246 Part IV: The Grammar You Need to Know – and How to Teach It
In a question the word order changes so that ‘to be’ is before the subject pro-
noun:
Are we going to like it?
In normal speech we don’t tend to stress, or emphasise ‘to be going to’ but
rather the verb that follows. It’s therefore helpful to get students repeating
sentences with the appropriate stress – I’m going to wait here.
In addition, you use ‘to be going to’ when you can see that something is likely
to happen based on evidence you have now. For example, when you see black
clouds you probably say, ‘It’s going to rain’.
However, it’s best to leave this second usage until at least intermediate level.
Go through the structure making sure that your students recognise all the
various parts needed.
Students who are a bit lazy latch on to ‘will’ and use it whenever they’re refer-
ring to the future. Others attempt to be cool and informal but end up saying, ‘I
gonna’.
Here’s an idea for using this tense in context. Show or list some ingredients
for a popular local dish. Ask students to suggest why you have these items.
Now refer to a group of friends, who can be guests, and any other dinner party
arrangements. This provides the context for sentences such as:
You’re going to have a party.
You’re going to invite your friends to dinner.
Students can then organise their own imaginary events and compare ideas
using ‘to be going to’.
