English — be about to / on the point of
To describe something that will happen in the very next moment, English uses be about to + infinitive and the more formal be on the point of + -ing, as in I was about to leave when the phone rang.
How it works
Be about to + bare infinitive marks an action on the edge of happening: The train is about to leave. Be on the point of + -ing (or a noun) is more emphatic and formal: She was on the point of giving up. Both can be shifted to the past for interrupted intentions: I was about to call you.
Examples
| Example | Use |
|---|---|
| The film is about to start. | Present: something starts in seconds/minutes. |
| I was about to leave when the phone rang. | Past intention interrupted by another event. |
| Aren't you about to make a big mistake? | Question / warning about an imminent action. |
| She was on the point of giving up. | Formal, emphatic: very close to acting. |
| The company is on the point of collapse. | With a noun after of instead of -ing. |
| Hurry — the shop is just about to close. | Just intensifies how immediate it is. |
Good to know
Don't add to after about to: say I'm about to leave, not I'm about to to leave. Note the different words after the two structures — be about to takes a bare infinitive (about to leave), while be on the point of takes -ing or a noun (on the point of leaving), never the infinitive.