Predictions for This Year

Gerard Counihan
profesorSs [at] blabla.es

Activity A

As the title says, think of as many things or events that will take place (or that you think will take place) in the coming year. If the students do not want to commit themselves too much, then they don't have to use the pure future (will). They could list off the possible developments that lie ahead this year, by using the modal auxiliaries (may, might, could, should), or verbs like "think". They can also use "going to" or the present continuous for imminent happenings or planned events or arrangements. If they cannot name some major international event, they could just make predictions about themselves.

My students came up with the following:

Clinton will stay on as president.
Monica Lewinsky will write a book.
A vaccine for AIDS will be discovered.
The situation in Israel will remain the same.
Man will discover something more about Mars.
The weather will get worse.
TV will get worse as more and more programmes are offered.
My quality of life will get better because I am going to get a job.
The situation in Africa will not improve.

NB I found that some people had problems thinking of a "definite" prediction; if it does not work, you could move the goalposts and allow the students to use a possibility modal verb (may, might, could).

Activity B

Now do the same for your city, town or neighbourhood.

Activity C

Fifty Years from Now

You could get the students to complete the following: (or think up new ideas yourself).

Life will ...
I will ...
Houses will ...
People will ...
Rivers will ...
My present friends will ...
TV will ...
Newspapers will ...
Men will ...
Women will ...
Cars will ...
Work ...
Money ...
Food will ...

1 The sentences do not have to start off with the words I have given; these may figures in the middle, so that you could have "Fifty years from now, money will not exist", for example. 2 You could mention genetic engineering, cloning, diseases, hobbies, schools, shops, public transport, car parks, hospitals ...

The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. V, No. 2, February 1999
http://iteslj.org/