The phrase “about to” is a useful and natural English structure that expresses an action that is going to happen very soon, often within moments or a short time. It helps speakers indicate that something is imminent or on the verge of occurring.
For example:
- “I’m about to leave.” → (I will leave in a few seconds or minutes.)
- “It looks like it’s about to rain.” → (Rain is likely to start soon.)
This quiz will test your understanding of how “about to” is used in daily English Grammar. You can do this quiz online or print it on paper. It checks what you’ve learned from the “about to” topic page.
About to Quiz – Test your skills
Practice also more related quiz: What is a Sentence? Quiz
Multiple Choice Quiz: Using “About to Quiz” in English
1. “About to” is a special structure we use to talk about:
a) the immediate past
b) the immediate future
c) the immediate present
2. Sarah said, “I’m about to make dinner.” This means she will start making dinner:
a) later tonight
b) in the next few days
c) very soon
3. Choose the correct form of the verb “be”: “They _______ about to leave the party.”
a) is
b) are
c) was
4. Which option is grammatically correct? “I’m about to _______ my boss. Wish me luck!”
a) emailing
b) email
c) emailed
5. My favorite show is about to start. I should:
a) Go take a walk
b) Turn on the TV
c) Write an essay
6. If someone says “We’re about to sign the contract”, what does it mean?
a) They already signed it
b) They will sign it very soon
c) They’re not ready to sign it yet
7. Choose the sentence that makes the most sense: “He _______ about to travel abroad for the first time.”
a) is
b) are
c) was
8. “The clouds are getting darker. It’s about to _______.”
a) rain
b) rained
c) raining
9. “I’m not about to let you drive my car” means:
a) I will lend you my car soon
b) I am refusing to let you drive my car
c) I want you to borrow my car
10. Choose the option that best completes the sentence: “We were just about to leave when _______.”
a) The phone rang
b) We will leave
c) We have gone
About to Quiz with Answers
- b) the immediate future
- c) very soon
- b) are
- b) email
- b) Turn on the TV
- b) They will sign it very soon
- a) is
- a) rain
- b) I am refusing to let you drive my car
- a) The phone rang
Conclusion
Using “about to” is a great way to communicate that something is on the verge of happening. It’s a structure used in casual conversations, storytelling, and everyday speech.
Mastering it helps you sound more fluent and natural in English. Keep practicing with different contexts, and soon, you’ll be using “about to” like a native speaker!