Is 'I have a meeting tomorrow' right ?

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar, Learning English, Efl
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Hi,there
Recently,I got through the sentence 'I have a meeting tomorrow' when reading.What's the difference between 'I will have a meeting tomorrow' and 'I have a meeting tomorrow'.
Many thanks!

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 0 • Views: 26,186 • Replies: 17

[+3] - InfraBlue - 03/10/2011What you've done in your examples is modify [i]clauses[/i] with adverbial phrases. These adverbial phrases do not change the conjugational definitions of the verbs in your sentences. "Would...

@zhuli,

'I have a meeting tomorrow' implies that the speaker is not expected to be interrupted tomorrow .For example , someone you dislike invite you to a party tomorrow ,and you answer like this instead of 'i will have a meeting tomorrow'

0 Replies

@zhuli,

Quote:

Recently,I got through the sentence 'I have a meeting tomorrow' when reading.What's the difference between 'I will have a meeting tomorrow' and 'I have a meeting tomorrow'.

Hi Zhuli.

Students are often told that 'will' is the future tense. English doesn't have a future tense. There are many ways to express the future in English.

Of course, we often use 'will' but when things are decided, 'going to' is more natural/common. When things become scheduled, we often make use of the present simple to describe future events. That's what is happening here, the meeting has been scheduled.

Other examples are scheduled plane/train/bus/etc travel.

I leave tomorrow on the 5 o'clock flight.

1 Reply

@zhuli,

Quote:

Is 'I have a meeting tomorrow' right ?

Yes; it means:
" I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow".

1 Reply

I don't think you can say English doesn't have a future tense--we do, it's just that the verb itself isn't inflected for it, but rather we rely on things like whatever they're called, helping verbs or auxiliary verbs, like "will". Also we'd tend to use the contraction, like "I'll" rather than "I will", which sounds very formal.

I don't know if they still teach the use of "shall" for futurity, but in most situations I can think of, that's very 19th century, and people don't generally use it today.

To answer the question directly, the two sentences mean, and I think connote, pretty much the same thing. "I have a meeting tomorrow" would probably be most people's first choice, tho either works.

2 Replies

@MontereyJack,

Quote:

I don't think you can say English doesn't have a future tense--we do, it's just that the verb itself isn't inflected for it, but rather we rely on things like whatever they're called, helping verbs or auxiliary verbs, like "will".

We can say that because English doesn't have a future tense. MJ. It has many, many ways to discuss the future but no future tense.

What would you list as the future tense; would, might, may, will, shall, be about to, present continuous for the future, should, can, could, ... ?

Quote:

Also we'd tend to use the contraction, like "I'll" rather than "I will", which sounds very formal.

I agree that the contraction would be the normal neutral.

1 Reply

@JTT,

Thank you so much!

0 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

Thank you ~

0 Replies

@MontereyJack,

Many thanks !

0 Replies

@JTT,

Quote:

What would you list as the future tense; would, might, may, will, shall, be about to, present continuous for the future, should, can, could, ... ?

"Will" is used to form the future tense of English verbs like will go, will have, will see, etc.

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

"Will" is used to form the future tense of English verbs like will go, will have, will see, etc.

I'm going to go; I'm going to have a party; I'm going to see a movie.

I would go; I might have a party; I may see a movie.

I'm having a party this weekend; I'm about to have dinner; I go tomorrow.

Your premise has just been refuted, InfraBlue.

1 Reply

@JTT,

No, you've just shown other tense forms of conjugating English verbs like the progressive present indicative "am going", and conditional action in the case of "would" (present conditional), and uncertain action in the cases of "might" and "may."

Will is used, to be more precise, to form the future indicative tense of English verbs, jay tee tee.

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

No, you've just shown other tense forms of conjugating English verbs like the progressive present indicative "am going",

I showed the present continuous/progressive for the future, Infra. Here are some more;

I'm going to London next week. // I'm playing tennis this coming Friday. // He's starting at the plant next Monday.

These aren't the progressive present indicative. This is the present progressive indicative;

I'm playing tennis. // I'm eating. // He's climbing Everest.

Quote:

and conditional action in the case of "would" (present conditional),

Pragmatically, it could be that there is no difference at all between,

I would go and I will go.

Both can entail a conditional, "if you let me"

Quote:

and uncertain action in the cases of "might" and "may."

'will' is simply a higher modal expression of certainty. None of them have a great deal to do with the final result. 'may' and 'might' both express a future, granted, the expression in the mind of the speaker is generally regarded as more tentative, but it could also represent a massive understatement by the speaker.

Regardless, it still is a future, as is "probably will go"; "almost certainly will go"; "intend to go"; [you missed] "be about to + verb", an indication of a very near future that the purported 'will', English's purported future simply cannot adequately replace without a drastic change in meaning.

I think that you're simply hung up on some old terminology that did little more than give these things a name. As for describing their behavior in English, they really are quite dismal.

1 Reply

@JTT,

These words do lend a nuance to the language, otherwise these words would not exist. The terminology objectively describes their nuance.

Your opinion of the dismalness of this terminology is merely that, an opinion. And being that opionions are subjective, yours is irrelevant to the objectivity of the terminology.

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

Your opinion of the dismalness of this terminology is merely that, an opinion. And being that opionions are subjective, yours is irrelevant to the objectivity of the terminology.

That's not true, Infra. I showed how specious is the idea that 'will' is the future tense for English by showing numerous other ways that we use to indicate the future. That clearly illustrates that the terminology is useless, other than having a name that they answer to.

When we call out "future, oh future, where are you, a whole bunch answer.

They are highly misleading. The terminology can hardly be called objective. Present simple tense, is neither present nor simple. It has a wide variety of uses including relating past time events.

1 Reply

@JTT,

What you've done in your examples is modify clauses with adverbial phrases. These adverbial phrases do not change the conjugational definitions of the verbs in your sentences.

"Would go" is present conditional in and of itself.

"Will go," in and of itself, is future indicative.

1 Reply

I do appreacite your answers very much ,and I understand it clearly now. Thank you so much.

0 Replies

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

What you've done in your examples is modify clauses with adverbial phrases. These adverbial phrases do not change the conjugational definitions of the verbs in your sentences.

What adverbial phrases? What clauses were modified?

Quote:

"Would go" is present conditional in and of itself.

"Will go," in and of itself, is future indicative.

You're getting hung up on a name, Infra. Both 'will' and 'would' can operate in conditionals but a conditional is when there is a condition. A conditional is an "if" clause.

In "I will go" and "I would go", we have two examples of the future. I gave many other examples of English's future and it ain't simply only 'will'. That is so misleading for EFLs.

0 Replies

Is 'I have a meeting tomorrow' right ?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know