be to + infinitive (i am to do), future perfect(I will have

done),and future perfect continuous (I will have been doing)

Be to + infinitive
Be to + infinitive is used to talk about formal or official arrangements, formal instructions, and to
give orders. It is particularly common in news reports to talk about future events.
Examples:
You are not to leave the school without my permission.
The medicine is to be taken after meals.
The EU is to introduce a new law on safety at work.
Children are not to be left unsupervised in the museum.
We only use be to + infinitive to talk about things that can be controlled by people:
We don't know where the meteorite is going to land, (not ...the meteorite is to land.)
I suppose we will all die eventually, (not ...we are all to die...)
We often use be to + infinitive in if-clauses to say that something must take place first (in the main
clause) before something else can take place (in the if-clause):
If humans are to survive as a species, we must address environmental issues now.
The law needs to be revised if justice is to be done, (passive form)
Compare the use of be to + infinitive and the present simple for the future in if-clauses:
Jones needs to improve his technique if he is to win gold at the next Olympics, and
Jones has said that he will retire from athletics if he wins gold at the next Olympics.

Future perfect
We use the future perfect to say that something will be ended, completed, or achieved by a
particular point in the future (see also Unit 18B):
Let's hope the volcanic eruption will have finished before we arrive on the island.
Although people are now angry about what he did, I'm sure that his behaviour will soon have
been forgotten. (= passive form)
By the time you get home I will have cleaned the house from top to bottom.
Notice that we can use other modal verbs instead of will to talk about the future in a less certain way:
By the time you get home I will/may/should have cleaned the house...

Future perfect continuous

We can use the future perfect continuous to emphasise how long something has been going on by a
particular point in the future:
On Saturday, we will have been living in this house for a year.
Next year I will have been working in the company for 30 years.
In sentences with the future perfect continuous we usually mention both the particular point in the
future ('On Saturday...', 'Next year...') and the period of time until this point ('...for a year','...for 20
years'). Notice that we don't usually use the future perfect continuous with verbs describing states
(see Unit 2):
Next month I will have known Derek for 20 years, (not ...will have been knowing...)

EXERCISES
Choose a verb to complete the sentences. Use be to + infinitive if possible, and will + infinitive if
not.
appear
arrive
become
begin
feel
fit
move
resign
1 A man__________________ in court today after a car he was driving killed two pedestrians.
2 The danger is that the bacteria __________________more resistant to antibiotics over time.
3 The Environment Department has announced that it__________________ 2,000 jobs out of the
capital.
4 When the news is broken to him, he_______________________ both upset and angry.
5 Work _____________________this week on the new Thames bridge.
6 The Business Information Group said today that Brian Murdoch__________________ as its
executive director.
7 We are all hoping that warmer weather_________________________ soon.
8 No more than six people________________________ around the table comfortably.
Here are some newspaper extracts. What verb do you think has been removed from the if-clause, and
with what form - be to + infinitive or present simple? Choose from the following verbs.
bring
collapse
compare
elect
fail
flourish
improve
operate
rise
1. We recognise the urgent need to improve international economic performance if we
_______________ sustainable benefits to millions faced with poverty.,
2. The allocation of much-needed additional resources is necessary if we _________________ the
range of provisions for all children regardless of their ability.
3. If John ___________________ in the vote next week, he will have to work with whoever the party
chooses as its deputy leader.
4. Middle managers are being retrained for the new information skills _____________________ they
will need if they effectively.
5. An all-out trade war seems likely if the two Presidents_______________________ to agree at
tomorrow's meeting.
6. The European Union, if it _______________________as a community, must find better ways of
consulting its citizens.
Complete the sentence with either the future perfect or the future perfect continuous for each
situation.
1. Simon started to learn Spanish when he was 25. He is still learning Spanish.
When he's 40, he will have been learning Spanish for 15 years.
2. Every day, Peter eats three bars of chocolate on the way home from school.
Before he gets home from school tonight Peter...
3. So many people enter the New York Marathon that the last runners start several minutes after the
ones at the front.
By the time the last runners start, the ones at the front...
4. I started writing this book 3 years ago next month.
By next month I...
5. The company is spending $5 million on developing the software before it goes on sale.
By the time the software goes on sale, the company...
6. I'm going to paint the front door today. I'll finish it before you get back.

When you get back, I...

