Page 219 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

future (2): will/shall (information and prediction) 212
Be about + infinitive (see 5) suggests that a future event is very close. The plane's about to take off. Is your seat belt done up?
Be + infinitive is used to talk about plans, arrangements and schedules, and to give instructions. For details, see 9l.
The President is to visit Beijing in January. You're not to tell anybody about this.
S 'future in the past'
To say that something was still in the future at a certain past time, we can use a past form of one of the future structures. For details, see 22l.
Something was going to happen that was to change the world. I knew she would arrive before long.
6 subordinate clauses
In many subordinate clauses we refer to the future with present tenses instead of shall/will + infinitive. For details, see 580.
Pirone me when you have time. (NOT ••• when 18ft'li h-af:le lime.) I'll think ofyou when I'm lying on the beach next week.
(NOT ••• when I'll be lying 6n the be-aeh ...)
I'll follow him wherever he goes. (NOT .•• rtfflerefJef he'll g8.) YoucanhaveanythingIfind. (NOT ••• -anythingtilJinfi:)
212 future (2): will/shall (information and prediction)
1 forms
will + infinitive without to
It will be cold tomorrow.
Where will you spend the night?
Some British people use I shall and we shall instead of l/we will, with no difference of meaning in most situations. (For cases where there is a difference, see 217.) Shall is unusual in American English in most situations (but see 217).
Contractions: I'll, you'll etc; shan't /Sa:nt/ (BrE only), won't /waunt/
2 use: giving information about the future; predicting
Will (or shall) + infinitive is used to give (or ask for) information about the future.
!t'll be spring soon. Will all the family be at the wedding?
We shall need the money on the 15th.
Karen will start work some time next week.
In another thirteen minutes the alarm will go off. This will close an electrical
contact, causing the explosive to detonate.
We often use will/shall in predictions of future events - to talk about what we think, guess or calculate will happen.
Tomorrow will be warm, with some cloud in the afternoon. Who do you think will win on Saturday?
I shall be rich one day. You'll never finish that book.
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