Get married, go to university, have children, learn to drive, leave home, leave school, pass your exams, rent a flat, retire, start work.

Future plans, goals and aspirations

Apply for a course, choose a career, do an apprenticeship, do voluntary work, get a degree, get a part-time job, get careers advice, go on an exchange, make new friends, pass your driving test, ride a moped, set up your own business, study abroad, travel round the world, write your CV.

Agree with, apply for, benefit from, depend on, differ from, meet with, prepare for, rely on, specialise in, take part in, think about, worry about.

We use the future continuous to talk about actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future

Positive: I will be studying at university in three years’ time.

Negative: I won’t be working in three years’ time

Interrogative: What will you be doing this time next year?

We use the future perfect to talk about actions that will be complete before a specific time in the future.

Positive: Many American teens will have learnt to drive by the age of 16.

Negative: I won’t have started driving by then.

Interrogative: Will you have voted by the age of 17?

Ability or possibility:

We will/won’t be able to swim in the lake.

Obligation and necessity

You will have to/will need to bring your swimming trunks.

No obligation or necessity

You won’t have to/won’t need to catch the train.

Future time clauses

We’ll go to a baseball game when you come to San Francisco. Remember to apply for your visa as soon as you can. I won’t be able to call you until I get back.

The environment

Give up plastic, look after the environment, plant trees, reduce pollution/waste, recycle plastic/waste, reuse things, save water.

Protecting the planet

Ban, build wind farms, cut down trees, deforestation, destroy, landfill, mend clothes, pesticides, pollute, protect endangered species, renewable energy, repurpose, solar power, throw away.

Materials

Aluminium, bamboo, brick, cardboard, concrete, denim, foam, iron, leather , nylon, polystyrene, rock, rubber, sand, steel, stone.

The passive

We often use the passive when the focus is on the action. It isn’t important who/what did the action.

Clothes are sold more often now.

This T-shirt was made in Asia.

How many clothes will be throw away next week?

Are endangered species going to be protected?

Be allowed to

We use be allowed to to say what someone is or is not permitted to do.

Fast fashion was allowed to grow quickly.

We are not allowed to use mobile phones at school.

Make and let

We use make to say what a person or thing obliges someone to do.

We use let to talk about getting or giving permission.

My parents let me stay up late on Saturday night.

They make me do my homework.

Impersonal phrases

We use impersonal phrases when we do not know or we are not interested in who spoke.

It is said that…

Previously, it was said that..

These days, it is thought that..

In the past, it was thought that…