Will, Shall, Be Going to

Will, Shall, Be Going to

Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Many of my students cannot always tell whether to use will or be going to in their sentences. Since grammar is very important, in today’s lesson, we will talk about how to use will, shall and going to to express future.

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Will, shall, be going to

How to use WILL

We use will to talk about the future facts.

• Tom will turn 45 next week.
• If you salt the potatoes, they will taste better.
• We’ll be back next Monday.

We use will to say what we expect will happen in the future, especially with the introductory phrases “I think” or “I don’t think”

• Don’t worry, everything will be alright.
• I think Manchester United will win the match.
• I don’t think your plan will work.

We always use will to make an immediate decision.

• ‘It’s about to rain.’ ‘I’ll take an umbrella.’
• ‘It’s Robert’s birthday today.’ ‘Oh, I forgot. I’ll call him now.’
• (In a restaurant) ‘Would you like to order?’ ‘I’ll have a steak, please.’

Will, shall, be going to

Will is also used to express offers:

• I’ll help you with your homework.
• I’ll carry your bag.

For promises:

• Thank you for lending me your car. I’ll take care of it.
• I promise I’ll pay you back.
• I won’t tell anyone, I promise.

For requests:

• Will you open the door, please?
• Will you sing us a song?
• You’ll be quiet now because I’m on the phone.

Will, shall, be going to

We use won’t for refusals:

• I won’t tolerate your bad behaviour.
• Martin won’t talk to us.
• It’s cold, I won’t go out.

How to use shall

We use shall in questions in the first person singular and plural to make suggestions and offers.

• Shall we go to London on Saturday? (suggestion)
• Let’s take a break, shall we? (suggestion)
• Shall I help you clean the house? (offer)
• Shall I bring you another bowl of soup? (offer)

How to use be going to

We normally use be going to to talk about plans and intentions.

• I’m going to watch a nice movie on TV tonight.
• What are you going to do for the weekend?
• We are going to get married!
• I’m going to call the police.

Will, shall, be going to

We use be going to when we see in the present that something is going to happen.

• Look at those clouds. It is going to rain.
• Mary is pregnant. She’s going to have a baby.
• I feel sick. I think I’m going to vomit.

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Download the pdf with the lesson and exercise:

Do the exercise to perfect your knowledge: