On the DC Metro, we are told: “The next stop will be X”.
When will the next stop be x?
I’m pretty sure the next stop *is* X!
“The next stop will be…”
July 16th, 2009 by Lisa Bedell
3 Responses to ““The next stop will be…””
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Teaching English to Preschoolers with iPhones
We (i.e. the creators of Pain in The English) developed a series of iPhone apps to teach preschool kids how to recognize letters and words. (My wife developed the characters and I did the coding.) Our own 4-year old daughter has been enjoying them. They are now available on Apple's App Store. You can search for "bitskis" on your iPhone, or visit the official website at bitskis.com.
If you have kids and own an iPhone, please check it out. It's $2.
You’re correct: the next stop *is* X, because the order of stops is a predetermined list.
But they are also correct: the next stop *will be* X, because you haven’t stopped there yet.
I have a question. Should it be “next stop” or “THE next stop”?
A case could be made for either construction, but I think context trumps syntax in this instance. That context is the subway. The phrase “the next stop will be” is more likely to be understood in a crowded train than “the next stop is.” The sibilant “is” would be more easily drowned out than the sharper-sounding “be.”