1. The President is to visit China next month.
2. The President is going to visit China next month.
3. The President is due to visit China next month.
4. The President is scheduled to visit China next month.
(Does #1 mean #2, #3,and #4?
Is #1 commonly used when we speak English?)
Yes, all four mean about the same thing. The most commonly used in spoken English is #2.
1. "The President is to visit China next month." can be understood to mean the same as #2, #3, and #4. It implies that the President has a plan or intention to visit China next month.
2. "The President is going to visit China next month." is a common way to express future plans and it implies that the President has a definite intention or arrangement to visit China.
3. "The President is due to visit China next month." implies that the visit is expected or expected to happen as scheduled. It suggests that there may be a specific timeframe or deadline for the visit.
4. "The President is scheduled to visit China next month." suggests that the visit is planned and on a fixed schedule. It implies that there is a set date and time for the visit and that arrangements have been made.
Regarding the usage of sentence #1, while it may not be as commonly used in everyday conversation compared to sentence #2, it can still be used in formal or written contexts to convey a similar meaning.