Let’s explore about Future Perfect Continuous, Examples & Exercises
The Future Perfect Continuous tense, also known as the Future Perfect Progressive tense, is used to describe an ongoing action or activity that will continue up until a specific time or event in the future. It emphasizes the duration, continuity, and completion of an action in relation to a future reference point. Let’s explore its structure, usage, and key features in more detail: Future Perfect Continuous, Examples
The Future Perfect Continuous tense is formed by combining the future auxiliary verb “will have been” with the present participle form of the main verb (-ing form). Here is the structure:
Sentence Structure
Subject + will have been + present participle (verb + -ing) + Completing phrase
- Subject: This is the person or thing performing the action of the sentence. Example: She, They, I, The team, John, etc.
- Auxiliary verb “will have been”: “Will have been” is used to indicate the future perfect continuous tense. It shows that the action will be ongoing until a specified future time or event. Example: will have been
- Verb (present participle form): The main verb in the present participle form (-ing form) is used to describe the ongoing action. Example: studying, working, living, playing, waiting, etc.
- Completing phrase: This part of the sentence specifies the duration or the point in the future when the action will be completed. Example: by tomorrow, by the end of the year, when the deadline approaches, etc.
Putting it all together, here is an example sentence in the Future Perfect Continuous tense:
She will have been studying for five hours by the time the exam starts.
In this sentence:
- “She” is the subject.
- “Will have been” is the auxiliary verb indicating the future perfect continuous tense.
- “Studying” is the main verb in the present participle form.
- “For five hours” is the completing phrase specifying the duration.
Examples
- I will have been studying for five hours by the time the exam starts.
- They will have been working on the project all week before the deadline.
- She will have been living in that city for ten years by next month.
Usage
- Duration: The Future Perfect Continuous tense is primarily used to indicate the duration of an action that will be ongoing until a specific future time. It emphasizes the continuity of the action. For example:
- By the time she graduates, she will have been studying for seven years.
- They will have been living in the same house for a decade by next year.
- Anticipation of a future action: This tense can also express an action that is expected to continue up until a specific future point. It implies that the action will be ongoing and will only stop at the stated future reference point. For example:
- By the time he arrives, I will have been waiting for two hours.
- She will have been working on the project all night when the deadline approaches.
Key Features
Duration and continuity: The Future Perfect Continuous tense emphasizes the duration and continuity of an action. It suggests that the action has been happening continuously and will continue until the specified point in the future.
Future reference: The tense always refers to a future time or event. It indicates that the action will be completed before a specific time or event occurs.
Expectation and anticipation: This tense often implies an expectation or anticipation of the action’s continuation until a specific future point. It conveys the idea that the action will persist until the specified time or event takes place.
Emphasis on the ongoing nature: The Future Perfect Continuous tense puts emphasis on the ongoing nature of the action, highlighting that it has been continuously happening and will continue until the future reference point.
Examples
- By the end of the month, I will have been working on this project for six months.
- They will have been traveling for a month when they reach their final destination.
- We will have been waiting for hours by the time the movie starts.
Learn about: The 12 basic English tenses
How to make Affirmative Sentences in the future perfect continuous tense?
Here’s a more concise and effective explanation of how to form affirmative sentences in the Future Perfect Continuous tense:
To create an affirmative sentence in the Future Perfect Continuous tense, follow this structure:
Sentence Structure
[Subject] + [will have been] + [verb (present participle form)] + [completing phrase]
- Identify the subject.
- Use the auxiliary verb “will have been” before the main verb.
- Write the main verb in its present participle form (-ing form).
- Include a completing phrase to indicate the duration or the point in the future when the action will be completed.
For example: Subject: I Auxiliary verb: will have been Main verb: studying (present participle form) Completing phrase: for five hours
Affirmative sentence: I will have been studying for five hours.
Here are some examples of affirmative sentences in the Future Perfect Continuous tense:
Examples
- I will have been studying for five hours by the time the exam starts.
- They will have been working on the project all day before the deadline.
- She will have been living in that city for ten years by next month.
- We will have been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrives.
- The team will have been practicing for months before the championship game.
- By the end of the week, he will have been working at the company for a year.
- They will have been traveling around the world for six months when they return.
- She will have been playing the piano since she was a child.
- The construction workers will have been building the bridge for a year by the completion date.
- I will have been learning Spanish for three years by the time I visit Spain.
How to make Negative Sentences in the future perfect continuous tense?
