Introduction
Understanding the future forms of the auxiliary verbs "to be" and "to have" is crucial for the TOEIC test. These verbs help express future plans, intentions, and predictions, which are common in business communication. Mastering them will enhance your ability to understand and construct sentences in the future tense.
Explanation
In English, the future tense is often formed using "will" or "going to." Here's how we use them with "to be" and "to have":
To be: In the future tense, to be becomes "will be" or "is going to be."
Example: The meeting will be at 10 a.m.
Example: The project is going to be successful.
To have: In the future tense, to have becomes "will have" or "is going to have."
Example: She will have the report ready by tomorrow.
Example: He is going to have a meeting with the client.
Common mistakes
Mixing tenses: Avoid using past or present tense forms with future indicators.
Incorrect: She has the report ready by tomorrow.
Correct: She will have the report ready by tomorrow.
Confusing "going to" with "will": Use "going to" for planned actions and "will" for spontaneous decisions or predictions.
Incorrect: I will visit the client next week. (if it’s a planned visit)
Correct: I am going to visit the client next week.
Tips for the TOEIC test
Pay attention to time indicators like "tomorrow," "next week," or "in the future" to identify future tense usage.
Listen for context clues in the Listening section to decide if "will" or "going to" is more appropriate.
Practice reading sentences to understand the intended meaning and choose the correct future form.
Mini practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct future form of "to be" or "to have":
By the end of the year, the company _______ (be) one of the market leaders.
She _______ (have) a conference call with the overseas team tomorrow.
We _______ (be) ready to launch the new product next month.
Answers
will be
is going to have
are going to be
