The young man clearly needs help. What do you say in this situation?
a) I'm going to give you a hand with those boxes.
b) I'll give you a hand with those boxes.
c) I'm giving you a hand with those boxes.
The correct answer is....
b
All three options look very similar. They're about the future and offer help. Why is "b" the correct answer? What's the difference between "going to", "be + ing", and "will"?
Today, we'll look at how to use "going to", "be + ing", and "will".
We use "going to" and/or present continuous (be + ing) when we're talking about future plans that have already been decided. For example:
Shin: Would you like to have drinks with us Friday after work, Jinny?
Jinny: I'm sorry, I can't. I'm working late Friday.
If we're talking about our
Will ('ll) is used when we're:
a) making a prediction about the future
b) making a decision or offer at the moment of speaking
c) not 100% certain of our plans.
d) making a promise
(note: when speaking, we usually use the contraction "'ll")
Let's look at the conversation between Shin and Jinny again.
Shin: Would you like to have drinks with us Friday after work, Jinny?
Jinny: I'm sorry, I can't. I'm working late Friday. I'll be in the office till 8 this evening.
Shin: I see. That's too bad.
Jinny: Yeah, I'll be too tired to go out. How about next Friday? I'm working a regular schedule then.
Shin: That sounds good. We'll probably go out again. I'll call you next Thursday to confirm.
Jinny: Great. Have a good day, Shin.
You see that we often use time expressions when using this language (next week, tomorrow at 7, etc).
Exercise
Choose the correct options-"going to", present continuous, or will (won't)-to complete the sentences. As always, the comments section can be used to write your answers.
Clerk: Good afternoon. May I take your order?
Customer: Yes, please. I'll have/I'm going to have a cheeseburger with a large cola, and onion rings.
Chris: What are you're plans for your holiday in Mexico, Grace?
Grace: Well, I've hired a boat, so I'll go/I'm going to go scuba diving off the Yucatan peninsula. If
have time, I'll do a hiking trip/I'm doing a hiking trip around the Aztec pyramids there.
In 20 years, robots and computers will do/are going to do many jobs like teaching, accounting, and cleaning.
Chloe: It's Thanksgiving! Grandma will roast/is roasting a turkey again.
Amanda: What about her rhubarb crumble?
Chloe: She hasn't decided. I think she 'll probably make/is probably making a
pumpkin pie.
Kenji: We'll have/'re having a meeting on the 15th. I'll do/'m doing a sales presentation.
Sachi: Will you/Are you going to need the overhead projector?
Kenji: No, I won't/'m not going to need it. I'll use/'m using Power Point as usual.
Bonus Exercise: Write about your plans for next week in the comments section.
For more on this grammar point, you can watch the video below from EngVid.
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