Sentence Structure
[Subject] + [will not have been] + [verb (present participle form)] + [completing phrase]
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to construct a negative sentence in the Future Perfect Continuous tense:
- Identify the subject: Determine the person or thing performing the action in the sentence.
- Add the negation “not” to the auxiliary verb: Place “not” after “will” to indicate the negative form.
- Use the auxiliary verb “have been”: Retain the auxiliary verb “have been” to maintain the Future Perfect Continuous tense.
- Use the main verb in the present participle form (-ing form): Add the main verb in its present participle form to show the ongoing action.
- Include a completing phrase: Specify the duration or the point in the future when the action will be completed.
Let’s look at an example using the subject “She” and the verb “study”:
Subject: She Negation: not Auxiliary verb: will have been Main verb: studying (present participle form) Completing phrase: for five hours
Negative sentence: She will not have been studying for five hours.
In this example, the subject is “She,” the negation “not” is added after “will,” the auxiliary verb is “will have been,” the main verb is “studying” in its present participle form, and the completing phrase is “for five hours.”
Examples
- Will they have been traveling for two weeks when they return?
- Will she have been studying for the exam all night?
- Will you have been working on the project for six months by the deadline?
- Will he have been playing the guitar for five hours by the time the concert starts?
- Will we have been waiting in line for an hour before the store opens?
- Will the team have been practicing the dance routine for three hours before the competition?
- Will you have been learning French for a year when you visit Paris?
- Will she have been working as a nurse for ten years by the time she retires?
- Will they have been preparing for the presentation all day?
- Will I have been writing the report for three hours by the time you arrive?
How to make Interrogative Sentences in the future perfect continuous tense?
To form interrogative sentences in the Future Perfect Continuous tense, follow this structure:
Sentence Structure
[Will] + [subject] + [have been] + [verb (present participle form)] + [completing phrase] + [?]
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to construct an interrogative sentence in the Future Perfect Continuous tense:
- Begin with the auxiliary verb “Will.”
- Place the subject after the auxiliary verb.
- Use the auxiliary verb “have been” after the subject.
- Add the main verb in the present participle form (-ing form) after “have been.”
- Include a completing phrase to indicate the duration or the point in the future when the action will be completed.
- End the sentence with a question mark “?”.
Let’s look at an example using the subject “you” and the verb “wait”:
Auxiliary verb: Will Subject: You Auxiliary verb: have been Main verb: waiting (present participle form) Completing phrase: for two hours
Interrogative sentence: Will you have been waiting for two hours?
In this example, “Will” is the auxiliary verb, “you” is the subject, “have been” is the auxiliary verb, “waiting” is the main verb in its present participle form, and “for two hours” is the completing phrase.
- Will she have been working on the project for ten hours by the end of the day?
- Will they have been studying French for three years when they graduate?
- Will you have been waiting at the airport for two hours when the flight finally arrives?
- Will the team have been practicing the new choreography for a month before the performance?
- Will he have been playing the piano for five years by the time he enters the music conservatory?
- Will we have been hiking for six hours by the time we reach the summit?
- Will she have been living in the city for a decade when she decides to move?
- Will they have been rehearsing for the play all day before the opening night?
- Will you have been working out at the gym for two hours when I join you?
- Will the construction workers have been building the bridge for a year when it is completed?
How to make 10 Negative Interrogative Sentences about future perfect continuous
Sentence Structure
Negative Auxiliary verb “Will not have been” + Subject + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Examples
- Will you not have been waiting for me at the airport?
- Will they not have been studying for the exam all night?
- Will he not have been working on this project for months?
- Will she not have been practicing the piano for hours?
- Will it not have been raining all day tomorrow?
- Will we not have been traveling for hours by the time we arrive?
- Will the team not have been training hard for the championship?
- Will John not have been living in that city for five years?
- Will the construction workers not have been building the bridge for a long time?
- Will the students not have been preparing for the presentation since last week?
How to make tag sentences with future perfect continuous tense?
To form tag sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, you can follow this structure:
Sentence Structure
Positive Sentence: Subject + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence, will they?
Negative Sentence: Subject + Auxiliary verb “will not have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence, will they?
Examples
- You will have been working hard, won’t you?
- They will have been studying all night, won’t they?
- He will have been traveling for weeks, won’t he?
- She will have been practicing the piano diligently, won’t she?
- It will have been raining heavily, won’t it?
- We will have been waiting for a long time, won’t we?
- The team will have been training rigorously, won’t they?
- John will have been living in that city for a year, won’t he?
