FACHSPRACHENZENTRUM UNIVERSITÄT HANNOVER. TENSES II The Future Tenses in English

Transcription

1 FACHSPRACHENZENTRUM UNIVERSITÄT HANNOVER Papiere zum Spracherwerb und zur Grammatik ENGLISCH VIII Dermot McElholm TENSES II The Future Tenses in English Am Judenkirchhof Hannover - Tel.: 0511/

2 2 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum 1 INTRODUCTION 3 2 MEANS OF EXPRESSING THE FUTURE Will/shall + Infinitive Sense effects with will Sense effects with shall Logical-argumentative uses Other specific uses Will/shall + progressive infinitive Be going to + infinitive Be going to + progressive infinitive Present progressive Present simple Future perfect simple Future perfect progressive Be to + infinitive Be about to + infinitive Future in the past Modal verb construction with would Be going to + infinitive Past progressive Be to + infinitive Be about to + infinitive 18

3 Future 3 1 INTRODUCTION We have already seen in our discussion of the past tenses 1 (and to some extent also the present tenses) some of the specific features of the English tense system. These include the following: the different levels of communication description/conversation, narration and explanation to which the tenses can be assigned; the vital distinctions between the simple and the progressive in present, past, present perfect etc.; the importance of the notions of globalisation, typification and generalisation in explaining the uses of the tenses. There we were primarily looking at how we talk about the past in English. We also looked at how we talk about the present, about the fundamental difference between the present progressive which deals with singular events which are incomplete at the moment of speaking and the present simple, which globalises and generalises. This can be illustrated using the following: (a) The plane is landing. (b) The plane lands twice a week. (c) Planes land using landing gear. The first example is a real concrete singular event which is incomplete at the moment of speaking, while the second globalises and the third is a generalisation about how planes land in general. Note also that the present progressive has certain sense effects: it can be used with certain verbs to express an incomplete iterative or repeated series of events or actions: (d) I m putting coal on the fire. This can acquire a negative connotation in certain contexts: (e) He s always complaining about something. Some of these distinctions are also relevant to the ways of talking about the future in English, as we shall see, especially as some of the same forms are used, e.g. the present progressive and to a lesser extent the present simple. Now we come to a the of how to explain the future tenses, the different ways of talking about the future in English. Since the future is uncertain, talking about the future is also connected with modality, in other words with notions such as prediction, possibility, intention, volition. This explains why we use of modal auxiliaries such as will, shall as well as semi-auxiliary constructions such as be going to, be about to. 1 The Past Tenses in English.

4 4 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum 2 MEANS OF EXPRESSING THE FUTURE In English there is a variety of different ways of talking about the future, roughly in their order of importance: 1. will/shall + infinitive 2. will/shall + progressive infinitive 3. going to + infinitive 4. going to + progressive infinitive 5. present progressive 6. present simple 7. future perfect simple 8. future perfect progressive 9. other semi-auxiliary expressions: to be about to, to be to, to be supposed to, to be due to Not only do we have a different ways of talking about the future, these various tenses and modal verbs have certain specific uses, including predictions, inferences and conjectures. They also have a range of various sense effects in certain contexts, including politeness and threats. 2.1 Will/shall + Infinitive This form is composed of the modal verb will plus the simple infinitive form: will come. In Southern Standard British English (or Received Pronunciation, RP) the modal verb shall is used instead of will in the third person singular and plural: I shall see. The form can be contracted to ll, especially in spoken English: I ll be back soon. The negative form will not can be contracted to won t: I won t have time. This future tense is basically used to express predictions or forecasts. As the following examples show, these predictions can be precise or vague: 1) He will be here in half an hour. 2) John will come tomorrow morning. 3) Tomorrow s weather will be warm and sunny with occasional thundery showers. 4) I shall see you next week. 5) I ll be twenty-five next month. 6) This problem will be dealt with in a later chapter. 7) The Prime Minister will announce the creation of two new medical schools.

