The OALD says that will can be used to:
- Talking about or predicting the future
- Showing that somebody is willing to do something
Is there a way to distinguish the first use from the second?
For example, is there a way to understand if the following sentence is used to express willingness?
I will come to live in Italy.
Does the fact there isn’t a time reference suggest the speaker is only willing to move to live in Italy? Would the meaning change, if the person used the following sentence?
By the end of 2018, I will live in Italy.
Answer
Context, context, context.
In a bare sentence like “I will come to live in Italy” there is no way of telling whether will expresses expectation, intention, or willingness.
But provide just a little more context and the meaning is transparent:
-
My employers have acquired a prestigious art-book publisher in Firenze which requires only 21st-century management skills to become (they believe) adequately profitable, so it appears that I will come to live in Italy. –Expectation
-
I can no longer endure this wasteland where no one understands how to prepare cavolo verza arrosto con pancetta croccante properly; I will come to live in Italy. –Intention
-
Very well; though leaving my beloved Montenegro will grieve me, if you will marry me I will come to live in Italy. –Willingness
By the end of 2018, I will live in Italy.
This has sufficient context to suggest that will probably expresses intention; but it is by no means certain.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : apaderno , Answer Author : StoneyB on hiatus
