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Grammar

Future Continuous

The future continuous is used to talk about an activity that will be in progress at a specific point in time in the future.

Positive Form:

S + will + be + gerund form of verb + object(s)

Examples:

We will be adding new optic fiber next month.
They'll be incorporating videoconferencing in two months time.

Negative Form:

Subject + will + not + be + gerund form of verb + object(s)

Examples:

Peter won't be bringing anything up at the next meeting.
We'll be acquiring a few solutions this time next year.

Question Form:

(Question Word) + will + subject + be + gerund form of verb?

Examples:

When will be meeting next?
What will they be offering this time next year?

NOTE: All subjects take 'will be'

In many cases, the future with 'going to' or the present continuous can also be used instead of the future continuous. The future continuous stresses the action at a precise moment. However, these other forms of the future convey the same idea with little or no change in meaning.

Example:

Time Signifiers for Future Continuous

Here are some of the most common time signifiers used with the future continuous:

This time next…

This time next week I'll be relaxing in the sun.
She'll be working in a new position this time next year.

At + time

Peter'll be attending tomorrows meeting at 9.
He'll be cooking at seven this evening.

In X time…

She'll be studying for her exams in two weeks time.
In three days time I'll be moving to a new city.

Future Perfect

The future perfect is used to talk about what will have been done up to a specific point in the future.

Positive Form:

S + will have + be + past participle + object(s)

Examples:

Tom will have become a player in our office by the end of next year.
We will have expanded our manufacturing capacity by three times by 2012.

Negative Form:

Subject + will have + not + be + past participle + object(s)

Examples:

He won't have closed the production facilities by the end of the month.
Our managers won't have given any sign of recognition by the time you get the new job.

Question Form:

(Question Word) + will have + subject + be + past participle?

Examples:

What goals will we have achieved by the end of next quarter?
Which routers will have been installed by the end of the week?

Time Signifiers 'By' and 'By the ..'

When using the future perfect, it is important to mark the point in time in the future by when something will have happened. Here are the two most common time signifiers:

By + date or time

…by Tuesday.
… by 2003.
…by the end of next week.

By the time + clause

…by the time we finish this class
…by the time you receive this letter

Try the sample intermediate level commerce lesson

Exercises

Reading I

Worldwide Communications Solutions Production Facilities

New services and production capabilities are constantly being added to the company's growing international group. Projections for the telecommunications industry are excellent. By the end of 2012, optic fibre will have been installed in all major cities around the world. Third generation mobile phones will have become capable of videoconferencing. Consumer demand will have grown by an astounding 700%. Worldwide Communications Solutions will certainly be a large player in all of these developments. To that end, management will be considering a number of future production capabilities at next week's quarterly conference. Operating efficiency will be a prime consideration, as well as the effort to incorporate the latest technology to ensure economy of operation. Top management will also be looking at acquiring a number of production plants in Asia. Company leaders feel that current production capability will have been exceeded by the end of 2011. The most likely candidates are some Taiwan plants that have some the most sophisticated telecommunication production machinery in the world.

Reading II

There are many changes coming to our headquarters. Unfortunately, our success as a company is being held up due to the legacy technologies. Luckily, by the end of next quarter this situation will have changed. Our entire office network will have been updated. New routers, servers, fiber optic cable and much more will have been installed and brought on line. This time next week, we will be enjoying cutting-edge connectivity.

Key Vocabulary

astounding - very surprising
consideration - something to think about
corporate culture - the way of doing business at a corporate level
machinery - the equipment necessary for production
manufacturing capacity - the amount of products that can be produced
obsolete - not modern enough
office network - LAN or WAN located in a business
operating efficiency - the capability of a company to work well
optic fibre - telecommunications cables made of glass that transmit data at high rates
player - in a business sense, a company or person that is competitive in the field
production facilities - the plant(s) where a product is manufactured or assembled
promotion - a better job
raise - higher pay
sign of recognition - a signal that you are doing well
sophisticated - very advanced and impressive
tax revenues - income created by government taxes
to acquire - to buy something, often used when one company bus another
to be held up - to have to wait for something else to bring something up - to mention something
to exaggerate - to make something, bigger, better, smaller or worse than it is in reality
to kid - to joke with someone
videoconferencing- the ability to see another person in real-time via video

Try the sample intermediate level commerce lesson

Listening

Listen to a man talking about the current situation at work. Notice how he uses the future continuous and future perfect tenses to describe the next few months.

Quiz

Lingofeeds Practice Pages

Gerund or Infinitive Forms - Marketing and Business
Giving Instructions - Banking and Shipping
Future Forms - Telecommunications
Daily Routines - Commerce
Expressing Agreement - Information Technology
Clauses - Production and Manufacturing
Passive Voice - Marketing
Reported Speech - Presentations

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