Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
OTHER WAYS OF TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE, When the frases are used with past…
OTHER WAYS OF TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
Be on the verge of / be on the brink of / be on the point of .. (+ -ing or noun)
to say that something will happen soon.
People are on the verge of starvation as the drought continues.
Scientists are on the brink of making major advances in the fight against AIDS.
Exhausted, mentally and physically, she was on the point of collapse.
Be due to (+ infinitive) to say that something is expected to happen at a particular time.
Will there be somewhere to get a coffee at the station? 'Oh, yeas, there's bound to be'
Be sure / be bound to (+ infinitive) to say that something is likely or certain to happen.
The company's chief executive is due to retire next year, but following today's announcement or further losses, she is sure to be asked to leave sooner.
Be set to (+infinitive)
Her new film is set to be a great success.
To say that something is ready to happen.
Due to + noun = To give the reason for something, not to talk about the future.
Due to the fog, all flights from the airport have been cancelled.
We use some verbs with a to-infinitive to talk about intentions
: (We guarantee to refund your money if you are dissatisfied with the computer)
The present simple + to -infinitive or present continuous + to infinitive
can be used with some verbs marked * to talk about intentions:
I aim to get to Bangkok by the end of June. (or I'm aiming to get... I was aiming to get .. is also possible, but more tentative)
*Aim, agree, expect, hope, intend, mean, plan, promise, propose, resolve, undertake, want.
Some people, particularly in speech and in journalism, use
be looking + to-infinitive
to mean planning a course of action.
We're looking to create 3,000 jobs in the city over the next year.
Some people use shall (and shan't) instead of will (and won't) in statements about the future with I and we. However, it's more common to use will (particularly its contracted form 'll) and won't:
He was a good friend, and we shall miss him greatly. (more commonly.. we'll miss...)
I'm just going to buy a newspaper. I shan't be long. (More commonly I won't)
In current English we don't usually use shall / shan't with other subjects to talk about the future, although this is found in formal rules and in older literary styles.
The match referee shall be the sole judge of fair play.
All people of the world shall live together
When the frases are used with past tense forms, they're usually concerned with future events seen from the past.
It was his 64th birthday in 2006, and he was due to retire the following year.
Nathan had resolved to become fluent in Spanish before he left university.
The new management had been looking to create 20 new jobs.
BE ON THE BRINK OF USUALLY REFERS TO SOMETHING IMPORTANT, EXCITING, OR VERY BAD.