The Differences in Future Tenses

Talking about the future isn't just limited to using will or going to. It was explained from Side by Side book 3, Chapter 3, We've Got Mail, but I'm going to add a few more notes based on other resources I've gathered. Here are some sample sentences for the following future tenses and how the meaning changes. I've added links of grammar pointers I've been using during my lessons.

• I will fly to London tomorrow. = will fly = simple future is used to show that the plan is made during conversation

• I'm going to fly to London tomorrow. = going to = the person made the plan before the moment of speaking, but the plan may be realistic or unrealistic.

will vs going to: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/will-or-be-going-to.html

"be going to" to express a plan: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

• I will be flying to London tomorrow afternoon. = will be flying = future continuous is used to show that the action will start and continue in the future (tomorrow afternoon)

future continuous: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/futureperfectandfuturecontinuous-120310072615-phpapp01/95/future-perfect-and-future-continuous-6-728.jpg%3Fcb%3D1331364507

• I'm flying to London tomorrow. = am flying = present continuous is used to express a fixed plan in the near future

present continuous tense: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IT6ncD953D4/VhEfW6IkhfI/AAAAAAAAAE8/4__o9k2Mc6E/s1600/present%2Bcontinuous.jpg

Here's another set of sentences for comparison.

• I eat a blueberry cheesecake for tomorrow's afternoon snack. = eat = simple present is used for activities that already have a fixed schedule in the future.

simple present tense: http://englishstudypage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/simple-present-tense.png

Note: The explanation is the brown box on the bottom right.

• I will eat a blueberry cheesecake. = I made the decision right now.

• I'm going to eat a blueberry cheesecake. = I made the decision before the conversation, but it's an option if I make the action a reality or not

• I'm eating a blueberry cheesecake after the lesson. = fixed plan in the near future

• I will be eating blueberry cheesecake on Saturday. = will be eating = future continuous is used to show emphasis of future plan

future continuous (more uses): https://englishfy.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/future.png

Note: one of the uses of the future continuous tense is Atmosphere in the Future.

atmosphere = /ˈætməsfɪr/ = [noun] the character, the feeling, or mood in a particular place or situation

Source: Oxford Learner's Dictionaries