The Formal Future

• At the C1-C2 level in business English, formal future structures are essential for discussing corporate planning, official roadmaps, and strategic investments with precision.
• Structure
• Primary Business Function
• Example
• be to
• Official arrangements and obligations
• The board is to meet in Boston next Tuesday.
• be expected to
• Probable outcomes based on current trends
• Seattle Logistics is expected to report higher margins.
• be slated to
• Scheduled events in a formal timeline
• Apex Industries is slated to launch the product in Austin.
• be poised to
• Readiness for an imminent action
• The Chicago firm is poised to acquire the tech startup.
• be on the verge of
• Imminent breakthrough or crisis
• Our Portland division is on the verge of closing the deal.
• be destined to
• Inevitable long-term outcomes
• This partnership is destined to reshape the market.
• Remember
• Use 'be to' for strict schedules, official arrangements, and binding corporate mandates.
• Use 'be poised to' when an entity is fully prepared and waiting for the right moment to act.
• Use 'be on the verge of' with gerunds (-ing) or nouns to denote an imminent transition.
• Use 'be slated to' specifically when referring to an official timetable or project docket.
• Examples
• The CFO in New York is to sign the acquisition papers tomorrow morning.
• Denver Ventures is poised to enter the European market next quarter.
• Our management team in Atlanta is on the verge of finalising the contract.
• The merger in Philadelphia is slated to close before the fiscal year ends.
• Common mistakes
• The CEO is on the verge to resign.
• The CEO is on the verge of resigning.
• Our Chicago office is slated releasing the report.
• Our Chicago office is slated to release the report.

Complete the sentences

• The board in Boston (slated) ____ approve the merger tomorrow.
• Our Seattle team (poised) ____ launch the new platform.
• The venture capital firm in Austin (verge) ____ closing the funding round.
• The executives in New York (to) ____ convene for the strategy review.
• Cascade Analytics in Portland (expected) ____ surpass its quarterly targets.
• This innovative project in Chicago (destined) ____ transform our industry sector.

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