Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zappadelta]

will and going to ____. What is a good way to teach the difference between these 2 future tense patterns? What are the rules for this as well?

[ddeubel]

Not too difficult. A plan for the future involves "going to" So for example if you make a list of things to do (which you can get students to do or make a list and have them ask you which you are "going to " do), you would use going to. It is for the near future (near meaning relative to the context of what you are talking about.....

Will is more general in use and not specific about intent.........Many books tell you that will is used with IF and future possibility but this isn't how we speak anymore..... They also might say we use "will" to ask a question -- not true anymore, our language has changed.

The above is the notable distinction. Good way to teach the difference, however minor......for we would never say, "after class I will go to the store".....sounds correct but just doesn't cut it. We use going to because we've planned it, it is near future. ...

Hope this helps "a bit". Now I'm going to wait for all the grammarians to jump all over my response.

Cheers,
DD

[Ya-ta Boy]

I've worked with a guy who insists there is a difference in meaning, but I know that I don't distinguish between them. Where I'm from (as far as I know) no one makes this distinction anymore.

[The evil penguin]

[Qinella]

This web site differentiates them thusly:

Future Simple
Instant decision (=when we decide
to do something at the time of speaking).
I will have a cup of coffee.

I will operate my patient again.
I will have a cup of coffee.

Prediction(= what we think will happen).

He will travel to Ireland.
He will hit the ball.


To be + going to + verb
Intention (=the speaker has already decided before).

I am going to have a cup of coffee.
I am going to operate my patient.

Prediction based on a present situation
(=what we can see is going to happen).

He is going to travel to Ireland.
He is going to kick the ball.



You really need to see the pictures that go with the examples to understand the difference.

[oneiros]

Use "going to" when you're talking about a plan for the future that you've already made. ie "I'm going to go to go swimming tomorrow."

Use "will" to talk about a plan for the future that you've made at that moment. ie "It's such a sunny day today. I think I'll go swimming."

edit: Oops, someone hit "post" thirty seconds before I did...

[Ya-ta Boy]

I compared Qinella's link to Michael Swan's Practical English Usage. They agree with each other. This distinction must be a British regionalism.

It would be interesting to hear teachers from other countries weigh in on this question. I'm from the US Midwest and say will = going to for future tense.


Second question: Q's link has "I will operate my patient again." It's used twice, so it doesn't look like a typo. What's going on?

[hypnotist]

When did the future simple become will, and not shall, in written English?

"I will not cease from mental flight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand."

(In the first person only, obviously. In the second and third person it's reversed.)

For me, will implies determination ( ).

[zappadelta]

I'm from the east coast of the US, and I would say I use "going to" when talking about the future maybe 70-80% of the time. I want to have a lesson about the difference, because Koreans seem to use "will" more often( I think because it's easier). It always sounds very strange to me. They always say like "What will you do this evening/weekend?" That seems funny to me, I use going to in this situation.

[dulouz]

Will has the double meaning ie spirit as in "He has the will to climb the mountain", so its meaning has a seriousness to it that will sound awkward.
if used with a common event.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[hypnotist]

[Sliver]

Hi Zappa

Quinella is right but to try and give a better example of the instant descision thing.

If someone drops their grocery bags and, there and then, you decide to help you would blurt out;

"Wait, I'll give you a hand" like at that instant rather than "Wait, I'm going to give you a hand".

That said I think the grammar is changing. If someone smashed into my car I would probably say of the cuff:

I'm gunna f***'n kill him.

The other reason Koreans use 'will' a lot is because it doesn't require subject-verb agreement on the 'be' verb.

I think we would both rather hear "I will study English tomorrow" than the common "I is going to study English tomorrow" or perhaps the more common "I going to study English tomorrow".

[zappadelta]

Hey Sliver, what's up? That's a good point about the subject verb agreement. That's kinda what I was getting at, overall it's just easier to use. Understanding these things isn't difficult, getting others to understand is a little.

[ladyandthetramp]