- The construction workers will not have been working efficiently, will they?
- The students will not have been paying attention, will they?
Examples of sentences using the question word “who” in the future perfect continuous tense:
The sentence structure for using the question word “who” in the future perfect continuous tense is as follows:
Sentence Structure
Question word “Who” + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Here are some examples of sentences using the question word “who” in the future perfect continuous tense:
Examples
- Who will have been working on this project for six months by the end of next year?
- Who will have been studying for their exams all night before the big test?
- Who will have been living in that house for a decade by the time they move out?
- Who will have been playing the guitar for hours at the concert?
- Who will have been traveling around the world for a year by the time they return?
- Who will have been working tirelessly to achieve their goals?
- Who will have been exercising regularly for months to prepare for the marathon?
- Who will have been practicing their dance routines non-stop for the upcoming performance?
- Who will have been volunteering at the shelter for years by the end of 2023?
- Who will have been saving money diligently to buy their dream car?
- What will have been happening in the world while I’m away on my trip?
- What will have been changing in the industry over the next decade?
- What will have been improving in technology by the end of this year?
- What will have been happening at the company during my absence?
- What will have been developing in the field of medicine by 2030?
- What will have been happening in the city during the construction of the new bridge?
- What will have been evolving in the field of artificial intelligence by the next decade?
- What will have been progressing in the research of renewable energy sources?
- What will have been occurring in the market while I’ve been focusing on other projects?
- What will have been happening in the education system by the time my children graduate?
Examples of sentences using the question word “when” in the future perfect continuous tense:
The sentence structure for using the question word “when” in the future perfect continuous tense is as follows:
Question word “When” + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Here’s an example sentence using this structure:
When will have been happening in the city while I’m on vacation?
In this sentence, we use the question word “when” to inquire about the timing or occurrence of ongoing actions or events in the future. The auxiliary verb “will have been” indicates the future perfect continuous tense, and the verb in the present participle form (“happening”) describes the ongoing action. The rest of the sentence provides additional context or details.
Here are some examples of sentences using the question word “when” in the future perfect continuous tense:
Examples
- When will have been happening in the world while I’m traveling abroad?
- When will have been improving in technology by the end of next year?
- When will have been evolving in the field of medicine by 2030?
- When will have been occurring in the market while I’ve been focusing on other projects?
- When will have been happening at the company during my sabbatical?
- When will have been progressing in the research of renewable energy sources?
- When will have been developing in the city during the construction of the new infrastructure?
- When will have been evolving in the field of artificial intelligence by the next decade?
- When will have been changing in the industry over the next five years?
- When will have been occurring in the education system while reforms are implemented?
Examples of sentences using the question word “where” in the future perfect continuous tense:
The sentence structure for using the question word “where” in the future perfect continuous tense is as follows:
Sentence Structure
Question word “Where” + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Here’s an example sentence using this structure:
Where will have been happening all the construction while I’m away?
In this sentence, we use the question word “where” to inquire about the location or place of ongoing actions or events in the future. The auxiliary verb “will have been” indicates the future perfect continuous tense, and the verb in the present participle form (“happening”) describes the ongoing action. The rest of the sentence provides additional context or details.
Here are some examples of sentences using the question word “where” in the future perfect continuous tense:
Examples
- Where will have been happening all the festivities while I’m on vacation?
- Where will have been developing in the city during the urban revitalization project?
- Where will have been occurring in the market while I’ve been focusing on other investments?
- Where will have been growing in popularity by the time of the music festival?
- Where will have been changing in the neighborhood during the construction of the new park?
- Where will have been progressing in the field of renewable energy by 2030?
- Where will have been evolving in technology by the end of next year?
- Where will have been improving in education while reforms are implemented?
- Where will have been expanding the business during my absence?
- Where will have been upgrading the facilities by the time of the sports event?
Examples of sentences using the question word “why” in the future perfect continuous tense:
The sentence structure for using the question word “why” in the future perfect continuous tense is as follows:
Sentence Structure
Question word “Why” + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Here’s an example sentence using this structure:
Why will have been happening in the industry for so long?
In this sentence, we use the question word “why” to inquire about the reason or purpose behind ongoing actions or events in the future. The auxiliary verb “will have been” indicates the future perfect continuous tense, and the verb in the present participle form (“happening”) describes the ongoing action. The rest of the sentence provides additional context or details.
Here are some examples of sentences using the question word “why” in the future perfect continuous tense:
Examples
- Why will have been happening in the market for such a prolonged period?
