Will or Going To?

One of the most asked questions by English learners, and one of the areas that receives the most mistakes, is when to use "will" and when to use "going to?"

There are many explanations of when "will" is used and many explanations of when "going to" is used, but the main thing to bear in mind when choosing between these two tenses is:

Going to is used when we have decided to do something before the time of speaking and will is used when we decide to do something at the time of speaking.

Here are some examples:

• I'm going to the nightclub, are you guys up for it?
• I'll go!

• Let's go the the park this Saturday for a picnic.
• Great idea! I'll bring some sandwiches.
• Cool. I'll bring some drinks.

Later on...

• We're going to have a picnic on Saturday. I'm going to bring some sandwiches and my friend is going to bring some drinks.

In the latter example the plan for the picnic was made before the conversation. While in the original example the picnic plan was made while speaking.

There are lots of other ways to illustrate the question of will or going to, here are just a few:

•  Will is used for offers (I'll help you), promises (I promise I'll call you), and requests (Will you pass me the salt please?)
• Going to is used when you base a prediction on something you can see (look at the blue sky, it's going to be a nice day today).

 To fully understand the difference between these two tenses, read this post a few times over, repeat the examples given and then put it into practice.

Don't Worry - Irregular Verbs

Many students are worried about irregular verbs. They learn the grammar rules and then are asked to look up the irregular verb table (which is usually in the appendix) and remember all the different irregular verbs. While some students may find this beneficial and others will remember some of them, learning in context will vastly improve your chances of remember (and using) irregular verbs.

Here are some tips for practising English irregular verbs.

•  Some of the most common irregular verbs are also the most common. To be, to go, to have. Can you use these freely? If so this is because you have used them often. This leads to point number two.
• Whenever you come across an irregular verb write it down and then use it in different tenses. Try and use it in natural conversation the next time you speak English.
• Repeat the irregular verb (in context) many times. Repetition will help you use the verb more freely in conversation.

New Year's Resolutions

With the new year comes new resolutions. The most common ones usually involve exercising and eating. But as English learners there are some new year's resolutions that we can all make. Here are some examples:

• Set some goals for the new year. Is there a test you want to pass? Is there a level you want to reach? Write these things down and refer to them throughout the year to check your progress.
• Find more time to study. Studying English should be done when you are relaxed, so finding the right time to study is very important.
• If you are at a good level, a good resolution could be to watch a television series in English. Watching the same series will help you with your listening and understanding of a specific genre. Pick something that you are interested in and something that isn't too difficult or technical.
• Try to speak English more. A lot of students spend a lot of time studying without speaking. This could be done by self study (reading articles out loud, finding a language exchange, listening and repeating) or by starting an English course.

What other resolutions can you think of? Although you can start doing the above at any time throughout the year, there isn't a better time to start than in the new year.

Happy new year to all of my readers. I hope it's a good year both for English learning and generally.

Share