5 Future 5 8) There will be a change of government at the next election. 9) In a few years time, we ll have a twenty-five hour working week. 10) One day I will go on a world cruise. 11) At least once in your life you will have an unequalled opportunity to become successful. 12) The EXPO 2000 will boost the economy of the Hanover region. 13) If the weather is good at the weekend, we ll have a barbecue. 14) There will be a united Europe in my lifetime. 15) When the lecture is over we will go to the cafeteria. 16) The Sun will eventually use up all its hydrogen and have no more energy to give out. This is the most important way of talking about the future in English. Note the use of this tense in hypothetical realistic clauses as in 13), to express the predicted outcome assuming the possible state of affairs stated in the subordinate clause or antecedent 2 (see also later section, where we talk about the conditional effect). These predictions with will can be modified or modulated using modal operators: 17) I ll probably see you next week. 18) The EXPO 2000 will definitely revitalise the Hanover region. 19) There will possibly be a change of government at the next election. This distinction will become important when we contrast the will-future with the going to-future. One important point has to do with example 15). We need to use the willfuture in English when we are referring to a point in the future: when the lecture is over. This can be visualised as follows: 2 See If and When. Hypotheses and Arguments in English.

6 6 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum FIGURE 1 moment of speaking when the lecture is over we will go to the cafeteria In other words, in all when-clauses, in clauses of time referring to the future, we typically use the will-future in the main clause: 20) When I get the tickets, I ll send them to you. Note that we use the present tense in the when-clause, not the future tense 3. This also applies in cases where we have a sequence of events in the future, even if the first event is expressed using the going to-future (see later section): 21) First I m going to finish the letter, and then I ll have a cigarette. Here, the action of smoking will take place after the letter is finished Sense effects with will Now that we have seen the basic meaning of the will-future, we can use this to explain the various sense effects that can arise, as in the following: 22) Will you come down here right now? 23) I ll just watch this programme to the end. You will not. 24) You will do as I say. 25) Officers will report for duty at 0600 hours. Here the sense effect is that of an order or command. Using the basic meaning of prediction, we can say that if the person who makes a prediction also has the option of punishing the non-accomplishment of his or her prediction, then we will interpret it as a command. This is also closely connected with the conditional effect we indicated earlier in connection with if-clauses 4, as we can see from the following examples: 3 See also If and When. Hypotheses and Arguments in English. 4 See also the discussion in If and When. Hypotheses and Arguments in English.

7 Future 7 26) If you do your homework straightaway, I ll buy you an ice-cream afterwards. 27) Come to the party. You ll really enjoy it. 28) Take this medicine and you ll feel better. These conditional effects can also take the form of promises and threats: 29) If you do not pay immediately, I ll will be obliged to place the matter in the hands of my solicitor. 30) Do your homework now or you won t be allowed to watch TV. 31) Do your homework now. Otherwise you won t be allowed to watch TV. 32) Mow the lawn and I ll pay you ten pounds. 33) I ll kill him for doing this to me! Another common sense effect with will is that of volition and intention: 34) Can you ring John? Yes, I ll ring him immediately. 35) Will you open the door for me? 36) Who will help me write these letters? I will. 37) I won t stay long I ve got to be back early. These examples also show how will is also used to make requests and express offers. The will-future can be used to make scientific predictions of a generic nature, as in: 38) Oil will float on water. These predictions of a generic or habitual kind are also reflected in proverbs such as the following: 39) The truth will out. 40) Accidents will happen. 41) Boys will be boys. The characteristic or habitual behaviour of an individual can also be expressed using will: 42) She ll just sit there for hours gazing into space. 43) My car will keep breaking down. This can also acquire the further sense effect of irritation at an individual s typical behaviour: 44) He will go out wearing only a T-shirt in cold weather. The use of will in its negative form will not or won t can be used to express volition in a negative sense, i.e. refusal: 45) I will not be bullied!

