Difference Between Going To and Will
Going to and Will are two words that seem similar in sense although there is a difference between them. Their use should also be known with precision. The term ‘going to’ is commonly used as informal as in the sentence ‘I am going to tell the truth’. The same sentence may be imposed in a formal way by the use of the verb in the future form ‘will ‘ like ‘I will speak the truth. This is the main difference between the two expressions.
The term ‘going to’ is often preceded by the auxiliary verb ‘am’ and its different forms as ‘is’ ‘are’ in sentences like
1. I am going make an announcement.
2. It is going happen soon.
3. They are going be successful.
In the three sentences given above you can see that the term ‘going to’ is preceded by the auxiliary verb ‘ am ‘ and its forms as is’ and ‘are’.
‘Going to’ is often used as a present continuous expression as in this sentence
I am going to church now.
In this sentence you can see that the phrase ‘ going to’ is used as the present continuous form of the verb ‘to go’. On the other hand the word ‘ will ‘ normally be used in the future as in the sentence ‘He will come tomorrow’. The use of the verb ‘ will’ indicate certainty and would mean that the person will surely come tomorrow. Thus the use of will indicate certainty. On the other hand the expression ‘going to’ may not indicate certainty.
It is interesting to note that the verb ‘ will ‘ is normally used in case of second and third person pronouns or names. On the other hand it is used as ‘shall’ in case of the first person as in the sentence ‘I shall think about it ‘.