of this?

Do you guys seriousely try to teach this rubbish . I find the Interchange series generally does not think of the broader use of English language . I have found it fails to consider different contexts , intonation and is not authentic whatsover . I guess as you say Paul adapting the book is the key but I find this Unit very difficult to do so.

Paul Barufaldi · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 271 Location: Beijing

Interesting points about intention. As I recall, New Interchange teaches that "will" indicates a specific plan or intention and present continous and "going to" are more casual -an aspect of the lesson I usually encourage the students to disregard.

I was just thinking too that "going to" is the *only* way to express a future intention in terms of the past -mainly used for making excuses:

I was going to call you last week, but I was busy.
I was going to ask him about that during our meeting, but I forgot.