Future Tenses ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets

ESL Future Tenses Activity - Grammar: Forming Sentences, Answering Questions, Freer Practice This insightful future tenses activity is useful for reviewing the three future forms: will, be going to, and the present continuous. Put three chairs at the front of the class and label them with will, be going to, and the present continuous. Give an example of each future form by sitting in each chair and making a sentence. Next, invite students to come up one by one, sit on one of the chairs, and make an appropriate sentence. Then, ask the student concept-checking questions to make sure they are sitting in the correct chair. If the student's answers show they are sitting in the wrong place, they move to another chair and make a more suitable sentence. Continue until the three forms have been adequately covered. show less

ESL Going To and Will Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice In this free 'be going to' and 'will' activity, students ask 'be going to' questions to confirm plans for tomorrow and change their minds by making spontaneous decisions with 'will'. First, students hold their cards so that the 'Plan' side is facing themselves and the 'Decision' side is facing away. Students then go around asking 'be going to' questions to confirm a plan for tomorrow, with each student using their card as a prompt, e.g. 'Are you going to go to the gym tomorrow?' When a student asks a question, their partner changes their mind about the plan and uses 'will' to make a spontaneous decision by choosing from two prompts, e.g. 'No, I think I'll play tennis.' In the activity, students repeat the same question several times, but practice making different decisions each time they change partners. When the students have spoken to everyone, they exchange cards and repeat the activity. show less

ESL Future Expressions Games - Grammar and Speaking: Pelmanism, Forming Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In these two future expressions games, students practice making sentences about the future with 'would like to', 'want to', 'hope to' and 'be going to'. First, students play a pelmanism game where they take turns turning over two cards. If the two cards form a valid pair (one future expression card + one verb card), the student makes a sentence about the future with the expression and verb on the cards, e.g. 'I would like to go shopping this weekend.' The other group members listen to the student's sentence and judge whether it's correct. If it is, the student keeps the two cards and has another turn. If the sentence is wrong or the two cards don't go together, the student turns the cards back over. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. Next, students play a game where they race to make a true sentence about the future. Students take turns turning over a future expression card and a verb card from each pile. The other students then race to make a true sentence about the future using the words on the cards. The first student to do this wins and keeps the cards. The student with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. show less

ESL Be Going To or Will Worksheet - Grammar Exercise: Gap-fill In this useful 'be going to' or 'will' worksheet, students identify the function of each sentence and then fill in the gaps with the correct future form, using 'be going to' for plans and 'will' for offers, promises, spontaneous decisions, and predictions. First, students decide the function of each sentence (future plan, unplanned decision, offer, promise, or prediction) and write it next to the item. Students then complete the sentences using the correct future form of the verb in brackets. Afterwards, go through the answers with the class and elicit the function of the future form in each sentence. show less

ESL Be Going To or Will Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this rewarding 'be going to' and 'will' game, students practice using 'be going to' for future plans and 'will' for predictions by forming sentences, asking questions, and matching logical answers. In pairs, students take turns picking up a question card and forming a sentence with 'be going to' using the Plan prompt, e.g. 'I'm going to buy a new television.' The student then forms a corresponding question with 'will' using the Question prompt, e.g. 'How much money will it cost?' The other student then checks their answer cards for a logical match. If they have one, they make a prediction in sentence form using 'will', e.g. 'It will cost $150.' If the student makes a logical match and a grammatically correct prediction, they keep the question card, discard the used answer card, and draw a new one from the pile. If they cannot make a logical match or a grammatically correct prediction, the student keeps the answer card, and the question card is returned to the bottom of the pile. It's then the other student's turn to pick a question card, and so on. The student with the most question cards at the end of the game is the winner. show less

ESL Future Tenses Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Gap-fill, Forming, Asking and Answering Questions From Prompts Here is an engaging future tenses speaking activity to help students practice the future forms: will, be going to and the present continuous. Students begin by completing sentences with 'will', 'be going to' or the present continuous and verbs in brackets. Students then go around the class asking their classmates the questions in order to find people who the sentences are true for, e.g. 'Are you meeting a friend after class?' When a student finds someone who answers 'yes' to a question, the student writes down their name to complete the sentence and asks a follow-up question to gain more information, noting down the answer in the last column. When everyone has finished, students give feedback to the class on what they found out by reading their completed sentences and giving extra information. show less

