Read these sentences and write if they refer to present or future actions.

Question

1. The film starts at 8 p.m. tonight.                         

2. Tara is having lunch with me in the afternoon.   

3. Our school re-opens after vacations next week.

4. We are visiting our cousins next week.

5. The mall closes at 6 p.m. today.

6. We are having dinner.

7. I begin my music classes soon.

8. I visit my friends on weekends.

Answer 1

Hi Deb!

A great and easy way to decide whether a sentence is using present or future tense is by looking at when the action is occurring.

1. The film starts at 8 p.m. tonight. Future tense: tonight is going to happen in the future

2. Tara is having lunch with me in the afternoon. Future tense: afternoon is going to happen in the future

3. Our school re-opens after vacations next week. Future tense: the word "after" implies the future

4. We are visiting our cousins next week. Future tense: next week is going to happen in the future

5. The mall closes at 6 p.m. today. Future tense: 6 PM is going to happen in the future

6. We are having dinner. Present tense: since no future time has been indicated, this has to be present

7. I begin my music classes soon. Future tense: soon implies the future

8. I visit my friends on weekends. this happens both in the present and in the future

Hope this helped!

Ellie Levin

Answer 2

1. THE FILM START AT 8PM TONIGHT. it's present tense , as we notice the format i.e v1+s/es.
2. TARA IS HAVING LUNCH WITH ME IN THE AFTERNOON. afternoon is indicating future here.
3. OUR SCHOOL RE-OPENS AFTER VACATIONS NEXT WEEK. future tense
4. WE ARE VISITING OUR COUSINS NEXT WEEK. future tense
5. THE MALL CLOSES AT 6PM TODAY. present tense
6. WE ARE HAVING DINNER. present continuous tense
7. I BEGIN MY MUSIC CLASSES SOON. soon shows future action
8. I VISIT MY FRIENDS ON WEEKENDS. it is simple present tense.

Answer 3

Hello Deb,

You can tell whether something is present or future based on either 1) The verb or 2) sometimes, the time indicator.

For example, "The film starts at 8 p.m. tonight. We see that this is future tense because of the form, 'starts', implying that it is either a continuous form or a future form. It must be the future action. Tonight can also help us determine the answer is future if the current time is not late enough to already be tonight yet.

Let's look at the rest of them.

2. "Tara is having lunch with me in the afternoon."  The afternoon shows future actions.

3. "Our school re-opens after vacations next week". Next week is in the future

4. "We are visiting our cousins next week." Same as 2. Future

5. "The mall closes at 6 p.m. today." 'Closes' means that it is in future form.

6. "We are having dinner." Present. Since there is no time indicator.

7. "I begin my music classes soon." Soon shows future actions

8. "I visit my friends on weekends." This is actually continuous actions rather than present or future. It can be present and future at the same time.