Explore the future continuous tense, examples

The future continuous tense, also known as the future progressive tense, is a verb form used to describe an ongoing action or event that will take place in the future. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb “will” with the base form of the main verb, and adding the present participle (-ing) form of the verb. future continuous tense, examples

Here is a more detailed explanation of the usage of “will” and “shall” in future tenses:

1. “Will” is the most common auxiliary verb used to form the future tense in English.

• It is used with all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) to express future actions, predictions, intentions, or promises.

2. “Shall” is used less frequently in modern English and is typically associated with formal or legal contexts.

• It is used with the subjects “I” and “we” to indicate future actions, make suggestions, offers, or requests.
• In British English, “shall” is sometimes used with other subjects to indicate future actions, but this usage is less common in American English.

In everyday spoken English, “will” is more commonly used in all situations, regardless of the subject. The use of “shall” is typically limited to formal or legal contexts.

Learn Understanding Tenses in English Grammar

The future continuous tense is used in the following situations:

The future continuous tense is often used to express the idea of an action that will be in progress at a specific point in the future. It emphasizes the duration and ongoing nature of the action. Here are some common situations where the future continuous tense is used:

Future plans: When talking about future plans or activities that will be in progress at a specific time, the future continuous tense is employed. For example,

“I will be studying for my final exams all weekend.”

Predictions and assumptions: The future continuous tense can be used to make predictions or assumptions about future events based on current evidence or observations. For instance,

“I think it will be raining tomorrow afternoon.”

Polite inquiries: The future continuous tense can be used to make polite inquiries about someone’s plans or intentions. For example,

“Will you be attending the meeting tomorrow?”

Parallel actions: When describing two or more actions that will occur simultaneously in the future, the future continuous tense is used. For instance,

“While I will be cooking dinner, my brother will be setting the table.”

Scheduled events: The future continuous tense can be used to talk about scheduled events or activities that are expected to occur at a specific time in the future. For example,

“The concert will be starting at 8 PM tomorrow.”

The structure of the future continuous tense is as follows:

Sentence structure

subject + auxiliary verb (will) + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (present participle) .

Examples

• “I will be studying for my exams tomorrow evening.”
• “They will be traveling to Europe next month.”
• “She will be working on a new project throughout the week.”
• “We will be attending the conference in the morning.”
• “He will be cooking dinner while I am cleaning the house.”

The structure for the future continuous is as follows:

Sentence structure

Subject + will be + verb + -ing + (at/on + time)

The auxiliary verb “will be” is used to indicate that the action will be in progress at a specific point in the future. The main verb is in its present participle form (-ing).

Examples

• I will be studying for my exam at 8pm tonight. (The action of “studying” will be in progress at 8pm tonight.)
• They will be playing soccer at 5pm tomorrow. (The action of “playing soccer” will be in progress at 5pm tomorrow.)
• You can use “at” or “on” before the specific time to indicate when the action will be taking place.
• For example: I will be traveling to New York on Monday.
• In this example, the subject will be in the process of traveling to New York on Monday.

How to make affirmative Sentences in the future continuous tense?

To form affirmative sentences in the future continuous tense, you need to use the structure:

Sentence structure

Subject + will + be + present participle

Here are examples of affirmative sentences in the future continuous tense:

Examples

• I will be studying with friends this evening.
• The students will be taking a test at 10 o’clock.
• The company will be launching a new product next month.
• I will be driving to the airport tomorrow afternoon.
• They will be having dinner at a fancy restaurant tonight.

How to make Negative Sentences in the future continuous tense?

To form negative sentences in the future continuous tense, you need to use the structure:

Sentence structure

Subject + will + not + be + present participle

Here are examples of negative sentences in the future continuous tense:

Examples

• I will not be studying for my exams tomorrow.
• They will not be traveling to Europe next week.
• She will not be working on the project all day.
• We will not be attending the conference in the morning.
• He will not be playing soccer with his friends this evening.

How to make Interrogative Sentences in the future continuous tense?

To form Interrogative sentences in the future continuous tense, you need to use the structure:

Sentence structure

Will + subject + be + present participle?

Here are examples of interrogative sentences in the future continuous tense:

Examples

• Will you be studying for your exams tomorrow?
• Will they be traveling to Europe next week?
• Will she be working on the project all day?
• Will we be attending the conference in the morning?
• Will he be playing soccer with his friends this evening?

How to make negative interrogative sentences in the future continuous tense?

To form negative interrogative sentences in the future continuous tense, you need to use the structure:

Sentence structure

Will + subject + not + be + present participle?

Here are examples of negative interrogative sentences in the future continuous tense:

Examples

• Will you not be studying for your exams tomorrow?
• Will they not be traveling to Europe next week?
• Will she not be working on the project all day?
• Will we not be attending the conference in the morning?
• Will he not be playing soccer with his friends this evening?

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of a verb given in the brackets.

Here are 30 fill-in-the-blank sentences in the future continuous tense with multiple-choice questions (MCQs) of verbs given in brackets at the end of each sentence:

_____ (What / Where) will you be ______ (studying / playing) tomorrow evening?

____ (Who / How) will be _____ (cooking / dancing) at the party next week?

_____ (When / Why) will she be ______ (working / sleeping) on the project?

_____ (How / Why) will we be _____ (traveling / shopping) in the city this weekend?

_____ (Who / Where) will he be ______ (playing / painting) with his friends later today?

_____ (What / When) will the students be _____ (taking / eating) a break during the exam?

_____ (Where / What) will the company be ______ (launching / closing) a new branch next month?

_____ (Why / How) will you not be ______ (driving / swimming) to the beach tomorrow?

_____ (Who / What) will they not be ______ (meeting / watching) at the theater tonight?

_____ (When / Where) will the team not be ______ (practicing / cooking) for the match?

_____ (Why / When) will you be ______ (studying / dancing) for your exams?

_____ (What / Where) will they be ______ (traveling / working) during the summer break?

_____ (When / Why) will she be ______ (painting / sleeping) in the art studio?

_____ (How / What) will we be ______ (celebrating / shopping) on New Year’s Eve?

_____ (Who / Where) will he be ______ (playing / studying) after school tomorrow?

_____ (What / When) will the students be ______ (taking / cooking) a science experiment?

_____ (Where / What) will the company be ______ (expanding / closing) its operations next year?

_____ (Why / How) will you be ______ (traveling / reading) to work tomorrow?

_____ (Who / What) will they be ______ (visiting / watching) for dinner tonight?

_____ (When / Where) will the team be ______ (practicing / eating) before the championship game?

_____ (How / Why) will you be ______ (studying / playing) for your exams tomorrow?

_____ (Who / Where) will they be ______ (traveling / working) during the summer vacation?

_____ (When / Why) will she be ______ (painting / sleeping) in the art studio this weekend?

Examples of future continuous tense