ESL Future Tenses Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work In this useful future tenses speaking activity, students complete, ask and answer conversation questions using 'will', 'be going to' and the present continuous. First, in two groups, students complete each conversation question with a verb from the box in the correct form, using 'will', 'be going to' or the present continuous as appropriate. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group. Students then take turns asking the conversation questions to their partner, who responds accordingly. Finally, students share what they learned about their partner with the class. show less

ESL Will and Going To Activity - Speaking: Discussing and Planning a Schedule, Presenting, Freer Practice - Group Work In this enjoyable 'will' and 'be going to' activity, students use 'will' to make on-the-spot decisions while planning a week-long holiday itinerary, and then use 'be going to' to write up and present the final plan to the class. First, in groups of three or four, students discuss and decide on a holiday itinerary for themselves and their visiting friends, using the future form 'will' to make spontaneous decisions. Each group then plans their complete itinerary and fills in the timetable with their ideas, using 'be going to'. When the students have finished, each group uses 'be going to' to present their planned itinerary to the class. Afterwards, review the use of 'will' and 'be going to' and have the students vote for the best holiday itinerary. show less

ESL Future Tenses Game - Grammar and Speaking Game: Matching, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Group Work In this imaginative future tenses game, students practice asking and answering questions about the future using 'will', 'be going to', and the present continuous. In groups, students take turns picking up a question prompt card and deciding which future form would be the most suitable match for the question on the card, e.g. a prediction, a decision, an arrangement, etc. The student then uses the future form and prompt to ask a question to the other students. If the student forms the question correctly, they score a point. The other students then reply using the appropriate future form. If a student gives a suitable response, they also score a point. The question card is then placed next to the future form card. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins. show less

ESL Future Tenses Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Gap-fill, Ordering, Role-Play, Controlled Practice - Pair Work In this challenging future tenses activity, students use 'will', 'be going to', and the present continuous to complete missing verbs in two dialogues and put the dialogues in a logical order. The students' task is to complete sentences with the appropriate future forms and put conversations in the correct order by reading the sentences to a partner and numbering them. Student A begins the first dialogue by reviewing their sentences, selecting the most suitable one using an appropriate future form, and reading it aloud to their partner. The student then puts number 1 next to the sentence. Student B listens, looks for a suitable reply, completes the sentence and then reads that reply to Student A, putting number 2 next to the sentence. This process continues until the conversation is in order. Students then move on to the second dialogue, with Student B starting the conversation. Finally, review the two dialogues and future forms with the class. show less

ESL Future Tenses Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In this free future tenses board game, students practice making predictions using the future simple with 'will', the future perfect, the future continuous, future time expressions, 'will probably' and 'might'. In groups, students take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a student lands on a square, they make a prediction about the topic using the future form that matches the number they rolled. For example, if a student rolls a '1', the student makes a prediction with the future simple. If a student rolls a '2', they make a prediction with the future perfect, and so on. The other students in the group judge whether the sentence is grammatically correct and appropriate. If the sentence is correct, the student stays on the square. If not, they go back to their previous square. The first student to reach the finish square wins the game. show less

ESL Future Tenses Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Impromptu Speech, Communicative Practice - Group Work Here is a free future forms board game to help students talk about the future using the present continuous, 'be going to', 'will', 'won't' and 'would like to'. Students take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a student lands on a square, they talk about the topic on the square for 30 seconds using an appropriate future form. If a student can't think of anything to say, makes a grammar mistake, or stops talking before the 30 seconds are up, they go back two squares. The first student to reach the finish wins the game. show less

ESL Future Intentions Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercises: Rating, Writing Sentences from Prompts - Speaking Activity: Guided Discussion - Group Work In this creative New Year's resolutions worksheet, students use five common future forms to express intentions with different levels of certainty and use them to make, discuss and plan New Year's resolutions. First, students read five ways to express a New Year's resolution and categorise them, according to their varying degrees of certainty. Next, students write one New Year's resolution for each aspect of their life, indicating the certainty of the resolution with an appropriate phrase. In groups, students then take turns sharing one of their less certain New Year's resolutions. The other group members listen and try to give advice to the student to help them achieve their goal. Finally, based on the advice given by their classmates, students write a plan to help them keep their New Year's resolution and share it with the class. show less

