FUTURE CONTINUOUS
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.
FORM Future Continuous with
"Will"
[will be + present participle]
Examples:
You will be
waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Will you be waiting
for her when her plane arrives tonight?
You will not be
waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
FORM Future Continuous with "Be
Going To "
[am/is/are + going to be + present
participle]
Examples:
You are going to
be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Are you going to
be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
You are not going
to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
REMEMBER: It is possible
to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future
Continuous with little difference in meaning.
Complete List of Future Continuous
Forms
USE 1 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.
Examples:
I will be
watching TV when she arrives tonight.
I will be waiting
for you when your bus arrives.
I am going to be
staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me.
He will be
studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.
Notice in the examples above that
the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple
Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot
use future tenses in time clauses.
USE 2 Specific Time as an
Interruption in the Future
In USE 1, 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.
Examples:
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
In the Simple Future, a specific
time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In the Future
Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.
Examples:
Tonight at 6 PM,
I am going to eat dinner.
I am going to
start eating at 6 PM.
Tonight at 6 PM,
I am going to be eating dinner.
I am going to
start earlier and I will be in the process of eating dinner at 6 PM.
USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future
When you use the Future Continuous
with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions
will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples:
I am going to be
studying and he is going to be making dinner.
Tonight, they
will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
While Ellen is
reading, Tim will be watching television.
Notice "is
reading" because of the time clause containing "while." (See
Explanation Below)
USE 4 Atmosphere in the Future
In English, we often use a series of
Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a specific point in the future.
Example:
When I arrive at
the party, everybody is going to be celebrating. Some will be dancing. Others
are going to be talking. A few people will be eating pizza, and several people
are going to be drinking beer. They always do the same thing.
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.
Examples:
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 with these verbs, you must use Simple
Future.
Examples:
Jane will be
being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct
Jane will be at
my house when you arrive. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the
placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just,
etc.
Examples:
You will still be
waiting for her when her plane arrives.
Will you still be
waiting for her when her plane arrives?
You are still
going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
Are you still
going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
At 8:00 PM
tonight, John will be washing the dishes. Active
At 8:00 PM
tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John. Passive
At 8:00 PM
tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. Active
At 8:00 PM
tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John. Passive
NOTE:
Passive forms of the Future Continuous are not common.
Future Continuous Forms
Using "Will"
Positive
|
Negative
|
Question
|
I will be waiting.
You will be waiting.
We will be waiting.
They will be waiting.
He will be waiting.
She will be waiting.
It will be waiting.
|
I will not be waiting.
You will not be waiting.
We will not be waiting.
They will not be waiting.
He will not be waiting.
She will not be waiting.
It will not be waiting.
|
Will I be waiting?
Will yoube waiting?
Will webe waiting?
Will theybe waiting?
Will hebe waiting?
Will shebe waiting?
Will it be waiting?
|
Using "Be Going To"
Positive
|
Negative
|
Question
|
I am going to be waiting.
You are going to be waiting.
We are going to be waiting.
They are going to be waiting.
He is going
to be waiting.
She is going to be waiting.
It is going to be waiting.
|
I am not going to be waiting.
You are not going to be waiting.
We are not going to be waiting.
They are not going to be waiting.
He is not
going to be waiting.
She is not going to be waiting.
It is not going to be waiting.
|
Am I going to be waiting?
Are you going to be waiting?
Are we going to be waiting?
Are they going to be waiting?
Is he going to
be waiting?
Is she going to be waiting?
Is it going to be waiting?
|
