What is Future Tense?

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Grade Level:

Pre-School – Class 2

All domains without exception

Definition

What is it?

Future Tense tells us about actions that will happen later, in time that has not come yet. It describes events that are planned or expected to take place in the future. We use words like 'will' or 'shall' to show future tense.

Simple Example

Quick Example

Imagine your cricket match is tomorrow. You would say, 'I will play cricket tomorrow.' Here, 'will play' shows an action happening in the future, not now or in the past.

Worked Example

Step-by-Step

Let's change a sentence from present to future tense:

Step 1: Identify the main verb in the sentence. Original sentence: 'She eats an apple.' The main verb is 'eats.'
---Step 2: Think about when the action will happen. We want it to happen later.
---Step 3: Add 'will' or 'shall' before the base form of the verb. The base form of 'eats' is 'eat.'
---Step 4: Combine 'will' with 'eat' to get 'will eat.'
---Step 5: Rewrite the sentence with the future tense verb. 'She will eat an apple.'

Answer: 'She will eat an apple.'

Why It Matters

Understanding Future Tense is crucial for planning and communicating about upcoming events, whether it's discussing your school exam schedule or your family's next vacation. It's used by project managers to plan tasks, by weather forecasters to predict rain, and by doctors to schedule appointments.

Common Mistakes

MISTAKE: Using the present tense verb directly after 'will' or 'shall' without changing it. For example, 'I will goes to market.' | CORRECTION: Always use the base form of the verb after 'will' or 'shall'. 'I will go to market.'

MISTAKE: Confusing 'will' and 'would'. For example, 'If it rains, I would stay home.' when talking about a definite future plan. | CORRECTION: Use 'will' for definite future actions. 'If it rains, I will stay home.' 'Would' is for hypothetical or polite requests.

MISTAKE: Forgetting to use 'will' or 'shall' when talking about future actions. For example, 'Tomorrow I visit my grandparents.' | CORRECTION: Add 'will' or 'shall' to clearly indicate future tense. 'Tomorrow I will visit my grandparents.'

Practice Questions

Try It Yourself

QUESTION: Change the sentence 'They watch a movie.' to future tense. | ANSWER: They will watch a movie.

QUESTION: Fill in the blank with the correct future tense verb: 'My brother ______ (finish) his homework by evening.' | ANSWER: My brother will finish his homework by evening.

QUESTION: Rewrite the sentence 'We are going to the fair next week.' using 'will'. | ANSWER: We will go to the fair next week.

MCQ

Quick Quiz

Which sentence is in Future Tense?

She sang a beautiful song.

He is playing football now.

They will visit Mumbai next month.

The dog barked loudly.

The Correct Answer Is:

Option C uses 'will visit', which clearly indicates an action happening in the future. Options A and D are in past tense, and Option B is in present continuous tense.

Real World Connection

In the Real World

When you use apps like Google Maps to plan a trip, it tells you 'You will reach your destination in 30 minutes.' This uses future tense to give you an estimated arrival time. Similarly, when you book a train ticket on IRCTC, the confirmation often states 'Your train will depart at 7:00 PM,' informing you about a future event.

Key Vocabulary

Key Terms

FUTURE: Time that is yet to come | TENSE: A form of a verb that shows the time of an action or event | WILL/SHALL: Helping verbs used to form the future tense | BASE FORM: The simplest form of a verb (e.g., eat, play, go) | ACTION: Something done or performed

What's Next

What to Learn Next

Great job understanding Future Tense! Next, you should explore the different forms of Future Tense, like Future Continuous and Future Perfect. This will help you express future actions with even more precision and detail.