Let's look at the 'future tense' exercise that I gave you last Thursday. Have you ever tried playing around with verb tenses like this?
Here's the original paragraph, with verbs in the past tense:
In 1985, the average person travelled 3,199 miles by car, and this rose to 4,806 miles in the year 2000. The figures for miles travelled by train, long distance bus, taxi and other modes also increased from 1985 to 2000. Travel by taxi saw the most significant change, with more than a threefold increase from 13 miles per person per year in 1985 to 42 miles in 2000.
Now let's write the same description as a future prediction:
In 2025, it is predicted that the average person will travel 3,199 miles by car, and this will rise to 4,806 miles in the year 2030. The figures for miles travelled by train, long distance bus, taxi and other modes are also expected to increase from 2025 to 2030. Travel by taxi should see the most significant change, with a projected increase from 13 miles per person per year in 2025 to 42 miles in 2030.
i was wondering...is it ok to write something like 'In Italy, ...blah blah. Similar pattern can be seen for Ireland.' without mentioning exact numbers for Ireland in the whole report
Posted by: shokhrukh | November 28, 2019 at 20:24
sir, why should has been used , but not will ?
Posted by: Pachu | November 29, 2019 at 02:34
shokhrukh,
Yes, you could write "A similar pattern can be seen for Ireland" without mentioning the figures.
...
Pachu,
I use 'should' just for variety, but 'will' would be fine too.
Posted by: Simon | November 29, 2019 at 04:47
thank you so much sir for your feedback.
Posted by: Pachu | November 29, 2019 at 18:32
Hi Simon
I have been a big fan of you for like a year. Since then, I have learned so much that I cannot tell you.
I cannot get my head around why you used 'should' to show the future tense?
Apart from 'should', are there any alternatives to show the future tense?
I would really appreciate it if you could help me out with your helpful answer.
By the way, how can I sign up for your course because I live in Iran and I cannot make online transactions using a card?
Please give us living in Iran a solution to do so.
Thanks in advance
Posted by: Amin | November 30, 2019 at 15:50
Amin,
We often use "should" in the future, and it means "will almost certainly" e.g. Interest rates should remain low next year = It is expected that interest rates will remain low.
Posted by: Simon | January 10, 2020 at 16:05