Help With Celta Assignment

[JamieP]

I have to resubmit my CELTA assignment on the differences on concept with:

"I'm going to help you ........" and " I wil;l help you"

I'm happy with my concept:

Concept differences:

Going to future is formed by “to be” and “going to” and is used to describe an event in the future that is already planned.

Future Simple is form by the will and the bare infinitive and it is used to inform of a decision as the decision is made.

So if I have already decided to help with homework them the “going to” form should be used. If I tell just as I make the decision then the would be used.

But I need to expand on my anticipated problems, I have:

Pre-planned vs spontaneous decision.

Sts omit “to be” and say I going to help

Sts omit conraction when speaking -use finger highlighting

Sts drop the -ing and say -in

Any hints to point me in the right direction would be appreciated, the problems don't have to apply to any specific level or nationality of student.

p.s please don't just give me the answers

Edited October 14, 2007 by JamieP

[PeaceBlondie]

Being a well educated American with a uni degree, I will be of no help at all on that one. We Americans generally make no such fine distinction between those two 'future' forms of English grammar. You will have to ask the British English or the Scottish, Welsh, or Irish speakers of English. We denote certainty by adverbs. "I will surely do that." Or, "I will definitely do that, Shirley." I'm going to ask Nigel or Hermione if they will ask Ian. This shows that CELTA is British British British.

In reply to your penultimate (second-to-last) sentence, the nationality matters immensely when talking to a Canadian or a Yank. Omission of an adverb or adjective of certainty would leave the certainty uncertain, Shirely.

[Ijustwannateach]

There are several shades of difference.

On one level, speaking of the future, the two connotate different probabilities of an event occurring. "I'm going to eat dinner" sounds fairly strong and indicates a plan; "I'll probably eat dinner" is weaker and indicates more uncertainty about the future.

Furthermore, "I will..." has some other uses: for promises and predictions. "I promise I'll clean my room." "The Yankees will win the next pennant."

Normal idiomatic English regarding plans uses "to be going to" more often than "will," which is why the overuse of "will" is an idiomatic mistake by many second-language learners.

"S"

[mbkudu]

I think ahmin-uh have a coffee.

[JamieP]

Assignment resubmitted, thanks to those that replied.