8 8 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum Finally, will can be used to express a prediction about the present: 46) John and Valerie will be in Greece by now. Here, we are making a prediction about the present, which we do not know directly, by inferring from various clues, such as the fact that we know that they got on the plane at Heathrow two hours previously. We will return to this point in the next section. Here are similar examples: 47) You won t know John. He s just joined us. 48) Those of you who have played this game before will know what happens next Sense effects with shall We also need to mention the modal auxiliary shall briefly, as it too has certain uses, although more restricted than will: 49) Shall I open the window? 50) What shall we do this evening? Shall we go to the cinema? 51) Thou shalt not kill. 52) You shall do exactly as I say. 53) No-one shall stop me! 54) The vendor shall maintain the equipment in good repair. 55) If any vehicle be found parked on these premises without written permission, it shall be towed away at the expense of the vehicle s owner. 49) is a request, 50) expresses a suggestion, 51) is archaic but is the standard way of expressing this commandment, while 54) is legal English and imposes an obligation on a party to a contract. 55) is also legal English but is generic in nature 5. The other two examples are rare; they are restricted to RP and are considered by some people to be archaic. They may combine the meaning of prediction with commands, as in 51) Logical-argumentative uses There is are certain logical-argumentative uses of will which are quite common and connected with the prediction about the present we have mentioned above: 56) Since John has walked all the way, he will be really tired. 57) Since the weather is so bad, our flight will be delayed. 5 See also the discussion in If and When. Hypotheses and Arguments in English.

9 Future 9 58) That will be the postman. 59) John will be in his office. These are sense effects; the basic meaning is still that of prediction. In the first two examples, the effect seems to be that a conclusion is drawn, producing a logical-argumentative sense effect which could be termed deductive, since it is based on modus ponens 6. The use of will here means that the conclusion is plausible, and this can be modified by a modal operator: 60) Since John has walked all the way, he will probably be very tired. in contrast to the following: 61) Since John has walked all the way, he must be really tired. The use of must indicates that this is the only possible conclusion logically for the speaker and it cannot be modified. Other uses of will are basically conjectures: 62) A: I can t find my keys. B: They ll (probably) be in the car. 63) John isn t here. He ll have forgotten his appointment. In these cases we provide plausible explanations for facts that require explaining. We can modify these sentences with operators like possibly, probably and so on Other specific uses One specific use involves that of politeness: 64) Will that be all? 65) That will be fifteen pounds, please. 66) That will do nicely. 67) Will you be in tomorrow? These examples show that polite use of will occurs in shops as well as in more formal contexts; use of the present in these contexts would be considered impolite. 64) and 65) are relatively standardised. Note the differences here between English and German, which would tend to use the present tense in these contexts. 6 See also the discussion of different types of argument in If and When. Hypotheses and Arguments in English.

10 10 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum EXERCISE I. EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING USES OF WILL AND SHALL: (1) They will be back home by now. (2) I ll give you the money back tomorrow. (3) Shall I call John now? (4) France will win the Championship. (5) Will there be anything else, sir? (6) There s a lot of traffic on the roads, so they ll probably be late. (7) Some nights he ll go out with his friends, and other nights he ll just sit at home and watch the telly. (8) If I m tired, I ll stay at home. (9) Since John has been working all day, he ll be very tired. (10) When the semester is over, I ll go on holiday. (11) There s the phone. That will be John. (12) Stop or I ll call the police. (13) Children will do these things. (14) You will be paid in cash. (15) Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother.

11 Future Will/shall + progressive infinitive This way of talking about the future has the following form: will/shall + be + -ing, e.g. will be coming. There seem to be two basic uses, the first being illustrated below: 68) When you reach the end of the bridge, I ll be waiting there to show you the way. This use combines the meaning of the will-future prediction with the basic meaning of the progressive an action or event that is incomplete at a particular point in time. This can be illustrated as follows: FIGURE 2 moment of speaking when you reach the end of the bridge I will be waiting for you If we compare this with an earlier sentence when the lecture is over we will go to the cafeteria we can see the difference. While this sentence implies a linear sequence of events, with the completion of one event serving as the reference point for the second event, 68) implies that one event impinges on the other, with one serving as background and the other serving as foreground. If we take an example from our discussion of the past tenses and compare it, we can see the relationship: 69) When I arrived, John was talking on the telephone. Here was talking forms the background, and I arrived the foreground, and in 68) will be waiting is the background and reach the end of the bridge is the foreground. We can thus visualise it as follows: FIGURE 3

