> Other English exercises on the same topics: Speaking | Frequent mistakes [Change theme]
	> Similar tests: - Placement test beginners: Check your spelling - Past simple or present perfect - Vocabulary: greeting people - Vocabulary: on the phone - On the phone - Interacting with someone - Although / in spite of / despite - Dialogue : What time...?
	> Double-click on words you don't understand

Using to 'wait'? or 'to expect'?

I) WAIT is used to express a time spent in a place until something happens:

- She's always late... I'm tired of waiting...

1. WAIT is always followed by FOR in front of a noun or pronoun.

- He's not home... He's waiting for his bus to school...

2. The expression “I can't wait for + noun/to + verb” = I'm looking forward to doing something... it shows impatience. 

- I can't wait for my sister to arrive.

- I can't wait to go to Italy... 

 3. WAIT FOR is only used in  the active form:

- He's waiting for the train to come. (the passive form is here impossible) 

II) EXPECT means to anticipate, to believe and hope.

- He's expecting a phone call from you asap.  (as soon as possible).

* But it can also be translated by other verbs such as to plan, to think, to suppose:

- I expect  (that) she will understand my absence.

III) How to build to WAIT and to EXPECT:

1. Both may be followed by an infinitive clause:

- He's waiting for you to confirm what he said.

- She's expecting her kids to tell her the whole truth. 

2. Followed by a subordinate clause, the meaning of EXPECT  is weakened into to suppose

- I expect you're sure of what you're saying! 

3. WAIT may also introduce a subordinate clause (without weakening it), introduced by until = till

- I'll wait till he arrives at last.

4. EXPECT may be built in the active and passive forms:

- Is he expected to deliver a speech at his arrival? 

                                                                             

Twitter Share
English exercise "Using to 'wait'? or 'to expect'?" created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test

Please log in to save your progress.

1) - You shouldn't wait forwaitexpectexpectedhave wait forI don't know too many thanks from him... You know how ungrateful he is.
2) - I really don't wait forwaitexpectI don't know my daughter to write every week, but I think I'll expectexpectedwaitwait onI don't know a little longer to see whether she'll call, or not...
3) - Can you wait'd expectexpectwaitedI don't know a minute, please? I'm not quite ready just now, but if you waitingexpectingexpectwaitwaitedI don't know a little more, I'll be all yours and we can expectwaitexpect forwait forI don't know to have a wonderful evening.
4) - I've been waitedexpectedwaited forwaitexpectingwaiting forI don't know my friend for more than an hour now, but he has just called to say that his plane had been delayed and that we'll have to expectexpectingwait forwaitingI don't know more than 2 more hours. So, let's be patient. I expectwaitexpectingwaited'm waitingI don't know him to call us when his plane lands.
5) - After waiting forexpectingexpectedwaitingexpectI don't know her baby for eight months (he was a preemie), Melanie is now expectingis waiting nownow is waitingis expecting nowI don't know everything to be alright for the three of them Just now, she's expectedwaiting forexpectwaitingwaitedI don't know her husband to come back and help her bathe their first born for the second time... I'm sure the new parents are expectedexpectingwaitingexpectwaitI don't know a long and happy life for their newborn baby.