No matter how true the saying about the disposed God is, people still stubbornly continue to make their plans. And today we will talk about how to tell your interlocutor about your immediate intentions, while emphasizing not the fact itself, but the process of taking actions, i.e. being busy doing something at a certain time. By analogy with the present tense that has already been studied, you probably guessed that we will be talking about the continuum of the future. And examples of specific situations, design diagrams and explanatory comparisons will help us get acquainted with the future continuous aspect.
Constructing sentences with the Future Continuous
The future continuous tense requires the construction of a compound predicate consisting of three elements: the auxiliary will, the verb to be (without to) and the invariable participle I.
- Jack (1) will (2) be (3) writing (4) tests at exactly this time tomorrow – JackwillwriteTomorrowtestsexactlyVThistime.
The design is easy to remember and recognize in the future. Its use also does not cause problems, because... the combination is the same for absolutely all types of pronouns and nouns. The abbreviated form will ⟶ ‘ll (you’ll be..., we’ll be..., etc.) is often used in spoken and written speech.
Interrogative sentences using the future continuous are formed, as in other English aspects of the future, by breaking the predicate and moving will to the beginning of the sentence. In this case, to be and the participle I remain in their original places.
- Will (1) Jessica (2) be (3) painting (4) the picture the whole evening? – Will Jessica draw this picture all evening?
If there is a special question word, will gives it first place in the expression.
- What will your brother be doing at 12 o'clock tomorrow? – Howis yoursBrotherwillbusyTomorrowat 12hours?
Negations in the continuous future are built using not. It is placed immediately after will, resulting in the shortened form won't. Note that with 1 person ( pronounsI, we) in English, instead of will, the auxiliary shall is used. For such situations, the shortened expression is shan’t.
We (1) will (2) not (3) be (4)working (5) on Tuesday –WeNotwe willworkinTuesday.
If the context requires it, a combination of negative and interrogative forms in one statement is possible. In this case, will comes forward, and not remains before the verb to be. But the abbreviated constructions won’t/shan’t are not separated, but are transferred entirely to the beginning of the sentence.
- Will she not be playing the violin tomorrow in the morning? –SheNotwillplayonviolinTomorrowin the morning?
- Won't you be driving to the dacha in the evening? –YouNotwill you goIn the eveningondacha?
So, we have learned how to build future continuous tense constructions for various purposes. It remains to consider the cases of using this tense, and our English will be replenished with another mastered grammatical category.
Future Continuous examples of sentence contexts
For this tense, several main cases of use can be distinguished. Let's look at them using the future continuous table, which contains examples taken from everyday speech and revised with translation into Russian. In addition, the material contains signal words by which this time aspect can be easily recognized.
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Using the Future Continuous |
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| Situation | Example | Translation |
| 1. Expression of the execution of some action or the occurrence of events in the future associated with a specific time indicator. Both time circumstances and other events/actions can act as a pointer. | I will be studying English from 4 till 6 o’clock on Monday. Her son will be playing football when she goes to the post office. Alex will be watching these movies all day tomorrow. |
I will study English on Monday from 4 to 6 pm.
Her son will be playing football when she goes to the post office. Alex will be watching these films all day tomorrow. |
| 2. Designation of the period of long-term action. The process is considered unified, even if it is logically clear that the action is carried out intermittently. | We will be repairing the boat during next week. Will you be rehearsing this song all month? He will be reading the War and Peace for two months. |
We will be repairing the boat all next week.
Will you be rehearsing this song all month? |
| 3. Expression of two parallel actions in the future. | While my brother is doing his homework, I will be watching the cartoons. She won't be washing the dishes and I shan't be washed the car in the evening. |
While my brother does his homework, I will watch cartoons.
She won't wash the dishes in the evening, and I won't wash the car. |
| 4. Predictable actions or events that will occur in the near future. | We must call right now or our parents will be worrying.
I am sure they will be writing me about their pets again. |
We have to call right now or our parents will worry.
I'm sure they will write to me again about their pets. |
| Time markers: at this time, at… o’clock tomorrow; all day, in the evening/morning; in…hours, days; from…till today, tomorrow and etc. | ||
Please note that the examples of various sentences given in the future continuous can also be used in the Future Simple form. But the semantic difference is that in continuum we focus on the process that will continue at a specified time, while in simple the simple fact of the actions being performed is important.
- I will be playing atthistime - I will play at this time(the game process is a long action, indicating time).
- I will play tomorrow – I will play tomorrow(fact of action, without indicating the time and duration of the event).
