Module 6: Mastering Verb Tenses - Lesson 6.7: Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

Module 6: Mastering Verb Tenses - Lesson 6.7: Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

Lesson 6.7: Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

Welcome to the final lesson of Module 6, Lesson 6.7! Today, we are learning about the Future Perfect Continuous tense (also known as Future Perfect Progressive). This tense, like other continuous tenses, emphasizes the duration and ongoing nature of an action. However, in the Future Perfect Continuous, this ongoing action is projected into the future, leading up to a specific point in future time. It describes an action that will be in progress for a period of time and will continue right up to, or just before, a defined future moment.

What is the Future Perfect Continuous?

The Future Perfect Continuous tense focuses on:

  • Ongoing Action Leading Up to a Future Point: It describes an action that will be in progress for a period of time and will continue right up to, or just before, a specific moment in the future.
  • Emphasis on Duration into the Future: It highlights the length of time an action will have been happening as we look forward to a future deadline or point in time. It's about the ongoing process continuing until a future moment.
  • Predicting Future Duration: Often used to predict or speculate about how long an action will have been ongoing at a specific time in the future.

Forming the Future Perfect Continuous

The Future Perfect Continuous is formed using:

Formula: will have been + Present Participle (-ing form of verb)

  • 'will have been' is used for all subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Present Participle: This is the '-ing' form of the verb (e.g., 'walking', 'playing', 'eating').
Contraction is common: 'll have been is used for 'will have been' with all subjects (e.g., "I'll have been working," "She'll have been studying"). So, I'll have been, you'll have been, he'll have been, she'll have been, it'll have been, we'll have been, they'll have been (e.g., "By 6 PM, I'll have been working for ten hours!")

Examples of Future Perfect Continuous Formation:

  • Affirmative:
    • I will have been working for ten hours by 6 PM. (I'll have been working)
    • She will have been studying for three hours by the time you arrive. (She'll have been studying)
    • We will have been waiting here for an hour at least. (We'll have been waiting)
    • They will have been playing football all afternoon. (They'll have been playing)
    • It will have been raining for days by next week. (It'll have been raining)
  • Negative: (Adding 'not' after 'will')
    • I will not have been working on this project for very long by then. (I won't have been working)
    • She will not have been studying that hard for very long. (She won't have been studying)
    • We will not have been waiting for them unnecessarily. (We won't have been waiting)
    • They will not have been playing continuously, they'll have taken breaks. (They won't have been playing)
    • It will not have been raining constantly, just on and off. (It won't have been raining)
  • Question: (Inverting 'will' and the subject)
    • Will you have been working here for twenty years next year?
    • Will she have been studying all night?
    • Will we have been waiting too long?
    • Will they have been playing since lunchtime?
    • Will it have been raining non-stop?

Key Uses of Future Perfect Continuous:

  1. Duration of Action Leading Up to a Future Point:

    The main use is to emphasize how long an action will have been in progress at a specific point in the future. It focuses on the duration of the activity up to that future moment.

    Common Time Expressions: for (duration) by (future time), by then, by that time, when (used to indicate future point), for the last (period of time), over the next (period of time)

    Examples:

    • "By the end of this month, I will have been working on this report for three weeks." (Action of working on report will have continued for three weeks by the end of the month) - Duration of future work activity.
    • "When you finish your course, you will have been studying English for five years." (Action of studying English will have lasted five years by the future point of course completion) - Length of study up to a future milestone.
    • "By next July, they will have been living in Australia for ten years." (Action of living in Australia will have continued for ten years by next July) - Future anniversary of living duration.
    • "In another hour, we will have been driving for eight hours." (Action of driving will reach eight hours in another hour) - Accumulated duration of travel by a near future point.
    • "Over the next few months, she will have been learning to play the piano, and hopefully, she'll be good!" (Action of learning piano will be ongoing over the coming months) - Duration of learning process into the future.
  2. Making Predictions about Ongoing Actions in the Future (Emphasis on Length of Activity):

    Future Perfect Continuous can be used to make predictions or assumptions about actions that will be ongoing at a certain time in the future, with emphasis on how long the activity will have lasted by then. It's about forecasting future duration of an action.

