Will vs. Going to vs. Present Continuous (for future) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are a manager presenting a carefully planned marketing strategy for the next quarter. During the meeting, you also interact with your team and handle sudden situations. Choose the correct future form (A, B, C, or D) to complete your statements naturally.
1 “Good morning, team. Today, I ______ our new marketing strategy for the upcoming quarter. We have been working on this plan for a month.”
(A) will present
(B) am going to present
(C) present
(D) will presenting
2 “After analyzing the youth market for weeks, management has made a final decision. We ______ heavily on social media advertising.”
(A) will focus
(B) focus
(C) are going to focus
(D) are focusing
3 “Oh, you cannot hear me at the back of the room? No problem, I ______ the volume on my microphone.”
(A) will turn up
(B) am going to turn up
(C) am turning up
(D) turn up
4 “Please take notes. According to the official corporate calendar, the new product ______ on November 15th.”
(A) is going to launch
(B) will launch
(C) is launching
(D) launches
5 “Look at this incredibly steep upward line on the sales chart! It is obvious that we ______ our revenue target this month.”
(A) will hit
(B) hit
(C) are going to hit
(D) are hitting
6 “Because our budget was significantly reduced last month, we ______ any TV commercials this year. That is our firm plan.”
(A) aren’t going to run
(B) won’t run
(C) aren’t running
(D) don’t run
7 “I see that Sarah isn’t here yet. I ______ her right now to see if she needs help finding the meeting room.”
(A) am calling
(B) am going to call
(C) will call
(D) call
8 “Next Tuesday, I ______ the CEO of our partner company. The restaurant is booked and the agenda is set.”
(A) will meet
(B) meet
(C) am meeting
(D) am going meet
9 “I know this new strategy is a lot of extra work, but I promise that the management team ______ you every step of the way.”
(A) is going to support
(B) will support
(C) supports
(D) is supporting
10 “We thought about opening a new branch in Europe, but we decided against it. Instead, we ______ our Asian offices.”
(A) will expand
(B) are expanding
(C) are going to expand
(D) expand
11 “Wait, the projector just turned off! Don’t panic, everyone. I ______ the IT technician to come and fix it.”
(A) get
(B) am getting
(C) will get
(D) am going to get
12 “Make sure you book your flights early. The final conference registration portal ______ exactly at midnight on Friday.”
(A) is closing
(B) will close
(C) is going to close
(D) closes
13 “We have a fully confirmed schedule for tomorrow. We ______ a press conference at 9:00 AM in the main lobby.”
(A) are holding
(B) hold
(C) will hold
(D) will holding
14 “Based on my personal experience in this industry, I strongly believe that our customers ______ the new packaging design.”
(A) are going to love
(B) are loving
(C) will love
(D) love
15 “You lost your copy of the agenda? That’s okay, I ______ a new one for you immediately.”
(A) am going to print
(B) will print
(C) am printing
(D) print
16 “As a result of last week’s brainstorm, our main objective is set: we ______ three new graphic designers next month.”
(A) will hire
(B) are going to hire
(C) hire
(D) are hiring
17 “Our main competitor just went bankrupt. Look at the news! We ______ the market leaders very soon.”
(A) will become
(B) are going to become
(C) become
(D) are becoming
18 “If you are taking the train to the client’s office tomorrow, the express service ______ at 8:30 AM.”
(A) departs
(B) is going to depart
(C) will depart
(D) is departing
19 “There is a spelling mistake on slide 4? Thank you for pointing that out. I ______ it right now before I send the file.”
(A) am fixing
(B) am going to fix
(C) will fix
(D) fix
20 “To conclude, I have prepared a detailed financial document. I ______ it to all of you after this meeting as planned.”
(A) will email
(B) am going to email
(C) email
(D) am email
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) am going to present
Why it is correct: The manager says, “We have been working on this plan for a month.” This indicates a strong prior intention and preparation before the moment of speaking. For pre-planned intentions, we use “going to”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) is for spontaneous, instant decisions. (C) is for routines. (D) is grammatically invalid.
2 (C) are going to focus
Why it is correct: “Management has made a final decision.” The plan was already formulated before the presentation. This is a classic prior intention.
Distractor Analysis: (A) implies they just decided at that very moment. (B) is a general fact. (D) implies an arrangement with someone, but “focusing” is an internal strategy, not a diary appointment.
3 (A) will turn up
Why it is correct: The manager is reacting to a sudden problem from the audience (“Oh, you cannot hear me?”). Instant decisions and spontaneous offers of help require “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (B) and (C) imply the manager planned to turn up the volume before knowing the audience couldn’t hear.
4 (D) launches
Why it is correct: A product launch mapped on an “official corporate calendar” is treated as a fixed timetable. For official public schedules, we use Present Simple.
Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) do not follow the strict timetable rule for corporate/public calendars.
5 (C) are going to hit
Why it is correct: The manager points to “this incredibly steep upward line on the sales chart.” When you make a prediction based on clear, present physical evidence, you MUST use “going to”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) is for a guess or opinion without hard evidence. (B) and (D) are present tenses.
6 (A) aren’t going to run
Why it is correct: “That is our firm plan.” The company made the decision to cut commercials last month. This is an established negative intention.
Distractor Analysis: (B) is a spontaneous decision. (C) is a diary arrangement.
7 (C) will call
Why it is correct: The manager just noticed Sarah is missing and makes a sudden, spontaneous decision to call her.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (B) imply the manager planned to call Sarah before realizing she was late.
8 (C) am meeting
Why it is correct: “The restaurant is booked.” This is a 100% confirmed, fixed arrangement involving another person (the CEO). Present Continuous is the standard “diary tense”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) is for sudden decisions. (B) is a routine. (D) is fake grammar.
9 (B) will support
Why it is correct: The manager explicitly says, “I promise…”. We always use “will” when making promises for the future.
Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) cannot be used to declare a promise.
10 (C) are going to expand
Why it is correct: The management team thought about it and “decided against it. Instead, we…”. The decision was made prior to the meeting. It is a calculated intention.
Distractor Analysis: (A) implies a spontaneous, right-now decision.
11 (C) will get
Why it is correct: A sudden crisis occurs (the projector turns off). The manager instantly reacts to solve the problem. Spontaneous decisions take “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (B) and (D) imply the manager knew the projector would break and planned for it.
12 (D) closes
Why it is correct: The closing of a registration portal is an official, non-negotiable timetable. Present Simple is used for schedules.
Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) do not fit the timetable rule.
13 (A) are holding
Why it is correct: “We have a fully confirmed schedule… in the main lobby.” A booked event with a set venue is a fixed arrangement. Present Continuous is required.
Distractor Analysis: (C) is for instant decisions. (B) is a routine.
14 (C) will love
Why it is correct: “Based on my personal experience… I strongly believe.” Predictions based on opinions, thoughts, or beliefs (without concrete present evidence) use “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) would be better if the manager had a survey showing 99% positive feedback (present evidence). (B) and (D) are incorrect.
15 (B) will print
Why it is correct: An immediate, spontaneous offer to help someone who just lost their agenda.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (C) imply prior planning before the person lost their copy.
16 (B) are going to hire
Why it is correct: The objective was set “as a result of last week’s brainstorm.” This is an intention developed before the current meeting.
Distractor Analysis: (A) implies the manager just decided it right now. (D) would mean the contracts are already signed and the people are hired (fixed arrangement), but the prompt just says it’s a set “objective”.
17 (B) are going to become
Why it is correct: “Look at the news!” There is immediate, undeniable present evidence (the competitor’s bankruptcy). Predictions based on present evidence use “going to”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) is a prediction without evidence.
18 (A) departs
Why it is correct: Train schedules are published, official public timetables. We use Present Simple.
Distractor Analysis: (B), (C), and (D) do not reflect the timetable rule.
19 (C) will fix
Why it is correct: The manager just learned about the spelling mistake and makes an instant decision to fix it (“Thank you for pointing that out. I…”).
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (B) mean the manager planned to fix it before the person pointed it out.
20 (B) am going to email
Why it is correct: “I have prepared… as planned.” The manager prepared the document beforehand with the clear intention of sending it after the meeting.
Distractor Analysis: (A) would be used if someone suddenly asked for it and the manager agreed. (C) is a routine.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When speaking in a business context at the B1 level, you must choose your future tense based on HOW the plan was made:
1 Be Going To (The Strategy / Intention):
- Use this for plans and intentions that you or the company decided on before you started speaking. It shows preparation.
- Example: “We are going to launch a new campaign.” (We already discussed this in a previous meeting).
- Bonus: Use it for predictions when looking at evidence (like a sales chart).
2 Will (The Quick Fix / Promise):
- Use this for spontaneous decisions, offers of help, and promises made exactly at the moment of speaking.
- Example: “The internet is down? I will call IT.” (Instant reaction). / “I promise I will send the report.” (Promise).
3 Present Continuous (The Confirmed Appointment):
- Use this for fixed arrangements. The time and place are agreed upon, and usually, something is booked or another person is involved.
- Example: “I am meeting the CEO at 3 PM.” (It is in my diary, and the CEO knows).
4 Present Simple (The Timetable):
- Use this for official schedules that do not depend on your personal feelings (flights, trains, opening hours, deadlines).
- Example: “The meeting starts at 9:00 AM.” / “The flight leaves at 6 PM.”