This month you are going to learn how to write about the future. One area of great confusion is the difference between ‘will’ and ‘be going to’. There are three theories of the difference between ‘will’ and ‘be going to’:
1. They are the same: ‘will’ =‘be going to’.
2. ‘will’ is for near futures and ‘be going to’ is for far futures.
3. ‘will’ is for certain futures, ‘be going to’ is for uncertain futures.
Task 1: Look at the three theories of the difference between ‘will’ and ‘be going to’ above. Which theory do you think is correct?
Task 1 Feedback:
* Actually they’re all wrong. Theory 1 is definitely wrong. ‘Will’ and ‘be going to’ are quite different and should be never be used as synonyms.
* Theory 2 (is it ‘will’ for the near future, or ‘will’ for the far future: there are many different versions of this theory.) is also wrong. How do you measure near and far futures? Far future is not going to be the same for someone who is 40 years old as it is for someone who is 20. Trust me on that one, ok!
* Theory 3 (is it ‘will’ for certain or uncertain futures: there are many different versions of this theory too.) is also wrong.
Let’s begin with an overview of the future. When you are expressing the future there are two decisions you need to make. The first is whether you are expressing future which is personal or future which is impersonal.
Personal future is your own personal future, your dreams, ambitions, intentions and arrangements and plans; or those of people connected to you directly: your family, friends, boss, colleagues, customers, business associates and so on.
Impersonal future is for topics which are not related to you personally: for example the future of the economy, the future of the industry in which you work, the political future, the future of the environment, the weather and so on. That’s the first thing to be clear about.
The second decision is whether in your mind the future is certain or uncertain. Certain can apply to personal and impersonal futures, and you can have uncertain or certain impersonal futures too. Let’s look at some examples to make sure you are clear about these concepts.
Task 2: Read these emails and decide if the overall meaning and situation in the email is personal or impersonal, certain or uncertain. Look at the example.
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1. Dear Mary,
Please note that I’ll be arriving on Tuesday at 3.00. I’m going straight to the hotel as I’ll probably be very jet lagged. Please meet me there tomorrow morning at 10.00 in the lobby. I’ll see you then.
personal certain
2. Dear Oliver,
Thanks for your questions. As I mentioned in my report the economy will stay much the same next year. Growth will stay steady across the region. Other companies in the industry will all face the same problems, so I think the market situation is going to be more or less the same.
I hope this helps.
_____________
3. Dear June,
I’m thinking of canceling my holiday as we are so busy. I may go to Bali at the end of the year, or wait until Chinese New Year and then I might go to Europe. Sorry to keep you waiting like this, but I’ll get back to you with a firm plan as soon as I can.
_____________
4.Dear George,
Regarding our plans for next year, we hope to increase market share by .03% by the middle of the year, and we would like to improve our brand awareness at the same time. We intend to launch several new exciting products and we would like to increase sales volume of our popular brands. We are having a meeting with the team on Monday to discuss these plans in more detail. I’ll give you a ring later to brief you.
_____________
5. Dear Frank,
I’m not sure about your forecast for the future. In my view, I think the economy will shrink next year under impact from overseas investment and capital outflow. The government may not be able to stop this trend. Exports could fall as foreign companies order from factories in China instead of Taiwan. Anyway, I guess we’ll see.
_____________
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*2015/01/09更新
Task 2. Answers
Here are the answers to the previous task:
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1
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personal certain
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The writer is informing Mary of her arrangements for her visit. This is personal, and in the writer’s mind these arrangements are certain and fixed. There is one uncertain future. Can you see which one?
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2
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impersonal certain
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The writer is expressing his views about the future of the economy and the industry in which he and Oliver work. He is presenting these views as if he is very certain about them. He must be an economic expert!
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3
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personal uncertain
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The writer has not made up her mind yet about where she would like to go for her vacation. Her vacation is obviously personal, and she is still unsure about where to go. She has not made any arrangements yet.
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4
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personal certain
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This also personal, although it’s quite different from the email to Mary. This one is personal because it involves the people who work with the writer, and it’s certain because this is the business plan for next year. Mary’s email is about arrangements, which are different from plans.
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5
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impersonal uncertain
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Like the email to Oliver, this one is impersonal: it’s describing the same impersonal things. It’s different from the email to Oliver, however, because this writer is much less sure that his views are correct. He is either not an expert, or he is simply more modest than the writer of the email to Oliver.
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