Future: Will vs. Be going to – English Grammar Exercises for A2
You are looking at a dark cloud radar on your phone’s weather app and warning your family to cancel the camping trip.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to fill in the blank. Pay close attention to the context: you are making a prediction because you can physically see the evidence right now on your screen.
1 “Look at the radar on my phone. A huge storm ______ us.”
(A) hits
(B) is going to hit
(C) will hit
(D) is go to hit
2 “The weather app shows a 100% chance of rain. It ______ heavily.”
(A) will rain
(B) is going rain
(C) rains
(D) is going to rain
3 “Look at those dark red spots on the map! We ______ completely wet.”
(A) are going to get
(B) get
(C) will get
(D) are going to getting
4 “The wind alert is flashing red. The tent ______ away!”
(A) going to blow
(B) blows
(C) is going to blow
(D) will blow
5 “I just checked the satellite image. This camping trip ______ a disaster.”
(A) is going to be
(B) is
(C) will be
(D) is going be
6 “See this massive cloud moving towards us on the screen? It ______ any minute now.”
(A) will pour
(B) is going to pour
(C) pours
(D) is going to pouring
7 “The temperature line is dropping fast. We ______ freezing tonight.”
(A) are go to be
(B) are
(C) will be
(D) are going to be
8 “The app sent a severe thunderstorm warning. It ______ extremely unsafe here.”
(A) is
(B) will be
(C) is going to be
(D) is go to be
9 “Look at the lightning tracker. The storm ______ directly over our campsite.”
(A) passes
(B) is going to passes
(C) will pass
(D) is going to pass
10 “The river level alert is beeping. The water ______ into our area.”
(A) will flood
(B) is going to flood
(C) floods
(D) is going to flooding
11 “According to the hourly forecast, the rain ______ until tomorrow morning.”
(A) won’t stop
(B) isn’t going stop
(C) isn’t going to stop
(D) doesn’t stop
12 “Look at this huge red circle on the screen. The hail ______ our car.”
(A) is going to damage
(B) will damage
(C) damages
(D) is go to damage
13 “The app says the road is already closing due to mudslides. We ______ trapped!”
(A) are going to being
(B) are going to be
(C) will be
(D) are
14 “I can see the black clouds matching the app’s map. The sun ______ out today.”
(A) isn’t going to comes
(B) won’t come
(C) doesn’t come
(D) isn’t going to come
15 “The emergency notification says a tornado is nearby. This ______ very dangerous.”
(A) is going to be
(B) will be
(C) is
(D) is going be
16 “The humidity is at 99% and the sky is dark. A heavy shower ______ right now.”
(A) will start
(B) starts
(C) is going to start
(D) going to start
17 “Look at how fast the storm is moving on the animation. It ______ us in ten minutes.”
(A) reaches
(B) is going to reach
(C) will reach
(D) is go to reach
18 “The app’s weekend summary is terrible. We ______ a chance to build a campfire.”
(A) won’t have
(B) aren’t going to having
(C) don’t have
(D) aren’t going to have
19 “Look at the weather alerts on my screen. The national park ______ the gates soon.”
(A) is going to close
(B) will close
(C) closes
(D) is going close
20 “Based on this live radar data, our lovely camping weekend ______ completely ruined.”
(A) will be
(B) is
(C) is going to be
(D) are going to be
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
Explanation: The radar provides physical present evidence for the prediction. Option (C) is a Common Mistake; learners overuse “will” for weather, but it is incorrect when there is physical proof. Option (D) is a Structural Error (“go to” instead of “going to”). Option (A) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple is not used for future predictions).
2 (D)
Explanation: A 100% chance of rain on the app is undeniable evidence. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (B) is a Structural Error (missing “to”). Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
3 (A)
Explanation: The dark red spots on the map prove the rain is imminent. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error (adding “-ing” to the base verb). Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
4 (C)
Explanation: The flashing red alert is the present evidence triggering the prediction. Option (D) is a Common Mistake. Option (A) is a Structural Error (missing the “to be” verb “is”). Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
5 (A)
Explanation: The satellite image proves the trip will be ruined. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error (missing “to”). Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
6 (B)
Explanation: Seeing the massive cloud on the screen acts as hard proof. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
7 (D)
Explanation: The dropping temperature line is the evidence for a freezing night. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (A) is a Structural Error. Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
8 (C)
Explanation: The severe warning makes the danger an undeniable upcoming fact. Option (B) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (A) is a Meaning Trap.
9 (D)
Explanation: The tracker gives a clear, visible path of the storm. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (B) is a Structural Error (adding “-es” to the verb after “to”). Option (A) is a Meaning Trap.
10 (B)
Explanation: The beeping alert proves the flood is going to happen. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
11 (C)
Explanation: The hourly forecast is the data dictating this negative prediction. Option (A) “won’t” is a Common Mistake. Option (B) is a Structural Error. Option (D) is a Meaning Trap.
12 (A)
Explanation: The red circle indicates hail, which serves as the evidence for the damage. Option (B) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
13 (B)
Explanation: The road closure alert proves you are about to be trapped. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (A) is a Structural Error (“being”). Option (D) is a Meaning Trap.
14 (D)
Explanation: The black clouds and the map data guarantee the sun will not appear. Option (B) is a Common Mistake. Option (A) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (A)
Explanation: An emergency notification is absolute evidence of impending danger. Option (B) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
16 (C)
Explanation: 99% humidity and dark skies are classic present evidence for a storm. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error (missing “is”). Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
17 (B)
Explanation: The animation’s speed allows you to calculate and predict the exact impact time. Option (C) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (A) is a Meaning Trap.
18 (D)
Explanation: The terrible summary proves you will not be able to have a campfire. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (B) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
19 (A)
Explanation: The alerts are the reason you know the park is about to close. Option (B) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error. Option (C) is a Meaning Trap.
20 (C)
Explanation: “Based on this live radar data” explicitly requires the evidence-based future form. The subject is “weekend” (singular), so “is” is used. Option (A) is a Common Mistake. Option (D) is a Structural Error (wrong “to be” verb for a singular subject). Option (B) is a Meaning Trap.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Predictions Based on Present Evidence: When you can see, hear, or read hard evidence right now (like a weather app radar, dark clouds, or an emergency alert) that proves something is going to happen, you MUST use “Be going to”.
- The “Will” Mistake in Weather: A very common mistake is using “Will” for all weather predictions (e.g., “It will rain”). “Will” is only used when you are guessing without proof (e.g., “I think it will rain tomorrow because it usually does in April”). When you have a radar in front of your face, “Will” is incorrect.
- The Structure Rule: The correct formula is always: Subject + am/is/are + going to + Base Verb. Watch out for common structural errors like forgetting the “to be” verb (e.g., “It going to rain”), forgetting “to” (e.g., “It is going rain”), or incorrectly adding “-ing” or “-s” to the main verb (e.g., “is going to raining” is strictly wrong).
- Present Simple Trap: Do not use the Present Simple tense (e.g., “It rains”) to warn someone about an upcoming storm. English requires the future form to show that the event is approaching.