Our first song about the future. A young man is going away, and he makes promises to the girl he loves.
Learn from Songs · Unit 4: The future · A2
All My Loving
A happy love song about going away: will and ’ll for promises and the future (I’ll write every day, I’ll miss you), won’t, time expressions (tomorrow, every day, soon), and imperatives, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria, and letters across the sea.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
What does he promise?
SOPHIA
To write home every day, and to send all his love.
MARCOS
Every day? That’s a lot of letters.
Before you listen: the song
Liverpool and London, 1963
The Beatles were four young men from Liverpool: John, Paul, George and Ringo. In 1963 they became the most famous band in Britain, and in 1964 in the whole world.
Paul McCartney wrote “All My Loving” on a tour bus in 1963. Unusually for him, he wrote the words first, like a poem, and the music afterwards. In February 1964, it was the first song the Beatles played on American television, on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by 73 million people.
In the song, the singer is going away. He will miss the girl he loves, and he promises that he will write home every day, and send her all his loving. He will be true to her while he is away.
I’ll write home every day.
Listen: the promises
PHILO
Listen once. Is he arriving or leaving? What will he do while he is away?
SOPHIA
Then listen for I’ll: how many times can you hear it? Answer Section A.
💌 Listen to the song: “All My Loving” (Paul McCartney, The Beatles, 1963).Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “All My Loving”, The Beatles.Read the lyrics →
Will for promises and the future
DEMETRIA
I’ll write every day. I’ll miss you. I won’t forget you.
SOPHIA
will + verb (short form ’ll) for promises and for the future: I’ll call you tomorrow. It will be cold. Negative: won’t (= will not). Question: Will you…? There is no -s: he will write, not he will writes.
Time expressions
MARCOS
Tomorrow, every day, soon, next week, in a month…
SOPHIA
Future time words: tomorrow, soon, later, next week / month / year, in two days, one day. And every day for a promise that repeats.
Sophia’s comparison: letters from far away
SOPHIA
In Rome, the poet Ovid wrote a book of imaginary letters from women to the men who had gone away, like Penelope writing to Odysseus: “Don’t write back. Come yourself!”
PHILO
And our people wrote letters too: the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon, telling them to build houses and plant gardens, because they would be away a long time.
DEMETRIA
So people have always made promises in letters.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I’ll / you’ll / he’ll + verb | will for promises and the future | I’ll write home every day. |
| won’t + verb | negative: will not | I won’t forget you. |
| Will you…? | questions | Will you write to me? |
| tomorrow, soon, next week, one day | future time expressions | I’ll see you next week. |
| Close your eyes. Remember me. | imperatives | Remember me! |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What is the singer doing?
2. What does he promise to do?
3. What will he send?
4. How does the song sound?
5. Who wrote it?
6. Where did the Beatles play it in February 1964?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I write to you every day. (promise)
8. I forget you. (negative)
9. you write to me? (question)
10. She will him. (miss)
11. I’ll see you week.
12. I’ll be back . (in a short time)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He will writes every day.”
14. “I’ll miss you.”
15. “I will not to forget.”
16. “Will you remember me?”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Promises. You are going away for a year. Make five promises to your family or friends: I’ll write…, I’ll call…, I won’t forget…
Discuss. 1. Is it easy to keep promises when you are far away? 2. Do people still write letters? 3. Why do you think the Beatles were so popular?
Write (50–80 words). A letter from far away. Write the first letter home, with at least five promises using will and won’t.