12 12 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum I will be waiting for you... E 1 E 2...when you reach the bridge This explains one use of will + progressive infinitive. A similar example would be: 70) This time next week I ll be sitting in the plane on my way to London. 71) At nine everybody will be watching the football match. A second use of this form is illustrated by the following examples: 72) We ll be moving to a new house in autumn. 73) The train will be leaving at six oh one. 74) Next week we ll be discussing the examination. 75) Will you be going to the bank? 76) John won t be coming tomorrow after all. 77) I ll be driving down to London next week. This use is sometimes referred to as the future as a matter of course; if we use this combination of will + progressive infinitive with reference to a point in time in the future, then we can infer from the prediction that a particular action will be incomplete at a certain point in time that this action has therefore been planned. A third and final use is shown by this example: 78) Now that John lives in Hanover, I ll be seeing him more frequently. Here we have a sense effect, that of iteration: in other words, the sequence of actions is incomplete and can be envisaged as follows: FIGURE Be going to + infinitive

13 Future 13 This way of talking about the future is very important in English. It is similar to the equivalent construction in French. Here are some examples: 79) I m now going to explain the results in more detail. 80) I m just going to ring John. 81) We re going to go for a pizza. Would you like to come along? 82) Look! Shearer is going to score a goal! 83) I m going to be sick. 84) It s going to rain. 85) There s going to be trouble after the match. 86) The EXPO 2000 is going to be a gigantic flop. 87) She s going to have a baby. 88) I m going to complain. This use of the future is always tied to the present; it remains in the interior of the world which is available at the moment of speaking. There is thus a difference in saying: 89) Mary is going to get married. 90) Mary will get married. 84) is only a prediction, while 83) means that we know that the marriage will take place. Note that this form may refer to the immediate future or to the more distant future, in other words it is not tied to the near future: 91) Mary is going to get married tomorrow. 92) Mary is going to get married next year. The prime criterion for the use of this form appears to be the current orientation, or more precisely the current availability of something, i.e. one uses this form when one is sure that something will happen or will not happen in the currently available world. We said earlier that predictions with will can be modified: 93) France will probably win the Championship. But with the going to-future, the opportunities for modification are much more limited, since we are sure that something will happen; we are unlikely to say for example: 94)?Mary is probably going to get married. 95)?The EXPO is possibly going to be a flop. Also, the going to-future is inappropriate with most realistic if-clauses: 96)?If John comes, we re going to go for a pizza.

14 14 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum The reason is that the going to-future implies that something is (relatively) certain on the basis of the currently available world, whereas in an if-clause we basically have two possibilities, one of which we assume hypothetically. We can see that these two basic meanings tend to conflict in most normal uses. It is clear that the use of the going to-future carries connotations of cause and intention, or in other words these are sense effects in certain contexts: 97) There s going to be a storm in a minute. 98) I m going to call you later. 2.4 Be going to + progressive infinitive This way of talking about the future is relatively restricted in use: 99) We re going to be staying in a swanky hotel. 100) In the next lecture we re going to be talking about the problem of wordformation. 101) John is going to be watching the match tonight. The meaning is a combination of meaning of the going to-future, current availability, plus a reference to an incomplete action at a point in time in the future. EXERCISE II. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES CORRECTLY: (1) Watch out! You (hit) the kerb! (2) This time next week I (lie) on a beach in Majorca. (3) She (have) a baby. (4) If Germany lose the next match, they (be) out of the competition. (5) I think I (faint). (6) Take a drink of water and you (feel) better. (7) It s pouring outside. You (get) soaked. (8) The environment (be) a key issue at the next summit. (9) Can you call John? Yes, I (call) him now. (10) There s the doorbell. That (be) the postman. (11) I was just talking to John and Mary. They (get) married in a registry office next month.

15 Future 15 (12) In the next programme in the series, we (look at) the body s immune system in more depth. (13) France probably (win) the Championship. 2.5 Present progressive We have already talked previously about the uses of the present progressive, as exemplified below: 102) The plane is landing. 103) I m writing a letter. 104) The Earth is getting warmer. 105) He s always watching TV. We said that the basic meaning of the present progressive was that a singular event is incomplete at the moment of speaking, that is it has started but it has not finished. This can also be extended into the future; the following sentence is ambiguous: 106) John is leaving. This can mean that John is in the process of leaving, that is right now, or it can refer to the future: 107) John is leaving at the end of the month. The present progressive can thus also be used to talk about the future, as in the following examples: 108) I m taking the children to the zoo on Saturday. 109) We re having a party tomorrow. 110) John is arriving on Thursday. 111) Santana is touring Europe next month. This use of the present progressive is sometimes called present arrangement. More precisely, we can say state the following: it typically requires reference to a point in time in the future, usually explicitly with an adverb of time: tomorrow, on Thursday it tends not to allow modification (see above) with an operator like probably we infer from the combination of present progressive and reference to time in the future that, although the action has not yet commenced, the preparations or arrangements have proceeded so far that it has as good as begun, in other words it is a continuation of present actions