- Why will have been changing in the climate despite our efforts to mitigate it?
- Why will have been evolving in technology for so many years without significant breakthroughs?
- Why will have been occurring in the neighborhood during the construction project?
- Why will have been progressing in the field of medicine for such an extended time?
- Why will have been developing in the city while other areas remain stagnant?
- Why will have been improving in education despite the challenges we face?
- Why will have been growing in popularity throughout the years?
- Why will have been expanding the business with such dedication and investment?
- Why will have been upgrading the infrastructure without considering alternative solutions?
Examples of sentences using the question word “how” in the future perfect continuous tense:
The sentence structure for using the question word “how” in the future perfect continuous tense is as follows:
Sentence Structure
Question word “How” + Auxiliary verb “will have been” + Verb (present participle form) + Rest of the sentence?
Here’s an example sentence using this structure:
How will have been progressing in the project by next month?
In this sentence, we use the question word “how” to inquire about the manner or degree of progress of ongoing actions or events in the future. The auxiliary verb “will have been” indicates the future perfect continuous tense, and the verb in the present participle form (“progressing”) describes the ongoing action. The rest of the sentence provides additional context or details.
Here are some examples of sentences using the question word “how” in the future perfect continuous tense:
Examples
- How will have been improving in technology by the end of the year?
- How will have been evolving in the field of medicine by 2030?
- How will have been developing in the city during the urban renewal project?
- How will have been progressing in the research of renewable energy sources?
- How will have been growing in popularity by the time of the event?
- How will have been changing in the market while I’ve been focusing on other ventures?
- How will have been expanding the business during my absence?
- How will have been upgrading the facilities by the time of the grand opening?
- How will have been occurring in the neighborhood during the construction process?
- How will have been happening at the company while we transition to a new system?
Tips and techniques for using the future perfect continuous tense effectively
Here are some tips and techniques for using the future perfect continuous tense effectively:
- Understand the meaning: The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe ongoing actions or events that will be in progress at a specific future point. Ensure you understand this concept before using the tense.
- Use time markers: Incorporate time markers or adverbs that indicate the specific future point when the action will be ongoing. For example, “by next year,” “by the time,” or “in five years.”
- Consider duration: The future perfect continuous tense emphasizes the duration of an action or event. Use it when you want to highlight the ongoing nature of the activity and its length.
- Connect with the future context: The future perfect continuous tense relates to the future, so ensure it aligns with the overall context and timeline of your sentence or paragraph.
- Practice consistency: Maintain consistency in verb tense when using the future perfect continuous tense. If the main clause is in the future tense, ensure the subordinate clause or related sentences also reflect the appropriate tense.
- Be specific and clear: Use precise language and details to convey your message effectively. Clearly communicate the ongoing action, the duration, and the future point at which it will be happening.
- Consider the context: Evaluate whether the future perfect continuous tense is the most suitable choice for expressing your intended meaning. Consider other tenses and choose the one that best fits the context and emphasis you want to convey.
- Read and analyze examples: Read and analyze various examples of sentences in the future perfect continuous tense to gain a better understanding of its usage and application.
- Practice and seek feedback: Practice constructing sentences using the future perfect continuous tense and ask for feedback from native English speakers or language experts to improve your proficiency.
Let’s take a simple sentence and construct it using different tenses, including the past perfect continuous tense, to highlight the differences:
Let’s take the simple sentence: “She studies English.”
Here’s how the sentence can be constructed using different tenses:
Examples
- Simple Present: She studies English.
- Simple Past: She studied English.
- Simple Future: She will study English.
- Present Continuous: She is studying English.
- Past Continuous: She was studying English.
- Future Continuous: She will be studying English.
- Present Perfect: She has studied English.
- Past Perfect: She had studied English.
- Future Perfect: She will have studied English.
- Present Perfect Continuous: She has been studying English.
Common errors and pitfalls when using the future perfect continuous tense
- Incorrect word order: Make sure the auxiliary verbs “will have been” are used in the correct order before the main verb in the present participle form (-ing). For example, “I will have been studying” is correct, while “I will been have studying” is incorrect.
- Confusing future perfect and future perfect continuous: Be careful not to confuse the future perfect continuous tense with the future perfect tense. The future perfect continuous emphasizes ongoing actions, while the future perfect focuses on the completion of an action. For example, “I will have been working” (ongoing action) versus “I will have finished” (completed action).