Future tenses in English have one common verb - will, which makes it easier to perceive, study and use this group of tenses. Future Continuous is no exception. In English, the name of the Future Continuous tense speaks for itself - it is mix and . Let's look at the structure and use of the English Future Continuous using many examples with translation into Russian.
Future Continuous. Examples:
I will be signing the contract tomorrow at 10 a.m. Tomorrow at 10 am I will sign the contract.
? Will she be having dinner when I come back home? Will she be having dinner when I get back?
- No will not be preparing for his examination in June. He will not study for the exam in June.
Marker words for the Future Continuous
(read more about marker words in the article):
at 5 o'clock(at five o'clock), at noon(at noon), at midnight(at midnight), at that moment(at that moment), all day long(all day), all day tomorrow(all day tomorrow) all the time(all the time), the whole evening(all evening), from six till seven(from six to seven), while(while).
THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
(THE FUTURE PROGRESSIVE)
Future continuous tense
Affirmative form of Future Continuous
+
| Structure | |
|---|---|
|
You(you you) We(We) They(They) He(He) She(she) It(he, she, it - about animals and objects) |
will be Ving |
| Examples | Translation |
|
This time tomorrow I will be sitting in a cafe. |
Tomorrow at this time I will be sitting in a cafe. |
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We will be listening to the music when he comes back. |
We'll listen to music when he returns. |
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They will be going to England on Sunday. |
On Sunday they will go to England. |
Question form Future Continuous
?
| Structure | ||
|---|---|---|
|
you(you you) we(We) they(They) he(He) she(she) it(it) |
be Ving? |
|
| Examples | Translation | |
|
– Will you be cooking tomorrow in the afternoon? |
– Will you cook food tomorrow afternoon? |
|
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– Will they be swimming at that time? |
– Will they be swimming at that time? |
|
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– Will he be arriving at 6 a.m.? |
– Does he arrive at 6 am? |
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Wh-?
Special questions in Future Continuous
(start with special words)
| Structure | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
How many (much, far...) |
you(you you) we(We) they(They) he(He) she(she) it(it) |
be Ving? |
|
| Examples | Translation | ||
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What will they be doing this time tomorrow? |
What will they be doing tomorrow at this time? |
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Where will your friends go shopping? |
|||
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Who will she be meeting in 3 hours? |
Who is she meeting in 3 hours? |
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Negative form
Future Continuous
—
| Structure | ||
|---|---|---|
|
You(you you) We(We) They(They) He(He) She(she) It(it) |
will not (won't) |
be Ving? |
| Examples | Translation | |
|
I won’t be ordering a pizza from 9 till 10 a.m. |
I won't order pizza between 9 and 10 am. |
|
|
He won’t be reading the book at that time. |
||
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She won’t be studying in the library all evening. |
She won't be studying in the library all evening. |
|
Interrogative-negative form
Future Continuous
(Speaking)
?-
| Structure | ||
|---|---|---|
|
you(you you) we(We) they(They) he(He) she(she) |
be Ving? |
|
| Examples | Translation | |
|
Won’t you be singing a song at that moment? |
Won't you sing a song at that moment? |
|
|
Won’t they be packing things all day long? |
Won't they be packing all day? |
|
|
Won't she be leaving |
Doesn't she leave for Manchester tomorrow at one o'clock? |
|
Schematically the structure of the sentence in Future Continuous can be shown like this:
+
S + will be Ving
?
Will + S + be Ving?
Wh - ?
Wh + will + S + be Ving?
–
S + won't + be Ving
? –
Won't + S + be Ving?
Such a scheme for time Future Continuous You can print it out and paste it into a notebook together with others, for example. You will get a ready-made cheat sheet, where everything is short and concise.
Using the Future Continuous
English time Future Continuous used:
1. To indicate long lasting in the future that will occur at some point or time period in the future.
- This time tomorrow we 'll be lying on the beach. Tomorrow at this time we will be lying on the beach.
— She will still be having lunch at 2 p.m. At 2 pm she will still be having lunch.
This is a long-term action in the future can be interrupted by another action, which can be either a truly physical interruption or a pause in time.
— We 'll be studying at the library when the teacher comes. We will study in the library when the teacher comes.
Important!
Please note that in subordinate clauses of time (when...), it is used (when the teacher COMES), and not (when the teacher will come).
2. To express parallel actions that will occur simultaneously in the future.
— While Kate is reading, Mike will be watching a cartoon. While Katya is reading, Mike will be watching a cartoon.
3. For expression intentions, assumptions or planned future events.
- No 'll be arriving at noon. He arrives at noon.
— We 'll be coming back from Greece on Tuesday. We will be returning from Greece on Tuesday.