16 16 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum it thus does not mean prediction, but implies that the event is a continuation of the present, a future link in a chain of events which has already commenced We therefore cannot say: 112) *Santana is probably touring ) *France are winning the Championship. Nor can we decide spontaneously: 114) *I m having a party. 2.6 Present simple The present simple, as we saw previously, is basically used to express typifications, globalisations, generalisations, facts: 115) My dog barks. 116) Dogs bark. 117) Water boils at 100 C. There are certain limited uses of the present simple to talk about the future: 118) Tomorrow is Wednesday. 119) The plane takes off at tonight. 120) John starts work tomorrow. 121) Exams begin on Tuesday. 122) The match starts at The combination of the present simple with a reference to a time in the future shows us that we are not dealing with a prediction, nor current availability, nor with the final chain in a link of events, but rather with facts, in other words with the future as fact, as something basically fixed and inalterable. Remember the typical use of the present simple in when-clauses and ifclauses: 123) When John gets come, he'll call you. 124) If you come home late, there will be trouble! Finally, the present simple in English is relatively rarely used to talk about the future, in contrast to German. 2.7 Future perfect simple

17 Future 17 The uses of this form parallel the uses discussed earlier for will + infinitive. It can express the prediction that at a particular point in time in the future an action will be completed: 125) By tomorrow I will have finished the book. An inferential use is: 126) John isn t here yet. He will have missed his train. 2.8 Future perfect progressive This use expresses the prediction that at particular point in time in the future an action will still be incomplete: 127) In October of this year I will have been studying for three years. 2.9 Be to + infinitive Other ways of talking about the future in English involve the use of semiauxiliary constructions and express modality: 128) You are to be here at six. 129) There is to be an official inquiry. This construction to be to is one possible translation of the German sollen and means an event is predetermined due to the decision of someone in authority, i.e. it has a prescriptive meaning Be about to + infinitive This construction is used for the immediate future: 130) The train is about to leave. It can also be expressed using: to be on the point of + VERB-ing to be going to + just

18 18 McElholm Fachsprachenzentrum 2.11 Future in the past This is used to describe something in the future when seen from a viewpoint in the past, as in a narrative Modal verb construction with would 131) The time was not far off when he would regret this decision. This use tends to be restricted to literary contexts. Notice that this is a different use of would from the habitual use in the following: 132) When I was a child, we would play all day long in the fields Be going to + infinitive 133) I was going to go and then I changed my mind. 134) You were going to give me your address. The implication of this use is that of non-fulfilment of a plan or an intention: the use in the second example is also polite Past progressive 135) I was meeting him in Bordeaux the next day. Here the meaning is that of the final link in the chain of events, shifted to the past; in other word this is an arrangement predetermined in the past Be to + infinitive 136) He was eventually to end up in the bankruptcy court. 137) The meeting was to be held the following week. This use would be typically translated into German with sollte ; in the latter, the meaning is that of an arrangement based on a decision by someone in authority, while in the former sentence the meaning is more that of destiny Be about to + infinitive 138) He was about to hit me. This use is self-explanatory: an impending event shifted to the past.

19 Future 19 EXERCISE III. PUT THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES REFERRING TO THE FUTURE INTO THE CORRECT FORM: (1) I (see) you next week. (2) Harry and Mary (come) this evening. (3) I think it s (rain). (4) If I (give) you money you (spend) it on drink. (5) She's (have) a baby. (6) (Give) me a hand? (7) What time (leave) the next train for Worcester? (8) This time next week I (lie) on a beach in Tunisia. (9) Do you think that Manchester United (win) the Premier Division? (10) The phone s ringing I (answer) it. (11) The police (charge) her, but she persuaded them that she was innocent. (12) John (come) yesterday evening, but he didn t turn up.