{"id":6860,"date":"2020-10-19T10:32:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T10:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltweekly.com\/?p=6860"},"modified":"2020-10-19T10:32:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T10:32:51","slug":"two-more-futures-plans-and-unalterable-plans-by-nick-shepherd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/?p=6860","title":{"rendered":"Two more futures: plans and \u2018unalterable\u2019 plans by Nick Shepherd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In ELTWeekly (8 Sep 2020), I mentioned two uses of the present simple and present progressive, to talk about the future.&nbsp; Here are the two examples I used:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Plan: \u201cI am taking my holiday in Ibiza this year.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pres. progressive.<\/li><li>Unalterable plan: \u201cThe train leaves Paddington at 17.42.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pres. simple<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve already talked about <em>going to<\/em> and <em>will<\/em>, and now I want to continue my exploration of the future, that unknown country, by looking at how we use these two tenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first one is the Plan. Here are two examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hurry up, I\u2019m leaving soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hurry up, the bus is leaving soon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first sentence is my plan, and I don\u2019t want to change it. The second one is also a plan, and can\u2019t be changed by the speaker, who is a passenger, could perhaps be changed by the driver, and could certainly be changed by the manager of the bus company. So in both cases, changing the departure time is an issue, but perhaps not impossible to do.&nbsp; The events are what you could call \u201csemi-fixed\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second one, the Unalterable Plan. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cOur bus leaves at 7.45.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a plan, and &#8211; like the previous sentence &#8211; it could probably be changed by the company with some difficulty, but it feels more fixed, more unalterable, than the previous sentence. The difference between these two is in the speaker\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a story about what happened to me when I was the boss of a chain of schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wanted one of my school directors, Alan, to do a job for me, and also knew he was going on holiday, so I said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When are you leaving?<\/li><li>I leave at 6.15 a.m. on Monday.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without thinking about it, I wanted to suggest that it was in his power to change the time of departure, so I said \u201c. . . are you leaving\u201d, not \u201c. . . do you leave?\u201d He could have replied \u201cI\u2019m leaving\u201d or even \u201cI\u2019m going to leave\u201d, but that would have suggested that he could change the beginning of his holiday and do what I wanted first, but he didn\u2019t want to, so he chose the verb form to make the event seem unalterable. It worked, mostly because I didn\u2019t want a confrontation, but also because I had other ways of solving my problem, so I said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Okay Alan, enjoy it.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Alan went on holiday, on Monday (at 6.15 a.m. I imagine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a shot from a video I made about the present simple. It talks about all the uses, including plans: <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"272\" height=\"216\" src=\"\/\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"276\" height=\"220\" src=\"http:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6866\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And here\u2019s the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p class=\"responsive-video-wrap clr\"><iframe title=\"Learn English - present simple advanced (&quot;the sun rises tomorrow&quot;)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WdtOFNVMfeQ?list=PL60DD269AC38033E1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing in the future is unalterable (except, as the Chinese say, death and taxes); these examples are about feelings and attitudes. If you want to make it sound unalterable, use a present simple, \u201cleaves\u201d. If you are willing to accept the idea that it might be changed, although not easily, use a present progressive, \u201cis leaving\u201d. And if you are willing to take total responsibility, say \u201cgoing to leave\u201d.<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"235\" src=\"\/\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a way of looking at three forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"404\" height=\"239\" src=\"http:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image-4.png 404w, https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image-4-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, \u201cIt\u2019s more complicated than that . . .\u201d, but isn\u2019t everything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note on the \u201cmore complicated\u201d stuff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1 I think the most interesting fact about the future in English is that we don\u2019t have a future tense, which shows that the language recognises an important fact: we can\u2019t exchange information about future events in the same way that we can with past and present events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We cannot know what will happen in the future, but we can have <strong>intentions<\/strong>, we can make <strong>predictions<\/strong>, and we can have <strong>plans<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2 I said above: \u201cThe difference between these two is in the speaker\u2019s mind.\u201d When we use language, we need to think about what the speaker wants to convey. First there is the idea. But are they speaking calmly? With emotion? Anxious to persuade us? Simply stating a fact? Listen carefully: can you tell from the voice, the body language, the emphasis, what the speaker really means, and what he is really trying to achieve with his words? It\u2019s not easy, but it is fascinating to try!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In ELTWeekly (8 Sep 2020), I mentioned two uses of the present simple and present progressive, to talk about the future.&nbsp; Here are the two examples I used: Plan: \u201cI am taking my holiday in Ibiza this year.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pres. progressive. Unalterable plan: \u201cThe train leaves Paddington at 17.42.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pres. simple I\u2019ve already talked about going [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","omw_enable_modal_window":"enable","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,263,273],"tags":[851,921],"class_list":["post-6860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eltweekly","category-eltweekly-volume-11","category-eltweekly-volume-11-issue-18","tag-elt-newsletter","tag-eltweekly","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6860\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}