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Hi,

I have a test in a few days and would really appreciate some help with the question below. I think I know what the problem is with the sentence but I'm not sure how to explain it (my correction is in bold)

Q: Make the correction, name the tense used to correct it and say how you would explain the correction"

"Can you come out tonight? No, sorry, I will see Hamlet at the National Theatre"
Can you come out tonight? No sorry I will be seeing Hamlet at the National Theatre"

Any help anyone could give would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks

S

Actually, although your correction (future continuous) is possible, the more usual response would be with present continuous:

Can you come out tonight?
No sorry. I'm seeing Hamlet at the National Theatre.

In cases where you already have a plan (for some future time like tonight), present continuous is typically used.

In cases where you have no plan and make a decision on the spur of the moment, will is typically used:

(Phone rings.) OK, I'll answer it.

For fuller details please see:
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_future.htm

Thanks, that's very helpful!

S

I don't think I would say any of those three sentences. I would say,

No, sorry. I am going to see Hamlet at the National Theatre.

The sentence with "will" is certainly incorrect as explained in the previous post. The other two are correct, but I think future with "going to" would fit much more nicely, and for me is certainly more natural.

The best one is -Can you come out tonight? No, sorry, I will be seeing Hamlet at the National Theatre

'I will be seeing' is future tense.

There is no such thing as the future tense, there are only future tenses. Will be + v + ing is future continuous, and is unnatural here because you need a more precise period of time than "tonight"