The future seen from the past (was going to, etc.)
There are a number of ways of talking about an activity or event that was in the future at a particular
point in the past. In order to express this idea, we can use the past tenses of the verb forms we would
normally use to talk about the future (will - would, is going to - was going to, is leaving - was
leaving, is to talk - was to talk, etc.). Compare the following sentences:
The future from now...
The future from the past...
The new computer will arrive next week.
Our computer was broken and we hoped
the new one would arrive soon.
I'm going to grow tomatoes and carrots
During the winter I decided that I was
this summer.
going to grow tomatoes and carrots
when the summer came.
I'm collecting my mother from the station
I left the meeting early because I was
this afternoon.
collecting my mother at 3.30.
As it's raining, I think I'll be going home
Jane she said that she would be going
by taxi.
home by taxi because of the rain.
The exam will have finished by 3 o'clock,
The exam was so easy that most people
so I'll see you then.
would have finished after 30 minutes.
The Prime Minister has announced that
I was on holiday in Greece when I heard
there is to be an election on May 1st.
there was to be an election back home.
The workers are to be transferred to a
She was given a tour of the factory where
new factory on the outskirts of town.
she was later to be transferred.
The performance is about to begin. Please
The performance was about to begin
take your seats, ladies and gentlemen.
when someone started screaming.
The context in which these forms are used will often indicate whether the activity or event did or did
not happen, although in some cases we may not know whether the activity or event happened or not.
Compare:
I was seeing Jim later that day, but I had to phone and cancel. (= I didn't see Jim)
I didn't phone to break the news to him because we were seeing each other later. He was very upset
when I told him. (= we saw each other)
They left the house at 6.00 am and would reach Edinburgh some 12 hours later. (= they reached
Edinburgh)
He was sure that the medical tests would show that he was healthy. (= we don't know whether he
was healthy or not)
Compare was/were to + infinitive and was/were to have + past participle used to talk about an
activity or event that was in the future at a particular point in the past:
At the time she was probably the best actor in the theatre company, but in fact some of her
colleagues were to become much better known.
He was to find out years later that the car he had bought was stolen.
I was to have helped with the performance, but I got flu the day before.
There was to have been a ban on smoking in restaurants, but restaurant owners have forced the
council to reconsider.

When we use was/were to + infinitive we are talking about something that did actually happen.
When we use was/were to have + past participle we are talking about something that had been
arranged, but did not happen.

EXERCISES
Put if the underlined verbs are already correct. If they are wrong, correct them.
1 I'm sorry, I didn't think the noise will disturb anyone.
2 Where were you? I thought you were going to wait for me?
3 We were discussing your case tomorrow, so I'll be able to give you an answer soon.
4 I never thought that I would be spending my holiday in hospital, but there I was.
5 I hope the building work would have finished by the time we get there.
6 At the height of her popularity her face is to be seen on advertisements all over the country.
7 The council has announced that the housing estate is to be demolished.
8 I was about to report him missing, when he walked through the door.
Underline the one that is correct or more appropriate. Sometimes both are possible.
1 He decided that next day he would fly / was going to fly to Alabama.
2 She was made redundant last week, but I think she would resign / was going to resign in any case.
3 When she heard I was going to move / was moving to Oslo, she looked quite upset.
4 She could see that the boy was going to jump / was jumping off the wall, but there was nothing she could do
about it.
5 I thought they would be leaving / were leaving tomorrow. Now it seems they'll be with us until Thursday.
6 We could see that the fence was falling down / was going to fall down before long, so we had it mended.
Choose the more appropriate alternative, (a) or (b), to complete these sentences.
1 The meeting was to have taken place in the hall, ...
a but had to be cancelled at the last moment.
b and was well attended.
2 She was to have appeared with Elvis Presley in his last film, ...
a and was a tremendous success.
b but the part went to her sister.
3 Later, in Rome, I was to meet Professor Pearce ...
a but she left before I got there.
b and was very impressed by her knowledge.
4 The twenty police officers who were to have gone off duty at 8.00 ...
a went to the Christmas party.
b had to remain in the police station.
5 It was to take 48 hours to get to Japan ...
a and we were exhausted when we arrived,
b but we managed to do it in only a day.
6 After the war he was to teach at London University ...
a but no money was available to employ him.
b for 10 years.
We can make an excuse with I was going to... but.... (In spoken English either was or going is
stressed.) Complete the sentences in any appropriate way to make excuses.
1 I was going to tidy up my room, but...
2 I was going to help you do the shopping, but...

3 ..., but we'd run out of washing powder.

4 ..., but it was raining.