Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
act of making changes; alteration; proof sheet made to verify changes made and check for additional errors
stack
cast
revise
instrument
TOEIC preparation test: Free online word games: Nouns Adjectives Game Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
bibliography vs reference | "to meet" vs "a meeting"
Message Author
Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? Tue May 01, 2007 18:59 pm  Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?
 

I have read somewhere that there is no difference between "I'm going to" and " I am doing" , but i think there is a difference

for example :

I'm organising a party tommorow. (i'm organising, means i've done smth to organise it??)

I'm going to organise a party tommorow. (just planning to organise ?? )

Is there anny difference between these 2 sentences?
_________________
absens carens
Michal. I'm an english student Smile
Michauek
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 29 Apr 2007
Posts: 120
Location: Poland

Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? Wed May 02, 2007 2:13 am  Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?
 

.
Both the present continuous and the 'going-to' future are used for future events. The present continuous usually indicates that the plan is firm, the future occurrence is near and inevitable: 'I'm meeting him at 7:00'; I'm visiting my aunt in Honolulu this summer'.

The 'going-to' future also indicates the speaker's determination of the inevitability of the event, usually based on present knowledge of some kind: 'It's going to rain tomorrow' (the weatherman said so); 'I'm going to meet him in St. Louis' (a scheduled event).

As you can see, the uses are quite similar, so there is often little or no difference in the speaker's intention when using one or the other.

In your example, however, there is a problem of ambiguity: is the party tomorrow, or merely its organization? If the party is tomorrow, then your first sentence indicates what you are doing NOW and your second sentence is odd (it will leave you precious little time to get organized!). If the organization is tomorrow (for next week's party), however, either sentence will do, with essentially the same meaning: a solid plan to organize in the near future.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber
Mister Micawber
Language Coach
Mr. Micawber

Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 4646
Location: Yokohama, Japan

English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsCan you find all the prepositions in this story?Are you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!Read these English anecdotes and maybe smile today? Subscribe to free email English course
Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? Wed May 02, 2007 11:07 am  Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?
 

"I'm organising" I meant that "I do" a party tomorrow , that tomorrow will the party started. For example:
One day before the party -> "Hi Jim. I'm organising party tomorrow. Would you like to come? "

I am confused now :/
_________________
absens carens
Michal. I'm an english student Smile
Michauek
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 29 Apr 2007
Posts: 120
Location: Poland

Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? Wed May 02, 2007 11:52 am  Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?
 

"I'm organizing a party tomorrow"

If the party is tomorrow, 'I'm organizing' means today.
If the organizing is tomorrow (for a later party), 'I'm organizing' means tomorrow.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber
Mister Micawber
Language Coach
Mr. Micawber

Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 4646
Location: Yokohama, Japan

Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? Thu May 03, 2007 12:39 pm  Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?
 

oh i see. this was a misunderstanding because when we I say "I'm organising" I mean I'm doing it at the moment (a party) .
Thx a lot !
_________________
absens carens
Michal. I'm an english student Smile
Michauek
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 29 Apr 2007
Posts: 120
Location: Poland

Display posts from previous:   
bibliography vs reference | "to meet" vs "a meeting"
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference? All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums
Where from can I download any ESL flash games as a teaching materials?Expression: ten-hut!Is it ok: "what did he wear?"difference between fashion/mode/styleConditionals: "risk" or "will risk"meaning of "scramble fast"What does 'who seemed to take delight in being as cruel as possible' mean?'feel like' expressions: is the meaning always 'have a desire for'Sentence: David's and my car is in the shopExpression: "Let go" and "Let me go"Give me some sample sentences with the word "sneaky"?Operators Verbsusage of the verb "spare"One paragraph about my favorite TV programmesome vs anyWhat means the acronymous RALExpression: "I'm kaput"Used to!= would (interchangeable / not interchangeable)Present progressive and "I'm going to" difference?

Discover English-test.net
Difference between balance and costAgree to vs. agree onKonstantin vs. ConstantynUsage of drawback, disadvantageWhat do you make of "plain speaking"?GRE verbal preparation: Vocabulary Games: English Nouns AdjectivesGRE preparation test: Free online word games: Noun Adjective GameDefine tonsure, hegemony, antithesis, clime, clamor, intransigenceDefinition of friend, clean, harvest, narrow, purpose, adultery, buy, begin, letter, hardFree ESL Quiz Online: Articles in English GrammarBusiness English printable worksheet download: Vehicle Coverageconvert audio books

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail