English Future Continuous Tense: Meaning, Questions, Rules, Preparation Tips, Exercises with Answers

The future continuous tense is a verb tense that shows an action happening over a period of time in the future. It is the future version of the present continuous tense, which uses a similar construction.

Although the future continuous tense in grammar is often confused with the simple future tense, there are some key differences between the two. The future continuous tense is usually used with a specified period of time, whereas the simple future tense can be used with or without an exact time.

Let’s take some examples for better clarity:

Future continuous: I will be watching a movie tonight.

Present continuous: I am watching the movie.

Simple future: I will watch a movie tonight.

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The Oxford definition of the future continuous tense describes it ‘as a verb tense that indicates an action will be in progress at a specific point in the future. It essentially shows an action happening over a period of time in the future, rather than simply a one-time event’.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, the future continuous tense describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. It's formed using "will" + "be" + the present participle of the main verb.

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The future continuous tense is described in three ways: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

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Usage of future continuous tense in English sentences follows some basic rules of English grammar. It includes adding right suffix to the verb, mentioning the particular time of the event and purpose of the tense used, among others.

1. The basic structure is subject + will be + verb (present participle).

For example:

• They will be playing hockey at 6 pm in evening.
• I will be going to school tomorrow.
• They will be arriving at night.

2. It's used to describe an action that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future.

For example:

• At this time tomorrow, I will be coming to your place.
• I will be in the flight tomorrow this time.

3. It's not used for actions that will be finished by a specific future point.

For example:

• I will be travelling next year (incorrect)
• I will travel next year. (correct)
• I will be going to the next class this year. (incorrect)
• I will go to next class this year. (correct)

4. While "will be going to" also uses "will be," it's the simple future tense expressing plans or intentions, not an ongoing action.

For example:

• I will be going to the temple later. (simple future)
• I will be going to the temple at 5 PM" (future continuous)

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While the Future Continuous tense talks about the action that will happen in future, it is not used for actions that happen suddenly or are not ongoing. In these cases, simple future tense is used instead.

Also, the Future Continuous tense is not used for with stative verbs like want, need, etc. Stative verbs describe a state or condition rather than an action. They often speak about thoughts, emotions, senses, and possessions, and are not used in continuous tenses.

Let’s take a look at these exceptions in detail:

• The Future Continuous is not used for actions that happen instantly.

For example, I will finish the work on Friday. (sudden completion)

• Stative verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses since they describe states or conditions rather than actions.

For example, "I will be wanting to go to the school." (incorrect) "I will want to go to the party." (correct)

• The Future Continuous is not used for general predictions or assumptions about the future.

For example, "I think it will be raining tomorrow." (incorrect) "I think it will snow tomorrow." (correct)

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The most important and basic tip to master the future continuous tense is to understand its meaning. Students need to be clear that this tense talks about an action which is in progress and mentions a specific time in the future.

• Students need to focus on recognizing the ongoing nature of the action and the time frame it takes place in, for correct usage of Future Continuous Tense in English sentences.
• Take in consideration various real-life scenarios and conversations to understand the use of future continuous tense in a better way.
• Use Future Continuous Tense worksheets and exercises to strengthen your understanding of the tense and its different uses.
• Keep reviewing your work on regular basis to reflect on areas where you can improve.

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Since future continuous tense describes an action in progress at a specific time in the future, the easiest way to identify it in a sentence is by its structure. Future Continuous Tense structure is "will be + verb + -ing" and is often used with specific time markers like "at 7 PM tomorrow" or "next week". For example, Mike will come to play football at 7 pm in the evening.

The future continuous tense highlights actions that are in progress at a particular time in the future, not necessarily completed at that point. Therefore, in order to identify them in a sentence, think of actions that will be happening for a duration of time. For example, like "I will be working on Sunday.”

Understand the specific time markers like ‘next week’, ‘all fay long’ to identify and understand the context of the future continuous tense.

To sum it up, the future continuous tense talks about actions that are already planned and will be in progress at a particular time. For example, "We will be attending the wedding next month".

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