ESL Future Forms Game - Grammar: Writing Sentences from Prompts, Guessing In this intriguing future forms game, students practice future forms by anonymously completing a short questionnaire about their plans and predictions, then listening to classmates’ responses and guessing who wrote each set of answers. First, students anonymously complete a questionnaire by writing their answers in sentence form in the spaces provided. Students then put an assigned number at the top of the questionnaire and hand it in. Next, students take turns coming to the front of the class and reading the answers on another student's questionnaire to the class along with the student's number. Each student listens and guesses which classmate wrote the answers, writing the name and number of the person on a piece of paper. When all the questionnaires have been read out, students reveal their numbers. Students score one point for each correct guess. The student with the most points wins. show less

ESL Future Tenses Board Game - Grammar Game: Answering Questions from Prompts, Forming Questions and Sentences - Group Work This fun future forms board game helps students practice future forms by asking and answering questions, forming full sentences, and discussing plans in small groups. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they answer the question using an appropriate future form. Players must give detailed answers and form full sentences. If a player lands on a square containing a question mark, the player asks the other students in the group a question about the future which they each answer in turn. The other students in the group judge whether the player's answer or question is grammatically correct. If it is, the player stays on the square. If a player makes a mistake or cannot think of an answer or question, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less

ESL Will or Be Going To Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Matching, Writing Sentences from Prompts, Binary Choice, Error Correction, Rewriting Sentences This comprehensive 'will' or 'be going to' worksheet helps students practice or review the differences between these two future forms. First, students complete statements, questions and responses with the correct form of 'will' or 'be going to' and then match them together. Students then rewrite sentences with 'will' or 'be going to' in their negative form. Next, students underline the correct future form to complete each sentence. Lastly, students rewrite sentences, correcting 'will' or 'be going to' mistakes. show less

ESL Future Tenses Game - Grammar: Gap-fill, Betting In this mixed future tenses game, students complete sentences that refer to the future and to future-in-the-past forms, then bet points on their answers. First, students complete sentences with verbs from a box in their correct future forms. Students then bet between one and five points, depending on how sure they are about each answer, five being very sure and one not at all sure. Afterwards, go through the correct answers by eliciting the sentences from the class. For each correct answer, students put a tick and write the number they bet in the points column. For incorrect answers, students put a cross and write the number with a minus sign in front of it in the points column. Afterwards, students add up their points to get a grand total. The student with the most points wins the game. show less

ESL Future Expressions Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion - Group Work In this future expressions with 'be' game, students complete sentences by combining verbs from a word bank with be + due to, about to, just about to, or to. The aim of the game is for players to get four squares in a row whilst trying to prevent their opponent from doing the same. Players take turns choosing a square and completing the sentence by combining one of the provided verbs with due to, about to, just about to, or to, e.g. 'Hurry up! The class is about to start.' The student adjudicating then checks the answer sheet. If the sentence is correct, the player marks their square with an 'O' or 'X' accordingly. It's then the other player's turn to choose a square. The first player to get four squares in a row is the winner. If no one manages to do this, the player with the most squares wins. When the students have finished, they swap roles and play a second game, giving the student who acted as adjudicator a chance to play. show less

ESL Future Tenses Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice This future forms speaking activity helps students review future forms and their functions. The activity covers 'will' for predictions, 'be going to' for plans and intentions, present continuous for definite arrangements as well as the future perfect, future continuous and 'would like'. First, students change the items on the worksheet into questions. Students then go around the class asking the questions to each other, e.g. 'Will you be having dinner at 6 p.m. this evening?' When a classmate answers 'yes' to a question, the student writes the classmate's name in the 'Name' column and completes the sentence, then asks follow-up questions to get more information, noting the answers in the 'More information' column before moving on to speak to another classmate. Afterwards, elicit which future form was used in each question and why. Finally, students give feedback to the class on what they found out about their classmates. show less

ESL Future Tenses Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Guided Discussions - Pair Work In this rewarding future expressions game, students discuss a range of personal and global questions while deliberately using advanced future expressions in their answers to gain points. In pairs, one student picks up a question card, reads it aloud and places it face-up on the desk, e.g. 'What exciting changes do you see in your career or personal life in the next five years?' The two students then have a conversation about the question for two minutes. As the students talk, they try to naturally work a sentence into the conversation that uses a future expression on a card. For example, if a student had a future expression card that read 'be about to,' the student might say, 'I'm about to graduate from school, so I think in the next five years I'll get a job.' When a student successfully uses their future expression in the conversation, as confirmed by their partner, they score a point, take another future expression card, and then try to use the next expression. After two minutes, the conversation ends, and the students place all the future expression cards back in the pile. The game continues until all the question cards have been used. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins. show less