— I’m sorry, I can’t come to your party as I 'll be working on that day. Sorry, I can't come to your party because I'll be working that day.
4. For polite questions - if you want to know about someone's intentions, should always be used Future Continuous, but not Future Simple. Using Future Simple, the speaker implies his own desire, thereby influencing the other's response. Using Future Continuous the question becomes more objective, devoid of pressure.
Will you come to the party? (= I want you to come to the party.) Will you come to the party?
Will you be coming to the party? (= I just want to know.) Will you come to the party?
What do we know about the future? There is only one thing we can say with complete confidence - it brings change. But we are talking today about the changes that Future Continuous time brings.
Future in English
All tenses in English are divided into three large groups: Present, Past and Future. Today the focus is on the rules of Future Continuous Tense or Future Continuous Tense. The name Future refers to a description of events that occur in the future. As for the term Continuous, this is an aspect indicating the duration of the action. Thus, by adding the two components, we get the following rule: the Future Continuous tense form describes a continuous action that occurs at a certain period of time in the future.
It should be noted that, despite the complexity of the construction, the Future Continuous tense is widely used in English. It transforms the speaker’s speech and often its use becomes an excellent alternative to two other tense forms that describe future events - Future Simple and Present Continuous.
Education
How is the Future Continuous tense formed? A grammatical structure, which consists of two parts, will help answer this question. In the first place are the auxiliary verbs of the future tense will/shall, in the second place is the construction of the Continuous aspect - to be + verb + -ing. From here the following formula is derived: Future Continuous: subjects + will/shall + be + verb + -ing. How it “works” in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms is discussed in the following table:
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Subjects + will/shall + be + verb + -ing |
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
I shall (will) be cooking - I will cook You will be cooking - You will cook He (she, it) will be cooking - He (she, it) will cook |
We shall (will) be cooking - We will cook You will be cooking - You will cook They will be cooking - They will cook |
|
Subjects + will/shall + not + be + verb + -ing |
|
|
I shall (will) not be cooking - I won’t cook You will not be cooking - You will not cook He (she, it) will not be cooking - He (she, it) will not cook |
We shall (will) not be cooking - We will not cook You will not cook - You will not cook They will not be cooking - They will not cook |
|
Will/shall + subjects + be + verb + -ing? |
|
|
Shall I be cooking? - I will cook? Will you be cooking? -Are you going to cook? Will he (she, it) be cooking? - Will he (she, it) cook? |
Shall we be cooking? - Shall we cook? Will you be cooking? - Will you cook? Will they be cooking? - Will they cook? |
Cases of use
The tense form Future Continuous is used in speech in the following cases:
- When an action is described that will be performed at a certain period in the future. At the same time, attention is focused not on when it will begin and end, but on the fact that at this precisely indicated moment the action will proceed and last:
This time next week Brenda will be flying to Paris - At the same time next week Brenda will be flying to Paris.
At five o’clock tomorrow evening my family will be walking in the park - At five o’clock tomorrow evening my family will be walking in the park.
Please note that in this case, such words as Future Continuous indicators are used, such as this time next week/month/year - at this time next week/month/year, the same time next week - at the same time on next week, meanwhile (meanwhile, in the meanwhile) - in the meantime, from three till five - from three to five, during the evening - during the evening, for 6 hours - for six hours, all day long - all day, all the time - all the time, the whole year - the whole year.
- Instead of time markers indicating the exact time, another action expressed by a verb in the Present Simple can be used:
She will be baking her Christmas cake when they come - She will bake her Christmas cake when they come (instead of the exact time - the verb come)
- When talking about planned or imminent events in the near future:
According to the weather forecast it will be snowing the whole day tomorrow - According to the weather forecast, it will snow all day tomorrow.
Tome will be taking the exam tomorrow at five o’clock - Tom will take the exam tomorrow at five o’clock.
The future continuous tense implies an action or event that will occur over a period of time. Unlike the simple future, in which the statement of fact is important, when using a long tense, the emphasis is on the process of action. In Russian this line is quite thin.
Education Future Continuous
- Statement.
When forming an affirmative form, the future tense “to be” (shall be/will be) is used in combination with a verb, through which the action or meaning of what is happening is conveyed. is put in the form of the present participle. Simply put, the ending -ing is added.
She will be running in the morning. - She will run in the morning.
- Question.
As for the interrogative form, it differs from the above in that the auxiliary verb is located at the beginning of the sentence.
Will she be running? -Will she run?
- Negation.
