ENGLISH IN USE · UNIT 39
Future Plans and Predictions
Going to · Present continuous · Will · Timetables and time clauses
Step 1 · Read the conversation
A group of friends are planning a weekend in York. Read what they say and notice how they talk about the future.
Ella: What are we going to do this weekend? I want to visit York.
Sam: Good idea. I've checked the trains. The 9.20 train leaves from platform 4.
Ella: I've booked our tickets, so we're travelling on Saturday morning. I've also reserved a table for lunch.
Priya: I'm going to take my camera. I want to photograph the old streets.
Sam: Look at those dark clouds. It's going to rain later, I think.
Ella: The forecast says it will probably be dry in the afternoon, though.
Priya: If it rains, we'll visit the museum. I'll check its opening times now.
Sam: Great. I'll bring an umbrella, just in case.
Ella: We should leave home early. We'll call you when we arrive at the station.
Step 2 · Check your understanding
Choose an answer for each question. Feedback appears as soon as you select an option. Use Show Answers if you need help.
1. Why are Ella and her friends travelling on Saturday?
2. Which sentence gives a timetable fact?
3. Why does Sam say, “It's going to rain”?
4. Why does Sam say, “I'll bring an umbrella”?
Step 3 · Notice the future forms
Read the examples and compare what each speaker means. The categories are useful guides; in natural English, some forms can overlap.
| Form | Typical use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| be going to + base verb | An intention or a prediction based on present evidence | I'm going to take my camera. Look at those clouds. It's going to rain. |
| Present continuous | A future arrangement, often already organised | We're travelling on Saturday. I've booked the tickets. |
| will + base verb | A prediction, a decision made now, an offer or promise | It will probably be dry. I'll bring an umbrella. |
| Present simple | A timetable or fixed schedule | The train leaves at 9.20. |
| Present simple in a future time clause | After when, before, after, until, as soon as, when referring to the future | We'll call you when we arrive. |
Intention or arrangement?
I'm going to visit York next month. — I intend to do it.
I'm visiting York next Saturday; I've booked the tickets. — I am describing an arrangement.
These are typical differences, not absolute rules. A speaker may use going to for an intention that is already quite definite, and the forms sometimes overlap.
Step 4 · Choose the form that fits
Choose the best answer for the context. Feedback appears immediately after each choice.
1. I've decided that I ______ learn to drive this year.
2. We ______ Anna at the station at ten. We've arranged it with her.
3. “I can't carry both bags.” “Don't worry, I ______ one.”
4. The film ______ at 7.30, so let's meet at seven.
5. We'll wait here until the bus ______.
6. Look at that cyclist! He ______ into the parked car.
Step 5 · Correct the mistakes
Each sentence has one error in its future form. Rewrite it correctly. Press Return or leave the field to check your answer; you won't be marked while typing.
- We are going to visit the museum tomorrow.
- The train leaves at half past nine. (The present simple is natural for a timetable.)
- I'll phone you when I arrive.
- Look at the sky! It's going to rain.
- I am going to meet my cousin on Saturday.
Step 6 · Reconstruct the plans
Turn each note into a complete sentence. Each answer has its own feedback. Use Show Answers if you get stuck.
- intention: visit the museum on Sunday
- arrangement: meet Tom outside the station at 9.15; message already sent
- timetable: coach departs at 9.30
- present evidence: dark clouds; likely rain
- decision made now: offer to buy coffee
- time clause: call friends after arrival
- We are going to visit the museum on Sunday.
- We are meeting Tom outside the station at 9.15.
- The coach departs at 9.30.
- Look at the dark clouds! It's going to rain.
- I'll buy the coffee.
- We'll call you after we arrive.
Other grammatically correct sentences that fit the intended meaning may also be acceptable.
Step 7 · Make a plan
Use the situation to make your own future sentences. These are more open-ended than the earlier exercises.
- I'm going to visit the castle.
- I'm meeting my friend outside the café at eleven.
- The bus leaves at 10.15.
- I think we'll have a good day.
- I'll buy the tickets online now.
Your answers can be different. They should be grammatical and fit the meaning requested in each prompt.
Step 8 · Write about your plans
Write a short account of a real or imagined day out (about 100–140 words). Use several different future forms and make the reason for each choice clear from the context.
Try to include:
- an intention with going to
- a future arrangement using the present continuous
- a timetable using the present simple
- a prediction or offer using will
- a future time clause, such as when we arrive or after the train leaves
Self-check
I'm going to spend Saturday in Cambridge with my cousin. We're meeting outside the station at ten because we've arranged to travel together. The train leaves at 10.15, so we mustn't be late. I think we'll have a good day because the weather forecast is promising. I'm going to take my camera, and I'll buy our museum tickets online now. When we arrive, we'll walk to the market and find somewhere for lunch. After we finish eating, we're visiting the museum. We haven't decided what to do in the afternoon, but we may go punting if the weather is suitable.
This is one possible answer. Different plans and wording are fine if the forms fit the intended meanings.