3.2.2 TRENDS AND CHANGES
TRENDS AND CHANGES
1. Warm up
- In your opinion, which technological trend has had the most profound impact on society in the last five years?
- Why do some trends (like vinyl records or 90s fashion) experience a resurgence, while others become permanently obsolete?
- How do you distinguish between a “fad” (a short-lived trend) and a genuine change or transformation?
2. Vocabulary
3A. Grammar: Future tenses:
We use the Future Continuous and Future Perfect to project ourselves into the future to describe actions in progress or completed milestones. These tenses are essential for professional reporting, trend analysis, and academic predictions.
The Future Continuous
Form
Subject + will + be + [Verb + -ing]
e.g. At this time next week, I will be lying on a beach in the Caribbean.
Use A. Actions in Progress at a Specific Time
Used to describe an ongoing action that will be happening at a particular moment in the future.
- “At this time tomorrow, I will be flying to Tokyo.”
- “In 2030, most people will be livingin smart cities.”
Use B. Predicting Trends and Continuous Shifts
We use this to emphasize that a change is not a one-time event, but a sustained process.
- “As technology advances, AI will be taking over more repetitive administrative tasks.”
Use C. Polite Inquiries and "Neutral" Future
It is often used to ask about someone’s plans politely without sounding like you are demanding something or pressuring them.
- “Will you be staying for the dinner after the conference?” (More polite than: “Are you going to stay?”)
Use D. Logical Assumptions about the Present
Interestingly, we can use this structure to guess what is happening right now.
- “Don’t call him now; he will be sleeping.” (I assume he is sleeping because of the time difference).
The Future Perfect
Form
Form: Subject + will + have + [Past Participle]
In July 2026, I will have lived here for 10 years.
Use A. Actions Completed Before a Point in the Future
This is the “looking back” tense. You imagine yourself at a point in the future and look back at a completed goal or event.
- “By the year 2040, scientists will have developed a viable alternative to plastic.”
- “I hope I will have finished the report by the time the meeting starts.”
Use B. Duration of a State up to a Future Point
Used with state verbs (know, be, have, work) to show how long a situation has existed.
- “By next month, I will have worked here for exactly ten years.”
3B. Practice
3C. Sentence Stem Activity
4A. Listening.
Watch the following video and list the 5 trends it mentions. Click HERE to watch the video.
4B. Comprehension questions
Question:
Do you agree that organizations which fail to plan for the future of work “will have no future”? Why or why not?
4C. Discussion
- How did people work 30 years ago?
- How do most people work today?
- How might work change in the next 10–15 years?
4D. Agree / Disagree Statements
Choose a position and justify it.
- “Work is no longer a place; it’s an activity.”
- “Technology has improved productivity more than well-being.”
- “Millennials are unfairly blamed for changes in the workplace.”
- “Companies should adapt to employees, not the other way around.”
4E. Role Play: The Future Workplace
Scenario A company wants to transform itself to attract top talent. Each role must argue for one change (flexible work, technology investment, culture, training).
HR Manager
Senior employee
Young employee
CEO
5.Speaking: Work with a partner. Choose two of the topics below and make predictions. You must use at least one Future Perfect and one Future Continuous sentence for each.
Topic 1: Language. (Will English still be the global lingua franca? Will we be using real-time translation chips?)
Topic 2: Money. (Will physical cash have disappeared? Will we be using a single global currency?)
Topic 3: Health. (Will we have increased the average lifespan to 120? Will robots be performing all surgeries?)
To download the pdf of this topic, click on the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Phy-wb5CBisgwSZrXinwTRlUIlA0jhoH/view?usp=sharing