Adult ESL/ELL High Beginner Quiz: Future Going To And Will
10 questions · exam conditions
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Future Going To And WillQuestion 1 of 10

A student writes this sentence: "She is going to calls her mother tonight." What is the error, and what is the corrected sentence?

The error is the wrong subject. The corrected sentence is: "He is going to call his mother tonight."
The error is 'is going to' — it should be removed. The corrected sentence is: "She calls her mother tonight."
The error is 'calls' — the verb after 'going to' must be the base form. The corrected sentence is: "She is going to call her mother tonight."
The error is 'tonight' — it is not needed. The corrected sentence is: "She is going to calls her mother."
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Adult ESL/ELL High Beginner Quiz

Adult ESL/ELL High Beginner Quiz: Future Going To And Will

Practice Future Going To And Will in Adult ESL/ELL High Beginner with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Future Going To And Will, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult ESL/ELL High Beginner.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

A student writes this sentence: "She is going to calls her mother tonight." What is the error, and what is the corrected sentence?

  1. The error is the wrong subject. The corrected sentence is: "He is going to call his mother tonight."
  2. The error is 'is going to' — it should be removed. The corrected sentence is: "She calls her mother tonight."
  3. The error is 'calls' — the verb after 'going to' must be the base form. The corrected sentence is: "She is going to call her mother tonight." (correct answer)
  4. The error is 'tonight' — it is not needed. The corrected sentence is: "She is going to calls her mother."
Explanation: When you see a question about future plans in English, think about the structure "be + going to + base verb." This pattern is one of the most common ways to talk about things you plan to do, and the verb form after "going to" never changes — it always stays in its simplest, base form. In the original sentence, "She is going to calls her mother tonight," the word calls is the problem. Adding the -s ending is correct for simple present tense (like "She calls her mother every day"), but after "going to," that ending must be dropped. The corrected sentence is "She is going to call her mother tonight" — making C the right answer. Choice A is a trap that changes the subject from she to he, which isn't the error at all. The subject pronoun was never the problem. Choice B suggests removing "is going to" entirely, which would destroy the future meaning the sentence is trying to express — "She calls her mother tonight" sounds unnatural and loses the sense of a planned future action. Choice D claims tonight is unnecessary, but time words like tonight are perfectly correct and helpful; removing tonight while keeping calls still leaves the original grammar mistake in place. A good rule to memorize: "going to" is always followed by the base form of the verb — no -s, no -ing, no -ed. If you ever see "going to + verb," ask yourself, "Is this verb in its simplest form?" That one check will help you catch this error every time.

Question 2

Read the two sentences:

  1. "The baby is crying. I think she is hungry."

  2. "Sara looked at the recipe and bought all the ingredients yesterday."

A student needs to add a future sentence to each situation. Which pair of sentences correctly matches each situation with the right future form?

    1. "I will feed her." and 2. "Sara will cook dinner. She decided just now."
    1. "I am going to feed her. I planned this earlier." and 2. "Sara is going to cook dinner tonight."
    1. "I will feed her." and 2. "Sara is going to cook dinner tonight. She already has a plan."
     (correct answer)
    1. "I am going to feed her." and 2. "Sara will cook dinner. She already has everything ready."
Explanation: When choosing between will and be going to, the key question is: Was this planned before, or is it a spontaneous decision? Use be going to for prior plans and intentions, and will for on-the-spot decisions made in the moment. Look at situation 1: the baby is crying right now, and you are reacting in real time. There was no plan — you are deciding to feed her this instant. That makes "I will feed her" the correct choice. Situation 2 is different: Sara looked at the recipe and bought ingredients yesterday. She clearly made a plan in advance, so "Sara is going to cook dinner tonight" is the right match. Answer C correctly pairs spontaneous will with situation 1 and planned be going to with situation 2 — making it the correct answer. Answer A is wrong because it applies will to Sara's situation, then adds "She decided just now" — but the passage shows she planned ahead, not at the last minute. Answer B is wrong in situation 1: it says "I planned this earlier," but nothing in the passage suggests a prior feeding plan. The baby just started crying. Answer D makes the opposite mistake — it uses be going to for the spontaneous baby situation and will for Sara's clearly pre-planned dinner, flipping both uses incorrectly. A quick tip: always look for context clues in the passage. Words like "bought yesterday" or "looked at the recipe" signal a prior plan (be going to), while a sudden event like crying signals a spontaneous response (will).

