Future Progressive (Future Continuous)

Introduction

The future progressive tense, also known as the future continuous tense, is a tense that indicates a continuous action that will be taking place at some time in the future. In this article, we will define this tense and understand how to form and use it. Then, we will provide example sentences with this tense.

What Is The Future Progressive Tense?

The Future Progressive, also known as Future Continuous, is a verb tense that describes an ongoing action that will happen in the future. It’s formed by using a combination of “will be” and the present participle of the main verb.

Here are some examples:

• I will be sleeping when you arrive.
• The kids will be doing their homework at 7 pm this evening.

Form Of The Future Progressive Tense

The future progressive tense is formed by adding will be to the –ing form of the main verb (the present participle.)

will	be	present participle (verb+ing)

The affirmative form:

• I will be watching TV.

The negative form:

• I will not be watching a football match.

The interrogative form:

• Will you be watching TV?

Below is a table with the Future Progressive of the verb “work” in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms:

Future Progressive of the Verb “Work”:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I will be working.	I will not be working.	Will I be working?
You will be working.	You will not be working.	Will you be working?
He/She/It will be working.	He/She/It will not be working.	Will he/she/it be working?
We will be working.	We will not be working.	Will we be working?
They will be working.	They will not be working.	Will they be working?

Present Participle Spelling

To form the future progressive, you need to add the present participle to “will be”. The spelling of the present participle in English is generally formed by adding “-ing” to the base form of the verb. However, there are some spelling rules to keep in mind:

1. For one-syllable verbs that end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel:
   • Double the final consonant before adding “-ing.”
     • Example: “run” becomes “running,” “hop” becomes “hopping.”
2. For one-syllable verbs that end in a consonant cluster or a vowel followed by “w” or “x,” do not double the final consonant:
   • Example: “play” becomes “playing,” “fix” becomes “fixing.”
3. For two-syllable verbs with the stress on the final syllable, double the final consonant:
   • Example: “admit” becomes “admitting,” “occur” becomes “occurring.”
4. For two-syllable verbs with the stress on the first syllable or for verbs with more than two syllables, follow the regular rule without doubling the final consonant:
   • Example: “enter” becomes “entering,” “develop” becomes “developing.”
5. For verbs ending in “e,” remove the “e” before adding “-ing:”
   • Example: “write” becomes “writing,” “dance” becomes “dancing.”
6. For one-syllable verbs ending in “ie,” change the “ie” to “y” and add “-ing:”
   • Example: “tie” becomes “tying,” “lie” becomes “lying.”

These rules can guide you in forming the present participle of most English verbs.

Use Of the Future Progressive

Future progressive tense is used to indicate an ongoing action that will be taking place at some time in the future.

Examples:

• I will be watching a football match next Sunday afternoon.
• We’ll be working on our project this morning.
• When you arrive, I’ll be sleeping.
• I will be leaving in a few minutes.
• We will be working tomorrow morning.
• I will be working on a new project.
• They will not be participating in the event.

Signal Words Used In The Future Progressive

Signal words help to identify the English Future Progressive tense. These words and phrases give us clues about actions happening in the future.

Here are some common signal words for the Future Progressive tense:

1. Tomorrow
   • “I will be studying tomorrow.”
2. Next (week, month, year)
   • “They are going to be traveling next month.”
3. In (a specific time frame)
   • “We will be meeting in an hour.”
4. This time next (week, month, year)
   • “This time next year, he will be working in a new job.”
5. Soon
   • “She will be finishing the project soon.”
6. At (a specific time)
   • “I will be sleeping at 10 o’clock tonight.”
7. By (a certain time)
   • “They will be completing the task by the end of the day.”
8. In the future
   • Example: “In the future, we will be relying more on renewable energy.”
9. By the time
   • “By the time you arrive, we will be starting the meeting.”
10. While
    • “While you are enjoying your vacation, we will be working on the project.”

Recognizing these signal words can help you identify when the Future Progressive tense is being used in English sentences.

Summary

Definition	Use	Examples
Describes ongoing actions in the future.	Emphasizes the duration of actions at specific future points.	1. I will be working on a new project. 2. Are you going to be studying tonight? 3. They will not be attending the party. 4. Will we be working on the project together? 5. She will be traveling next week.

More about the future progressive here.

Conclusion

Related Pages:

• Exercises: the future continuous/progressive.