Future continuous tense is used to express a continued or an ongoing action in future.
Structure Of Sentence
Positive: (Subject + will be + 1st form of verb + ing + Object)
- They will be waiting for us.
Negative: (Subject + will + not be + 1st from of verb + ing + Object)
- They will not be waiting for us.
Interrogative: (Will + Subject + be + 1st from of verb + ing + Object + ?)
- Will they be waiting for us?
- He will be flying a kite.
- It will be raining tomorrow.
- She will be enjoying her vocation.
Spelling -Ing Forms
1. If a verb ends in a stressed vowel + one or more consonants +e or ue, “drop” the e and add-ing.
- Believe => believing
- Joke => Joking
- Taste => tasting
2. If a verb ends in -ie, change the –ie to -y and add ing.
- Die => dying
- Lie => lying
- Tie => tying
3. If a verb ends in y, add -ing. It doesn’t matter if there is a vowel or a consonant before y.
- Pray => praying
- Spy => spying
- Play => playing
4. If a verb ends in vowel + one consonant double the consonant and add -ing.
- Beg => begging
- Chat => chatting
- Fit => fitting
5. If a word ends in a stressed vowel + r, double the r and add –ing, but if a verb ends in an unstressed vowel + r, do not double, the r, just add -ing.
- Confer => conferring
- Defer => deferring
- Answer => answering
- Offer => offering
6. If a verb ends in a vowel, add -ing.
- Do => doing
- Go => going
7. Add -ing to all other verbs.
More uses of future continuous tense:
FORM Future Continuous with “Be Going To “
Future Continuous has two different forms: “will be doing ” and “be going to be doing.” Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.
- You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
- You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Interrupted Action in the Future
Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
- I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.
- I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future
In USE 2, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as an interruption, in this case we use Future Continuous with “Be Going To “
- Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I will be in the process of eating dinner. - At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert.
We will be in the process of driving through the desert.
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses
Like all future tenses, the Future Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Continuous, Present Continuous is used.
- While I am going to be finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Not Correct
- While I am finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Correct
AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs
It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Continuous Tense with these verbs, you must use Simple Future.
- Jane will be being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct
- Jane will be at my house when you arrive. Correct