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Unit 9: The big wedding
Present continuous and 'going to' for future

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Session 3

Now it's your turn to help plan a wedding! In this session you will use the present continuous and going to as you become a busy wedding planner. And we'll look at a new way of talking about the future.

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Session 3 score

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    Activity 1
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    Activity 2
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    Activity 3
  1. Activity 1
  2. Activity 2
  3. Activity 3

Activity 3

Is that rain?

Different ways to talk about the future

Emma's going to her friend's wedding. But the weather doesn't look too good. Watch the video and listen out for the different verb forms that Emma uses to talk about the future. Can you spot them all?

Watch the video and complete the activity

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Here I am: I'm going to my friend's wedding.

I think I'm going to get wet.

I'll stop and buy an umbrella.

The wedding starts at 2, so I've got time.

Future or present?

3 Questions

Which of these phrases are about the future? And which are about the present?

Congratulations you completed the Quiz
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
x / y

Future or present?

3 Questions

Which of these phrases are about the future? And which are about the present?

Congratulations you completed the Quiz
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
x / y

One more way to use 'going to'

We also use going to for something that we expect to happen because we can see from the present situation that it is very likely. We can’t use the present continuous in this way.

  • The sky is grey. I think I'm going to get wet.
  • Oh no! That car’s going to hit the tree.

Present simple for future

Did you notice Emma's last sentence?

  • "The wedding starts at 2pm"

Although the tense is the present simple (subject + verb), it is actually talking about the future. We sometimes use the present simple to talk about events which happen at specific times in the future .

  • The wedding ceremony starts at 2pm.
  • The concert is from 9pm-11pm.

Next

That's the end of Session 3. In Session 4 we're going to meet a young couple from India who are getting married. And we'll read a News Report about how to save money when planning a wedding.

Session Grammar

  • Use going to
    To talk about something we have decided to do in the future, but not arranged yet.

    I’m going to spend a year travelling.

    Use the present continuous
    To talk about something we have decided to do in the future, and made arrangements for. It’s definite, not just an idea.

    I’m meeting a client at 2pm.

View full grammar reference

Session Vocabulary

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