    Often used with: I expect, I imagine, I suppose, I wonder, probably, likely (to indicate prediction or speculation)

    Examples:

    • "I expect that by the time we get there, they will have been waiting for us for ages." (Prediction - anticipating a long duration of waiting by a future arrival time) - Forecasting long wait time.
    • "Do you think he will have been sleeping long when we call him at 10 AM?" (Question as prediction - asking if sleep duration will be significant by a future time) - Inquiring about future sleep duration.
    • "I imagine that by next winter, she will have been working in that company for almost a year." (Prediction - imagining a near year duration of employment by next winter) - Anticipating employment length.
    • "They will probably have been travelling for over 12 hours by the time they reach their destination." (Prediction - forecasting long travel duration by arrival) - Predicting extensive travel time.
    • "I suppose by then, it will have been snowing for days in the mountains." (Prediction - speculating about prolonged snowfall by a future time) - Guessing about future weather duration.
  3. Cause and Reason for a Future Situation (Implied - Less Direct Use):

    Less commonly, Future Perfect Continuous can subtly imply a reason or cause for a future state, by emphasizing the activity leading up to it. The focus remains on duration, but there can be an implicit causal link.

    Examples:

    • "You'll be tired when you arrive because you will have been travelling all day." (Implied cause of future tiredness is the duration of future travel) - Future duration of travel explains future tiredness.
    • "She'll be very good at the piano soon because she will have been practicing every day." (Implied reason for future skill is the duration of future practice) - Future practice duration explains future skill level.
    • "The garden will be looking beautiful next spring because we will have been working on it all winter." (Implied cause of future beauty is the duration of future gardening work) - Future gardening work explains future garden condition.

Future Perfect Continuous vs. Future Perfect Simple - Key Differences: Emphasis on Duration

  • Future Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration and ongoing process of an action leading up to a future point. Focus is on *how long* the action will have been happening.
  • Future Perfect Simple: Emphasizes the completion of an action by a specific future time. Focus is on *that* the action will be finished by then.
  • Process vs. Completion: Continuous highlights the activity itself and its duration, Simple highlights the completed state by a future time.

Examples Highlighting the Difference:

  • "By 6 PM, I will finish my work." (Simple Future - Action will finish at 6 PM in the future, just stating future completion time. Less emphasis on prior activity). - Future action completion time.
  • "By 6 PM, I will have finished my work." (Future Perfect Simple - Action will be completed *by* 6 PM, emphasizing completion before or at 6 PM). - Completion by 6 PM emphasized.
  • "By 6 PM, I will have been working for ten hours." (Future Perfect Continuous - Emphasizes the *duration* of work up to 6 PM - ten hours of work activity. Focus on the length of time working). - Duration of work up to 6 PM emphasized.
  • "She will write five chapters by next week." (Simple Future - She will write them in the future, maybe over next week). - Future writing action in the timeframe.
  • "She will have written five chapters by next week." (Future Perfect Simple - She will have *completed* writing five chapters by next week. Focus on finished chapters by then). - Completion of writing by deadline.
  • "She will have been writing her novel for five years next month." (Future Perfect Continuous - Emphasizes *duration* of writing the novel, reaching five years next month. Focus on the ongoing writing process length). - Duration of writing process to future point.

Key takeaway: Future Perfect Continuous (will have been + -ing form) emphasizes the duration of an action ongoing up to a point in the future. It's used to highlight how long an action will have been happening by a future time, often for predictions about future durations or implying causes for future situations based on ongoing activities. Remember to use Future Perfect Continuous when you want to stress the *process* and *length* of an action continuing into the future up to a specific point. Congratulations! You have completed Module 6: Mastering Verb Tenses - Perfect Tenses! You have now mastered all the Perfect tenses in English!