Another elementary question

Good question, Docent P

Here's a Brit's answer:

"that I'll get in touch" or "that I will get in touch" doesn't sound quite right

"going to" - you are right - it's unnecessary to used the first bit, so "Once I'm back, I'm going to get in touch..." implies that you've made the decision. No need to say you've decided too.

I may have this wrong (grammer in one's own language is not always learned perfectly), but I think that the best is "I have decided that I should get in touch with...", as the intention is indicated by "decided" but, as it hasn't happened yet, you use the subjuntive (indicated by "should", implying that it's only a possibility, not fact).

Of course, any of them are acceptable in normal speech...they just have slightly different tones. The "going to" one might make the listener think that you are trying to convince yourself of the decision, for example...and making it public in order to clear it in your own head!

Re: Another elementary question


Hm, interesting question. I teach English myself, and I would tend to agree with your teacher. My best advice would be to change the structure of the sentence slightly, since the opening clause, "Once I'm back," is a somewhat misplaced modifier. All modifiers should be placed as close to the word modified as possible, and since this clause seems, to me, to be modifying the second "I" in the sentece, you should either remove the "I have decided that" or move the "Once I'm back." The resulting sentence would be one of the two below:

Once I'm back, I am going to get in touch with some estate agents.
(This seems to be a matter-of-fact statement.)
or

I have decided that once I am back, I am going to get in touch with some estate agents.
(This seems to be more of a declaration.)

Hope that helps

That sentence is not going to be correct.

"Once I'm back" = future

"have decided" = before now, not before a point in the future. It must be connected to now.


will = decided at the moment

going to = decided before speaking

So between those two it would be "going to"

am fixing to get in touch....


Geez!

I thought everybody knew that!!

Well, if you were to listen to some of the kids I teach, you'd know the correct form to be, "I'm finna git in touch wit..."

Jara,

We don't hear that much in London!

KP