1
4.2
THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH
38
LISTENING
1
Which variety of English is more popular in Bahrain, British or
American English, or another variety? Which variety of English would
you prefer to learn?
2
a
4.1
Listen to two friends at university, Hamad and Fabio,
talking on the phone. What is the reason for the phone call?
2
b
Listen again and complete the sentences. Use the word in
brackets to help you.
1
Fabio is going to finish his essay
. (when?)
2
Hamad is going to finish his essay
. (when?)
3
Fabio is going to the gym with
. (who?)
4
Fabio is going to the gym on
. (when?)
5
Hamad’s presentation is on
. (when?)
6
Hamad and Fabio will see each other at the lecture
. (when?)
GRAMMAR
FUTURE FORMS
3
a
Look at Audio script 4.1 on page 167. Underline all the ways of
expressing the future that you can find.
3
b
Look at your underlined examples in the Audio script and find
an example of:
1
a prediction about the future
2
a decision made at the time of speaking
3
an intention for the future
4
a fixed arrangement, plan or programme
3
c
Complete the rules with
will
,
going to
or the present continuous.
1
We use
to talk about unplanned decisions and promises
that we make at the time of speaking, and to make predictions
about the future.
2
We use
to talk about fixed future arrangements, usually
involving other people.
3
We use
to talk about plans or intentions (something which
you have already decided).
Ê
Language reference and extra practice pages 132–133
4
Work with a partner. Look at part of another conversation
between Hamad and Fabio. Choose the best answer and discuss the
reasons for your choice.
fabiB:
I’ve made a decision.
1
I’m going to take
/
I’ll take
a Master’s
Course in Communication. The course
2
will challenge
/
is
challenging
me, but I think I can manage it. What about you?
hamad:
Not sure. I haven’tmadeanyarrangements yet, but I think
3
I’m taking / I’ll take
a postgraduate course.
4
I’m not knowing /
I won’t know
my exam results till the end of August.
5
I’m
probably deciding / I’ll probably decide
then.
fabiB:
Sounds good. Oh, I’ve arranged to meet Richard on
Wednesday for band practice.
6
We’re meeting / We’ll meet
at
5 p.m. Do you want to join us?
hamad:
Sorry, but
7
I’mplaying / I’mgoing toplay
tenniswithFranz
then.
fabiB:
OK, how about going for a coffee now?
hamad:
Sorry, I’m so tired. I think
8
I’ll go / I’m going
home now.
READING
5
a
Identifying genres
Quickly read
the texts and match them to the
following genres.
a
an online university prospectus/brochure
b
an online debate
c
a factual newspaper article
5
b
Read the three texts again and match
the following endings to the texts. What
helped you make your decision?
a
I think the differences in spellings,
dialects and regional idioms increase
the beauty of the language. We cannot
regulate English. It is constantly evolving.
b
Our lively Arabic language club
celebrates the Eid and is one of the
most active student clubs on campus.
c
And, perhaps a little less glamorously,
it is the official language of air safety
instructions and air traffic control.
5
c
Answer these questions about the texts.
1
What do the following numbers refer
to: 400m, 2bn, 1bn, 19?
2
What areas does English dominate?
3
Why study Arabic?
4
Why does the first writer in the debate
want American English to be adopted?
5
Why does the second writer in the
debate prefer British English?
Around 400 million people speak
English as their native language.
Estimates of the number of people who
speak English as a second language
vary from 500 million to 1.2 billion,
and the number of people learning to
speak English is thought to be reaching
2 billion. So, although there are still
many people who don’t speak English,
it is clearly one of the most widespread
languages in the world.
The English language is widely used in
many areas, such as business, shipping
and the entertainment industry. English
dominates the exchange of ideas in
technology, science and medicine, and
it has an important role in international
diplomacy. English is also one of the
main languages used by the United
Nations.
by Arnold Higgins