The order of the parts of speech in a sentence with a negative form is as follows: the subject, then shall be or will be, the particle “not”, and then the semantic verb ending in -ing.
She will not be running. - She won't run.
- Negative question.
The particle "not" follows the subject. That is, the word order is as follows: shall be/will be, subject, particle “not”, semantic verb (with an “ing” ending).
Will she not be running? -Won't she run?
- Passive form.
The Future Continuous form exists only in the active voice. In the passive mood, the future continuous tense is not used. Previously, it was possible to express an event or action directed at the subject through a passive form, but the English language is changing towards simplification. If you need to use it in the future tense, then Simple is used instead of Continuous.
This book will be read by me. - The book will be read by me.
More details in the table
The Roman numeral IV refers to the participle of a verb ending in -ing or the fourth form).
Most common abbreviations
The shortened form is used mainly in colloquial speech. The following abbreviations are allowed in English:
- I shall = I"ll.
- We shall = We"ll.
- You will = you"ll.
- He will = he"ll.
- She will = she"ll.
- It will = it"ll.
- They will = they"ll.
- Shall not = shan"t.
- Will not = won't.
In addition to the above phrases, the following abbreviated forms are also widely used:
- I am - I"m.
- Don't - don't.
- Are not - aren't.
In what cases is the future continuous tense used?
The temporary form Future Continuous is used when it is necessary to focus on the duration, and not on the very fact of performing an action. With rare exceptions, it is translated into Russian using the imperfect form of the verb.
Future Continuous: example sentences and rules
1. Designation of a continuous action, the beginning of which preceded the mentioned moment and continued over a certain period of time.
2. In addition, The Future Continuous Tense is often used along with the simple future (Future Indefinite). The only difference is that with the help of a long time the process is emphasized, and the future indefinite time conveys only the very fact of performing an action. In Russian this difference is not always noticeable.
She will be playing the piano the whole morning.
She will play the piano the whole morning. - She will play the piano all morning.
3. However, Future Continuous does not always convey a long action. Sometimes it can be used to express confidence that a certain event will happen, or to express a firm intention to do something.
I"ll be visiting her tomorrow. - Tomorrow I will come to visit her.
4. An expression of continued action that will take a specified period of time. It is not necessary that the action be performed continuously throughout this period of time. The following phrases are often found: all day long, the whole morning, all winter etc.
She will be studying all summer. - She will study all summer.
Features and rules for forming the present participle (ing form)
The form of a word ending in ing includes the present participial form of the verb, the gerund, and the present participle of the verb to form the future continuous tense. When forming a participle, it is important to consider the following:
- consonants at the end of a word are doubled if the word consists of one syllable: sit - sitting, stop - stopping;
- the word ends in -e, then -e is removed and put - ing: dance - dancing, change - changing;
- the ending -ie changes to -y: lie - lying;
- in other cases, the verb is supplemented with the ending -ing without any changes to the word: study - studying, work - working.
In order to have a good understanding of the rules for using tenses in English, you can practice composing your own sentences and dialogues. For a better understanding, you need to apply the knowledge gained.
There are tenses in the English language that have no analogues in our native Russian language. The temporary form Future Continuous is one of these. Memorable examples of Future Continuous sentences with translation will help you figure it out.
What is Future Durable?
Future Continuous or Future Continuous refers to the group of future tenses in English: Future Simple (Simple Future), Future Perfect (Future Perfect), Future Perfect Continuous (Future Perfect Continuous). In other words, this temporary form, like others from this series, describes an event that will occur in the future. Its distinctive feature is the Continuous aspect, indicating that we are dealing with a process occurring at a specific period of action in the future.
Affirmative form
Each temporary form has its own formation formula. The Future Continuous tense is not an exception. Its grammatical structure is as follows: subjects + will/shall + be + main verb + -ing. The examples given show that the Future Continuous is used to describe actions that will continue for some time in the future, as well as to describe planned events.
Negation
An integral part of negative sentences is the negative particle not, which by its appearance changes the Future Continuous formula: subjects + will/shall + not+ be + main verb + -ing.
Please note that the negative particle not (not), following immediately after the first auxiliary verb will or shall, can merge with them, forming the short form won’t/shan’t.
Question
There are four types of interrogative sentences in English. These include general, special, alternative and dividing questions. Without delving into the details of the construction of each of them, we can highlight one common feature for all - a change in the order of words in a sentence: the auxiliary verb comes first. The formula for constructing an interrogative sentence in the Future Continuous looks like this: will/ shall + subjects + be + main verb + -ing?
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Will the police be looking for this robber all evening? |
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Will the President be making a statement to the press this afternoon? |
|
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