future 2: will/shall

(information and prediction)
1 forms
will + infinitive without to
It will be cold tomorrow.
Where will you spend the night?
Some British people use I shall and we shall instead of I/we will, with no difference of meaning in most situations. (For cases where there is a difference, see future 7: will and shall interpersonal uses. Shall is unusual in American English in most situations but see future 7: will and shall interpersonal uses).
Contractions: I’ll, you’ll etc; shan’t /Ja:nt/ (BrE only), won’t /waunt/
2 use: giving information about the future; predicting
Will (or shall) + infinitive is used to give (or ask for) information about the future.
It’ll be spring soon. Will all the family be at the wedding?
We shall need the money on the 15th.
Karen will start work some time next week.
In another thirteen minutes the alarm will go off. This will close an electrical contact, causing the explosive to detonate.
We often use will/shall in predictions of future events – to talk about what we think, guess or calculate will happen.
Tomorrow will be warm, with some cloud in the afternoon.
Who do you think will win on Saturday?
I shall be rich one day. You’ll never finish that book. ?
3 conditional use
Will/shall is often used to express conditional ideas, when we say what will happen if something else happens.
He’ll have an accident if he goes on driving like that.
If the weather’s fine, we’ll have the party in the garden.
Look out – you’ll fall!
(If you’re not more careful.)
Come out for a drink. future : will/shallNo, I’ll miss the film on TV if I do.
Don’t leave me. I’ll cry!
4 future events already decided: will not used
When future events are already decided, or when we can ‘see them coming’, we often prefer a present form (usually present progressive or going to …). I’m seeing the headmaster on Monday. My sister’s going to have a baby.
For details, see future 3: going to …, see future 4: present progressive and future 6: present forms or will?.
5 not used in subordinate clauses: when I arrive
In subordinate clauses, we usually use present tenses instead of will/shall (see tense simplification in subordinate clauses.2).
I’ll phone you when I arrive, (not … when I will arrive:)
For exceptions, see tense simplification in subordinate clauses.4,8, 260.
6 other uses of will and shall
Will and shall are not only used to give and ask for information about the future. They can also be used to express ‘interpersonal’ meanings such as requests, offers, orders, threats and promises. For details, see future 7: will and shall interpersonal uses.
Shall I open a window? I’ll break his neck!
Will you get here at nine tomorrow, please?
For information about all uses of will, see will: various uses.