- Overuse of the tense: The future perfect continuous tense is not commonly used in everyday conversation. It is typically used in specific contexts where there is a need to emphasize ongoing actions or events in the future. Avoid overusing this tense and opt for simpler tenses when they are more appropriate.
- Lack of clarity and precision: Ensure that the use of the future perfect continuous tense provides clarity and precision in your sentence. If using this tense makes the sentence unnecessarily complex or confusing, consider using simpler tenses to convey your message effectively.
- Inconsistent verb tense: Maintain consistency in verb tense when using the future perfect continuous tense. Ensure that the main clause and subordinate clauses align in terms of the tense used.
- Failure to provide context: The future perfect continuous tense often requires additional context to make sense. Without proper context, the sentence may sound incomplete or confusing. Provide enough information to clearly indicate the ongoing nature of the action in the future.
- Lack of understanding of the future timeline: Remember that the future perfect continuous tense refers to ongoing actions or events that will be happening before a specific point in the future. Pay attention to the time markers or adverbs that establish this future reference point.
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 perfect continuous tense, each followed by a multiple-choice question with verbs given in brackets:
- By this time tomorrow, Sarah _____ (study / will have been studying / will be studying) for six hours straight.
- How long _____ (you work / will you have been working / will you work) at this company by the end of the month?
- By the time they arrive, we _____ (prepare / will have been preparing / will prepare) dinner for two hours.
- By next year, he _____ (live / will be living / will have been living) in this city for a decade.
- How long _____ (they wait / will they have been waiting / will they wait) at the airport before their flight departs?
- By the time the concert starts, the band _____ (practice / will have been practicing / will practice) for hours.
- How long _____ (she travel / will she be traveling / will she have been traveling) when she reaches her destination?
- By the end of the week, I _____ (write / will have been writing / will write) this report for days.
- How many miles _____ (they run / will they have been running / will they run) by the time they finish the marathon?
- By this time next month, the construction crew _____ (work / will have been working / will work) on this project for six months.
- How many books _____ (you read / will you have been reading / will you read) by the end of the year?
- By the time the party starts, she _____ (prepare / will have been preparing / will prepare) food for hours.
- How long _____ (he sleep / will he have been sleeping / will he sleep) when his alarm goes off?
- By next summer, we _____ (know / will have been knowing / will know) each other for a decade.
- How many languages _____ (she learn / will she have been learning / will she learn) by the time she graduates?
- By the end of the day, the team _____ (work / will have been working / will work) on this project for weeks.
- How many songs _____ (they record / will they have been recording / will they record) by the time they release their album?
- By this time next year, I _____ (save / will have been saving / will save) money for a new car.
- How long _____ (you wait / will you have been waiting / will you wait) in line before the store opens?
- By the time the train arrives, she _____ (travel / will have been traveling / will travel) for several hours.
- How many miles _____ (he run / will he have been running / will he run) by the time he reaches the finish line?
- By the end of the semester, the students _____ (study / will have been studying / will study) for months.
- How long _____ (they work / will they have been working / will they work) on this project when it is complete?
- By this time next week, she _____ (live / will have been living / will live) in this city for a year.
- How many paintings _____ (he create / will he have been creating / will he create) by the time of his art exhibition?
- By the time the sun sets, the climbers _____ (reach / will have been reaching / will reach) the mountaintop.
- How long _____ (you wait / will you have been waiting / will you wait) for the bus when it finally arrives?
- By the end of the month, they _____ (travel / will have been traveling / will travel) to five different countries.
- How many years _____ (she teach / will she have been teaching / will she teach) at this school before she retires?
- By this time next year, I _____ (work / will have been working / will work) in this industry for a decade.
References
Here are some website links and book references that you can explore for further information on the future perfect continuous tense:
Website Links:
- EnglishGrammar.org – Future Perfect Continuous Tense: [https://www.englishgrammar.org/future-perfect-continuous-tense/]
- LearnEnglish – Future Perfect Continuous: [https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/future-perfect-continuous]
- EnglishClub – Future Perfect Continuous Tense: [https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_future-perfect-continuous.htm]
- Grammarly – How to Use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense: [https://www.grammarly.com/blog/future-perfect-continuous-tense/]
- Perfect English Grammar – Future Perfect Continuous Tense: [https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/future-perfect-continuous.html]
Book References:
- “Practical English Usage” by Michael Swan
- “A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language” by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik
- “English Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy
- “Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English” by Douglas Biber, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey Leech, Susan Conrad, and Edward Finegan
- “Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide” by Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy
