Grammar › Future with going to
Going to: wh-questions
500 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 50 tests of ten
Question word, then be, then the subject, then going to and the plain verb.
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Getting your first question ready.
The usual order
Five slots: question word — be — subject — going to — plain verb.
How are you going to get there?
The form of be agrees with the subject that follows: Where is the meeting going to be? but Where are the guests going to sit?
When who is the subject
Nothing swaps, and going to follows straight after:
- Who is going to pay?
- What is going to happen?
The second is one of the most common questions in the language, and it always takes is, never are.
How are we going to
A question about method, usually with a problem attached:
The lift is broken. How are we going to get the piano upstairs?
Why are you going to
Asks for the reasoning behind a decision already taken. Compare Why will you…, which sounds like a challenge rather than a question.
All forms
| Question word | Example | Asking about |
|---|---|---|
| What | What are you going to say? | the action |
| Where | Where are they going to live? | the place |
| When | When is she going to tell him? | the time |
| Why | Why are you going to resign? | the reason |
| How | How are we going to pay for it? | the way |
| Who | Who is going to drive? | the person — see below |
Examples
Taken from the 500 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- When are they going to arrive at the airport?
- Why is he going to attend the conference next week?
- What am I going to do with all these books?
- Who is going to be the first to arrive at the party?
- When is it going to be his birthday?
- Why are you going to take a break from work?
- Who is going to take care of the pets while they are away?
- How am I going to improve my English skills?
- Who is going to be the next mayor?
- When are you going to finish your homework?
- How is the weather going to be tomorrow?
- How am I going to find my way back home?
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: What you are going to do? correct: What are you going to do?
Be goes before the subject.
Wrong: Who is he going to drive? correct: Who is going to drive?
When who is the driver, there is no second subject.