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Andrea

Entertainment

Get Ready for the Oscars

Grammar 4 min Article Intermediate


Grammar - Making predictions in English

[speaker]

If you’re a movie buff, you know that the Academy Awards are coming up! 

This ceremony, commonly called the Oscars, celebrates the year’s best achievements in film. The 2020 Oscars will take place on February 9.

Award winners receive a golden trophy in the shape of a knight, named—you guessed it—Oscar!

Top Awards

Now, let’s discuss three of the Oscars’ biggest awards.

Best Picture

The Best Picture award is for the year’s best movie. This is considered the most important award.

The nominees are . . .

  1. The Irishman
  2. 1917
  3. Little Women
  4. Ford v Ferrari
  5. Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood
  6. Jojo Rabbit
  7. Marriage Story
  8. Joker 
  9. Parasite

Best Actor

The Best Actor award is for the male actor who has given the best performance in a movie’s leading role

The nominees are . . .

  1. Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
  2. Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood
  3. Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
  4. Adam Driver – Marriage Story
  5. Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

Best Actress

This is the same as the Best Actor award, but it’s for the most outstanding female in a leading role.

The nominees are . . .

  1. Cynthia Erivo – Harriet 
  2. Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
  3. Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
  4. Charlize Theron – Bombshell
  5. Renée Zellweger – Judy

Predictions

One of the best parts of the Oscars is making predictions about who you think will win, and then watching the awards on TV to see if you were right.

When you make a prediction about the future, use the simple future tense: 

  • Structure:
    subject + will + base verb 
  • Example:
  • Joaquin Phoenix will win the Best Actor award for Joker

You can also make negative predictions:

  • Structure:
  • subject + will not / won’t + base verb 
  • Example:
  • The Best Actress award won’t go to Charlize Theron.

To talk about something you’re not totally sure about or something you’re very sure of, use words such as “I think,” “I don’t think,” or “I’m sure” at the beginning of your statement.

  • I don’t think Adam Driver will win the award for Best Actor.
  • I’m sure Renée Zellweger will get the Best Actress award for Judy.

And The Winner Is…

Now that you know how to talk about the Oscars, what are your predictions?