English Grammar: Will, Might, Going To

We can use "will", "might" and "going to" to make predictions in English. We often do this when we talk about the weather, for example.

Will and might

Both "will" and "might" are modal auxiliary verbs. This means that they are followed by the infinitive of the verb without "to":

"It will rain later." (Not "it will to rain...")
"It might rain later."

(For more information on how to use modal auxiliary verbs, see our page on can.)

We use "will" when we are sure that something will happen.
"It will be sunny later." (100% probability)

We use "might" when something is less sure.
"It might rain later. Take an umbrella with you." (50% probability)

The negative forms are:

"It won't..."
"It won't snow until December."

"It might not..."
"It might not be sunny at the beach."

Going to

We can use the verb "going to" (in the Present continuous tense) to talk about things that will happen because we can see evidence now.

"I think it's going to rain." (I can see black clouds.)

"I think we are going to have a storm." (The temperature is hot, there's no wind, and I can see black clouds.)

To use this in the negative, either say "I don't think..." or "It isn't going to..."

"I don't think it's going to rain."
"It isn't going to get hotter next week."

Exercise

Read these typical weather forecast sentences and choose the correct answer.

1. It will be hot and sunny all weekend.
2. It will be dry all next week.
3. Cold temperatures will also bring snow and ice.
4. Temperatures will fall to freezing and there might be ice on the roads.
5. It is going to be a fine weekend in most parts of the country.
6. Temperatures will be a lot milder than usual.
7. There might be storms at the weekend.
8. It will be cloudy all day and it might rain tomorrow.
9. Heavy rain will move into the western parts of the country first thing on Saturday morning.
10. The rain will gradually move eastwards, arriving at the most eastern parts of the country by Sunday morning.

Now go to the next page to get essential vocabulary to talk about the weather, and to practise your listening: English Conversations: Weather

33 thoughts on “English Grammar: Will, Might, Going To”

  31. Asal habibi

    it is good excersice Im a English lerner and these page really help to me that I will get a good grade in my exam

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