Advanced Future Forms
Use be to for formal scheduled announcements, be about to for something happening in the very next moment, be due to for a planned or timetabled event, be on the verge of for a dramatic turning point, and be bound to for a confident prediction based on logic rather than a schedule.
Formula
Examples
Common Time Markers
Usage
- •'be to' — formal announcements, official schedules, itineraries, and instructions (news reports, press releases, timetables)
- •'be about to' — something will happen in the very next moment, with no time marker needed
- •'be due to' — something is scheduled or expected according to a plan or timetable
- •'be on the verge of' + gerund — something is right on the brink of happening, often a dramatic or sudden change
- •'be bound to' — strong speaker certainty about an outcome, based on logic or evidence rather than a schedule
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"Be about to" means something will happen in the very next moment, with no time marker needed: "The train is about to leave." "Be due to" means something is scheduled or expected according to a plan or timetable, and can pair with a time: "The flight is due to depart at 9pm."
A time marker after "about to" is a common error — "I'm about to leave tomorrow" is wrong because "about to" only ever means right now.
When do you use 'be to' for the future?
"Be to" dominates formal announcements, official schedules, itineraries, and instructions — news reports, press releases, timetables: "The Queen is to open the new hospital wing on Friday." It sounds stiff in casual conversation, where a simple present continuous ("I'm meeting Dave later") is more natural.
'Bound to' vs 'on the verge of' — how are they different?
"Bound to" expresses the speaker's own confident, logic-based certainty about an outcome, with no fixed schedule involved: "He's bound to notice eventually." "On the verge of" (+ gerund) marks something right on the brink of happening, usually a dramatic or sudden change: "The firm is on the verge of bankruptcy."
Comparison Table
| Form | Form | Basis | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| be to | formal plan / official schedule | very formal, news and announcements | The Queen is to open the hospital wing. | |
| be about to | immediate next moment | neutral | The train is about to leave. | |
| be due to | timetable set by someone else | neutral to formal | The flight is due to depart at 9pm. | |
| be on the verge of | dramatic, imminent turning point | neutral to formal | The firm is on the verge of bankruptcy. | |
| be bound to | speaker's confident logic | neutral | He's bound to notice eventually. |
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Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am about to leave | 'm not about to leave (am not) | Am I about to leave? |
| He / She / It | is about to leave | isn't about to leave (is not) | Is he about to leave? |
| We / You / They | are about to leave | aren't about to leave (are not) | Are we about to leave? |
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When to Use Advanced Future Forms
Immediate future (be about to)
The train is about to leave.
Scheduled future (be due to)
The flight is due to depart at 9pm.
Confident prediction (be bound to)
He's bound to notice eventually.
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More Examples
The Queen is to open the new hospital wing on Friday.
Formal announcement of a scheduled royal engagement
Hurry up — the train is about to leave!
Immediate future, happening in seconds
The report is due to be published later this month.
Scheduled/expected event with no fixed exact date
After months of losses, the firm is on the verge of bankruptcy.
A dramatic negative outcome is imminent
If he keeps spending like that, he's bound to run out of money.
Speaker's confident prediction based on logic
Talks between the two governments are not due to resume until the autumn.
Negative form, scheduled event postponed
Common Mistakes
- ✗Using 'be to' in casual speech instead of formal/news contexts — it sounds stiff among friends ('I'm to meet Dave later' → say 'I'm meeting Dave later').
- ✗Adding a time marker after 'be about to' ('I'm about to leave tomorrow') — it only works for the immediate moment, drop 'tomorrow'.
- ✗Forgetting 'of' + gerund after 'on the verge' ('on the verge to cry' → 'on the verge of crying').
- ✗Confusing 'due to' the future form with 'due to' the preposition meaning 'because of' — 'The delay was due to weather' is a different structure entirely.
Tips
- ✓'be about to' and 'be on the verge of' both mean 'any second now' — but 'on the verge of' fits big, dramatic turning points, while 'about to' works for anything trivial too.
- ✓'be due to' signals a plan or timetable someone set — if there's no schedule behind it, use 'be bound to' or 'be about to' instead.
- ✓'be bound to' is about the speaker's certainty, not a fixed time — pair it with logic ('he's bound to notice eventually'), not with clock times.
Advanced Notes
These forms sit above 'will' and 'going to' in formality and precision, and native speakers reach for them to signal exactly how imminent, scheduled, or certain a future event is. 'Be to' dominates news headlines and official itineraries but sounds oddly formal in everyday conversation; 'be about to' and 'be on the verge of' both compress the future down to 'right now', with the latter reserved for higher-stakes turning points. 'Be due to' quietly implies a timetable someone else set, which is why it's the natural choice for flights, deliveries, and reports, while 'be bound to' drops the schedule entirely and instead expresses the speaker's own confident logic about what must happen.
FAQ
Can you say 'I'm about to leave tomorrow'?
No — "about to" only works for the immediate moment, so it can't take a future time marker like "tomorrow." Drop the time marker: "I'm about to leave."
Is 'on the verge to cry' correct?
No — "on the verge of" always needs "of" + a gerund: "on the verge of crying," not "on the verge to cry."
Is 'be to' used in casual conversation?
Rarely — it sounds stiff among friends. "I'm to meet Dave later" is technically correct but unnatural in casual speech; say "I'm meeting Dave later" instead. "Be to" belongs in formal or news contexts.
Is 'due to' always about the future?
No — "be due to + verb" is the future form ("The report is due to be published"), but "due to" is also an unrelated preposition meaning "because of": "The delay was due to weather." Same words, different structure.
How is 'be bound to' different from 'be due to'?
"Be bound to" expresses the speaker's own certainty based on logic, with no schedule behind it ("he's bound to notice eventually"). "Be due to" implies a timetable someone else set, which is why it's the natural choice for flights, deliveries, and reports.
Practice
- 1.The Prime Minister announce new measures tomorrow.
- 2.Hurry up — the train leave!
- 3.The report be published later this month.
- 4.After months of losses, the firm bankruptcy.
- 5.If he keeps spending like that, he's run out of money.
Compare With
Other C1 Topics
Mixed Conditionals
Expresses how a past event affects the present (or vice versa)
Inversion with Negative Adverbials
Expresses strong emphasis by inverting verb and subject after negative openers
Advanced Relative Clauses
Forms precise noun phrases by defining, extending, or reducing relative clauses
Wish and If Only
Expresses regrets about the past or desires contrary to present reality
Conditional Perfect (Would Have)
Expresses imagined or unrealised outcomes in the past
Discourse Markers
Used for organising and signalling structure or stance in formal speech or writing
Substitution and Ellipsis
Used for avoiding repetition using short substitute forms or deliberate omission
Inversion in Conditionals
Formal if-less conditionals formed by inverting had, were, or should.
Nominalisation
Turn verbs and adjectives into nouns for a formal, objective, academic tone.
Hedging and Cautious Language
Softening claims with modals, tentative verbs, and qualifying phrases in formal/academic writing.
Advanced Comparison
Compare with nuance: proportional change, ongoing trends, and emphasized or minimized differences.