Question 3

Which sentence contains no grammatical errors and uses future forms correctly?

  1. "We are going to visit my grandmother this weekend. We already told her we are coming." (correct answer)
  2. "He will to call you later when he finishes his meeting at work."
  3. "They are going to moved to a new city next month because they found a new job."
  4. "I will am going to study for the test because it is tomorrow morning."
Explanation: When a question asks you to spot correct future tense usage, check two things: (1) Is the verb form grammatically correct after the helping verb? (2) Does the tense choice make logical sense in context? Answer A uses two common future expressions correctly. "Are going to visit" follows the be + going to + base verb structure perfectly, and "we are coming" is a natural present continuous used to describe a future plan already arranged — both are standard, error-free English. The other three choices each contain a clear structural mistake. Answer B writes "will to call," which is wrong because will is a modal verb and must be followed by a bare infinitive (base verb with no to). The correct form is simply "will call." Adding to after a modal is a very common learner error. Answer C says "are going to moved," which breaks the going to rule. After going to, you always need the base form of the verb, not the past tense. The correct phrase is "are going to move." Mixing going to with a past-tense verb is another frequent mistake. Answer D combines two future structures that cannot work together: "will am going to study" mixes will and be going to in the same verb phrase. You must choose one or the other — either "I will study" or "I am going to study." A useful tip: whenever you see a modal verb like will, can, or should, the next verb must always be the base form — no to, no -ed, no -ing. Memorize this rule and you will catch many grammar errors quickly.

Question 4

Maria looks at the sky. It is very dark and cloudy. She says to her friend, 'I forgot my umbrella today.'

What does Maria most likely say next about the weather?

  1. "It is going to rain. We should find cover soon." (correct answer)
  2. "It will rain yesterday. We should have stayed inside."
  3. "It is going to rained. We should find cover soon."
  4. "It will raining soon. We should find cover right now."
Explanation: When reading a passage and predicting what someone will say next, you need to think about two things: meaning (does it make sense in context?) and grammar (is the sentence correctly formed?). This question tests both. Maria sees dark, cloudy skies and forgot her umbrella — she's clearly worried about rain in the future. To talk about something likely to happen soon, English uses the structure "be going to + base verb" or "will + base verb." Both are correct for future predictions. Choice A — "It is going to rain. We should find cover soon." — is perfectly correct. It uses "going to" with the base verb "rain," and the second sentence logically follows. This is your answer. Choice B — "It will rain yesterday." — is a contradiction in terms. "Yesterday" refers to the past, but "will rain" points to the future. You cannot combine a future verb with a past time word. Choice C — "It is going to rained." — looks close to A, but notice the error: after "going to," you must use the base form of the verb, not the past tense. "Rained" is past tense, so this sentence is grammatically wrong. Choice D — "It will raining soon." — is also incorrect. After "will," you need the base verb, not the "-ing" form. The correct form would be "It will rain soon." A good tip to remember: after "will" or "going to," always use the base verb (no -ed, no -ing). Watch for answer choices that add those endings — they are common grammar traps on this exam.

Question 5

Carlos is studying English. He says: "Next year, I   take an advanced English class. I already registered online last week."

Which word or phrase correctly fills in the blank?

  1. will
  2. will be going
  3. was going to
  4. am going to (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see a blank in a sentence, always look at the whole sentence for clues — not just the blank itself. Here, two clues matter: the speaker is talking about something in the future ("next year"), and they've already taken a step toward that future ("registered online last week"). This tells you the plan was made in the past and is still active today. That's exactly what "am going to" expresses — a future plan that was decided before the moment of speaking. When Carlos registered online, he committed to his plan. Now he's reporting that plan using be going to, which is the natural, correct choice. D) am going to is correct. Here's why the other options don't work: A) "will" expresses a spontaneous decision or a prediction made right now — not a pre-made plan. If Carlos hadn't registered yet and just decided in the moment, "will" would fit. But that contradicts the clue "I already registered." B) "will be going" is the future continuous tense, which describes an action in progress at a future moment (e.g., "This time next year, I will be studying English"). It doesn't fit the idea of a plan. C) "was going to" is past tense and suggests the plan didn't happen or was canceled — the opposite of what Carlos means. He's still planning to go, so past tense is wrong. As a study tip: whenever you see words like already, last week, or yesterday alongside a future statement, that's a strong signal that "be going to" is the right fit — it's the tense for pre-made plans.

Question 6

Tom is at a restaurant. He is looking at the menu. The waiter asks, "Are you ready to order?" Tom has not decided yet. He looks up and says something.

Which sentence best fits this moment, using will correctly for a spontaneous decision?

  1. "I am going to have the chicken. I planned it before I arrived."
  2. "I have the chicken. It is my decision for tonight."
  3. "I will have the chicken, please. I just decided." (correct answer)
  4. "I am going to have had the chicken. That is my order for tonight."
Explanation: When you see a question about will vs. going to, ask yourself: Was this decision made before this moment, or just now? That's the key difference. Will is used for spontaneous decisions — choices made at the moment of speaking. Going to is used for plans made in advance. In this scene, Tom hadn't decided yet. The waiter asks, and Tom makes his choice right then. That makes C the correct answer: "I will have the chicken, please. I just decided." The phrase "I just decided" even confirms the decision is happening in the moment, which is exactly when English speakers use will. Looking at the wrong answers: A uses "going to," which is actually the correct form for pre-planned decisions — but the sentence itself tells you Tom planned it before arriving. That contradicts the passage, where Tom hadn't decided yet. B uses the simple present tense ("I have the chicken"), which in English describes a general fact or current state, not a food order. A waiter would be confused by this phrasing. D uses "going to have had," which is a grammatically impossible combination of future and past perfect — it doesn't exist as a real English structure and makes no sense in this context. A helpful tip: when you spot phrases like "I just decided," "Oh, I'll take that one," or any sudden choice, that's your signal to use will. If someone planned ahead — "I knew I wanted steak before I even walked in" — use going to. This distinction appears frequently on grammar questions, so keep it handy.

Question 7

David has his phone, his keys, and his calendar. He checks his calendar and sees: "Saturday: dentist appointment at 2 p.m." Today is Friday.

David tells his roommate about tomorrow. Which sentence uses the correct future form to talk about a plan?

  1. "I will go to the dentist tomorrow because I just decided it now."
  2. "I am going to go to the dentist tomorrow because I already have the appointment." (correct answer)
  3. "I go to the dentist tomorrow because the calendar shows it."
  4. "I am going to went to the dentist tomorrow because it is on my calendar."
Explanation: When talking about the future in English, the verb form you choose signals why something will happen. A key distinction on this exam is the difference between a pre-made plan and a spontaneous decision. David's dentist appointment is already written on his calendar — that means it's a plan made in advance, which calls for the structure "be going to + base verb." Choice B, "I am going to go to the dentist tomorrow because I already have the appointment," is correct. It uses "am going to go" (be going to + base verb "go") and the reason given — a pre-existing appointment — matches perfectly. This is exactly when English speakers use "be going to." Choice A is tricky because "will" sounds formal and confident, but "will" is used for spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking — not for plans already in place. The phrase "I just decided it now" actually makes A contradict the passage, where the appointment was already scheduled. Choice C uses the simple present ("I go"), which in English can sometimes describe future events on a fixed schedule (like trains), but it sounds unnatural here and doesn't communicate a personal plan clearly. It's too informal and ambiguous for this context. Choice D contains a grammar error: "am going to went" mixes "going to" with a past tense verb ("went"). After "going to," you must always use the base form of the verb, never a past form. A quick tip: when you see a future question, ask yourself — was this decided before or right now? Pre-made plan → "be going to." In-the-moment decision → "will."

Question 8

Read the conversation: Anna: "The phone is ringing!" Ben: "Don't worry.  "

Which response correctly completes Ben's sentence using will for a spontaneous offer or decision?

  1. "I am going to answer it. I planned to be by the phone all day."
  2. "I will answer it. Don't worry about it." (correct answer)
  3. "I answered it already when you called earlier."
  4. "I am answering it because that is my plan for today."
Explanation: When someone makes a spontaneous decision — meaning they decide something in the moment, not ahead of time — English speakers use will + base verb. This is different from "going to," which signals a plan made before the moment of speaking. Keeping this distinction in mind is the key to this question. In the conversation, Anna suddenly says the phone is ringing. Ben hasn't planned anything — he hears the news and immediately decides to help. That instant, unplanned decision is exactly what will expresses. Choice B, "I will answer it," captures this perfectly. Ben makes his decision right now, in direct response to Anna's words. The phrase "Don't worry about it" reinforces that this is a natural, spontaneous offer. Choice A is wrong because "going to" signals a pre-made plan, and the added detail — "I planned to be by the phone all day" — makes that even clearer. Ben isn't following a plan here; he's reacting to the moment. Choice C is wrong because "answered" is simple past tense, describing something that already happened. It doesn't complete the offer Ben is making right now. Choice D is also wrong for the same reason as A — "I am answering it because that is my plan for today" describes an existing intention, not a spontaneous decision. A helpful tip: when you see a sudden situation in a conversation (like a ringing phone or a spilled drink), ask yourself, "Did this person plan this, or are they deciding right now?" If it's right now, will is your answer.

Question 9

A student wants to say that her friend has a future appointment already scheduled. She writes four sentences. Which sentence is grammatically correct AND uses the most appropriate future form?

  1. "She will has a doctor appointment next Monday at 3 p.m."
  2. "She will having a doctor appointment next Monday at 3 p.m."
  3. "She is going to has a doctor appointment next Monday at 3 p.m."
  4. "She is going to have a doctor appointment next Monday at 3 p.m." (correct answer)
Explanation: When talking about future events that are already planned or scheduled — like appointments — English uses the phrase "be going to" followed by the base form of the verb. This question tests whether you know both the correct structure and when to use it. Answer D, "She is going to have a doctor appointment next Monday at 3 p.m.," is correct. The structure is: subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. Here, "is going to have" follows this pattern perfectly. Because the appointment is already scheduled for a specific time, "going to" is the most natural and appropriate choice — it signals a pre-arranged future plan. Looking at the wrong answers helps you see exactly what to avoid. Answer A uses "will has," which is a serious grammar error — after "will," you must always use the base form of the verb, so it would need to be "will have." However, even "will have" would be a weaker choice here, since "will" is better for predictions or decisions made in the moment, not scheduled appointments. Answer B writes "will having," which incorrectly adds "-ing" after "will" — this structure doesn't exist in English. Answer C uses "going to has," which makes the same mistake as A: after "going to," the verb must be in its base form ("have," not "has"). A quick rule to memorize: after "will" or "going to," always use the base verb (no "-s," no "-ing"). And remember, for scheduled plans with a specific time, "going to" is your best friend.

Question 10

Choose the sentence that correctly uses will to make a prediction about the future without present evidence.

  1. "Look at those black clouds — it is going to snow very soon."
  2. "I think technology will change our lives in the next 50 years." (correct answer)
  3. "She is going to travel to Paris. She already bought the ticket."
  4. "They are going to win the game. Their team is playing very well right now."
Explanation: When you see a question about will versus going to, the key is understanding why a speaker chooses each form. Use going to when there is present evidence or a fixed plan already in place. Use will when you are making a prediction based on opinion, belief, or general thinking — with no visible evidence right now. Answer B is correct because "I think technology will change our lives in the next 50 years" is a personal prediction based on belief, not on anything the speaker can see or touch right now. The phrase "I think" signals that this is an opinion about the future — exactly when we use will. Answer A uses going to, which is appropriate here because the speaker has present evidence — the black clouds in the sky. Those clouds are the visible reason for the prediction, so going to is the correct choice, not will. Answer C also correctly uses going to, but for a different reason: the speaker mentions a fixed, already-arranged plan ("she already bought the ticket"). When a plan is decided and in progress, we use going to, not will. Answer D follows the same logic as C and A combined — the team is playing well right now, which is visible present evidence. That makes going to the natural choice. A helpful tip: look for signal words. Phrases like "I think," "I believe," or "probably" often introduce a will prediction. Phrases pointing to visible evidence or existing plans — like "look at…," "already," or "right now" — signal going to. Spotting these clues will save you time on this type of question.