Let’s perfect the grammar: Part II.

I posted the result of our grammar test at work last week. If you miss that, just click this link, Let's perfect the grammar. Therein, we talked about the use of present progressive and present perfect progressive. Here now is my promise to continue learning from my mistakes. Let’s perfect the grammar.

Will or Be going to

54. I know they ___________ (feel) very happy if they win the match.
55. They’ve already decided on their next summer holiday. They _______________ (do) a tour of Norway.
56. She thinks that the Take That concert ______________ (be) really exciting.
57. The weather forecast is good for the next few days. It __________ (be) very sunny.
58. Their suitcases are packed. They __________ (go) on holiday.
59. In the future, I think humans ___________ (wipe out) many different species.
60. My cousin ____________ (work) in the UK for a year.

Answer:

54. I know they will feel very happy if they win the match.
55. They’ve already decided on their next summer holiday. They will do a tour of Norway.
56. She thinks that the Take That concert will be really exciting.
57. They weather forecast is good for the next few days. It is going to be very sunny.
58. Their suitcases are packed. They are going to go on holiday.
59. In the future, I think humans will wipe out many different species.
60. My cousin is going to work in the UK for a year.

I was wrong in numbers 54, 55, and 56.

State Verbs
Here’s the explanation. You observe the sentences in numbers 54, 55, and 56. The verbs used: know, decided, and thinks, are what we call state verbs. State verbs are verbs that are about liking or disliking something; or about mental state. It is not about action.

In the case of state verbs, we only use the simple present, simple past, and simple future tenses and not the progressive or the continuous tenses. Here are the other state verbs.

•    Agree       
•    Appear
•    Believe
•    Belong
•    Concern
•    Consist
•    Contain
•    Depend
•    Deserve
•    Disagree
•    Dislike
•    Doubt
•    Feel (base on opinion)
•    Fit
•    Hate
•    Hear

Take a look this link for the other state verbs.
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/support-files/stative-verbs-list.pdf

Be going to
We use “be going to” instead of “will” when the future action is already decided, or it is a prior plan. Take a look number 58. Their suitcases are packed. They are going to go on holiday. The decision has already been made that they are going to go on holiday because their suitcases are packed.

Just remember that when the thought of the sentence is still in the making of a decision, use “will”. When the thought of the sentence tells that the decision has already been made, use “be going to”.

Of course, this part of the test only focuses on the use of “will and be going to”. There is another general rule for the use of simple future, will, and future progressive, will be + ing, for the verb. Let’s talk about that in my next post.

Source:
http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/will-and-going-to
http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Future_Will_vs_Going.htm