Editing Going-to future (section)

==Usage==
The ''going-to'' future is one of several constructions used in English to refer to future events (see {{slink|Future tense|English}}). The basic form of the ''going-to'' construction is in fact in the [[present tense]]; it is often used when the speaker wishes to draw a connection between present events, situations, or intentions and expected future events or situations, i.e. to express the present relevance of the future occurrence.<ref>Fleischman, pp. 18–19 and 95–97.</ref> It may therefore be described as expressing [[prospective aspect]], in the same way that the [[present perfect]] (which refers to the present relevance of ''past'' occurrences) is said to express [[retrospective aspect|retrospective]] (or perfect) aspect.

There is no clear delineation between contexts where ''going to'' is used and those where other forms of future expression (such as the ''will/shall'' future, or the ordinary present tense) are used. Different forms are often interchangeable. Some general points of usage are listed below. 
*The ''going-to'' future is relatively informal; in more formal contexts it may be replaced by the ''will/shall'' future, or by expressions such as ''plan(s) to'', ''expect(s) to'', ''is/are expected to'', etc.
*The ordinary present tense can be used to refer to the future when the context (or time [[adverb]]s) indicate futurity, and the reference is to some planned action: "We are painting the house tomorrow" (this could also be expressed with "... going to paint ..."). It is usually the [[present progressive]] that is used, as in the preceding example, but the [[simple present]] can also be used, particularly for precisely scheduled events: "My train leaves at 4.15." (See also the obligatory use of present tense with future meaning in some [[Uses of English verb forms#Dependent clauses|dependent clauses]].)
*When the expression of futurity is combined with that of some [[linguistic modality|modality]], such as obligation or possibility, a modal verb (not marked specifically for the future) may be used: "We must/can do it tomorrow." There is also the expression ''am to'' etc., which implies obligation or expectation as in "He is to deliver it this afternoon" (see the following section), and the expression ''to be about to'' (also ''to be due to'' and similar), implying immediacy ("I am about to leave").
*The ''going-to'' form sometimes indicates imminence, but sometimes does not; and it sometimes indicates intention, but sometimes does not (compare "It's going to rain", which expresses imminence but not intention, and "I'm going to visit Paris someday", which expresses intention but not imminence).<ref>Fleischman, pp. 86–89.</ref>
*The ''will'' future is often used for announcing a decision at the time when it is made, while ''going to'' is more likely for a plan already in existence: compare "All right, I'll help her" and "Yes, I'm going to help her".
*The ''will'' future is used more often than ''going to'' in conditional sentences of the "[[first conditional]]" type: "If it rains, you'''{{'}}ll get''' wet" (although ''going to'' is also sometimes found in such sentences).
*In some contexts the ''going-to'' form can express unconditionality while the ''will'' form expresses conditionality ("Don't sit on that rock, it's going to fall" means it's going to fall regardless of what you do, while "Don't sit on that rock, it will fall" means that it will fall conditional on your sitting on it). But in some contexts (particularly with "future in the past" – see the following section) the reverse can be true ("After 1962 ended, I would be a star" unconditionally describes what subsequently did happen, while "After 1962 ended, I was going to be a star" describes only intention).<ref>Fleischman, p. 92.</ref>

===The ''be + to'' construction===
English has a construction formed by a form of the [[copula (linguistics)|copula]] ''be'' followed by ''to'' and the bare [[infinitive]] of the main verb (i.e. the copula followed by the ''to''-infinitive). This is similar in form to the ''going-to'' future, with the omission of the word ''going''.  In the ''be + to'' construction only [[finite verb|finite]], [[indicative mood|indicative]] (or [[English subjunctive|past subjunctive]]) forms of the copula can appear – that is, the copula used cannot be "be" itself, but one of the forms ''am'', ''is'', ''are'', ''was'', ''were'' (possibly [[English contractions|contracted]] in some cases).

The meaning of this construction is to indicate that something is expected to happen at a future time (usually in the near future), as a result of either some duty ([[deontic modality]]) or some set plan. For example:
* I'''{{'}}m to report''' to the principal this afternoon. (duty)
* The Prime Minister '''is to visit''' the West Bank. (plan)
* Troops '''are to be sent''' to war-torn Darfur. (plan; note [[English passive voice|passive voice]])

In [[headline language]] the copula may be omitted, e.g. "Prime Minister to visit West Bank".

Compared with the ''will'' future, the ''be + to'' construction may be less expressive of a prediction, and more of the existence of a plan or duty. Thus "John will go ..." implies a belief on the speaker's part that this will occur, while "John is to go ..." implies knowledge on the speaker's part that there exists a plan or obligation entailing such an occurrence (the latter statement will not be falsified if John ends up not going). The ''be + to'' construction may therefore resemble a [[renarrative mood]] in some ways.

When ''was'' or ''were'' is used as the copula, the plan or duty is placed in past time (and quite often implies that it was not carried out). It may also be used simply as a way of expressing "future in the past" (see the following section). For example:
::I '''was to visit''' my aunt, but I missed the train. (past plan, not in fact fulfilled)
::This was the battle at which they '''were''' finally '''to triumph'''. (future in the past, also: ''they would finally triumph'')

The construction also appears in [[condition clause]]s:
::If you '''are to go''' on holiday, you need to work hard. (i.e. working hard is necessary for going on holiday)
::If he '''was/were to speak''', it would change things significantly. (also ''if he spoke'')
When the verb in such a clause is ''were'', it can be inverted and the conjunction ''if'' dropped: "Were he to speak, ..." For details of these constructions, see [[English conditional sentences]].