Module 3
 Exam Question
Exam Question: ‘The future is not so much a tense as an aspect: our view of what is happening is more important.’ Discuss the above and explain how we use different forms to express the future.
Many students find this the most difficult exam question on the course. It means that you probably have to do some research and thinking about how this tricky area is taught.
What we are looking for here is a clear and concise discussion of the question. Firstly, recognise that the question is in 2 parts:
- Discuss the first part of this question - ‘the future is not so much a tense as an aspect: our view of what is happening is more important.’ Your discussion should involve some mention of how aspect is important in terms of how we view the future. A good place to start is the introduction to the future in Module 3, although you may choose to reasd more widely around the subject. Your grammar book (Murphy or Swan) may come in helpful here. Ideally we are looking for about 150-200 words here, but if you can say it more succinctly then please do so.
- The second part of the question is where most of the marks are to be gained. What we mean by ‘Explain how we use the different forms to express the future’ is that we want you to look at will, going to etc. and provide clear examples of how we use these forms to talk about future intentions, facts, etc. Again the section on the future in the Module will be a good starting point. However for full credit some research will need to be demonstrated into other future forms that were not covered in the section. Also clear examples for each form and use should be included.
A conclusion, perhaps going back to the question, should be included for a well-rounded answer.
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