Future perfect continuous

Study this example situation:                        Read in Khmer

         

          Mr. Pheary is a teacher of English. He started teaching in 2005. Now he is still teaching English.  So, by 2015, he will have been teaching English for 10 years.

The highlighted sentence is called the future perfect continuous tense.

This is the way we form the future perfect continuous.

          Positive:

                   Subject + will have been + V-ing +...

·        Next year I will have been staying here for 2 years.

·        In two months’ time she will have been studying English for 4 years.

·        By 2015 he will have been running his company for 10 years.

Negative:

          Subject + will +NOT + been +V-ing + ...

·        I won’t have been living here for 2 months by April.

·        She won’t have been writing her report for 3 hours by the end of the day.

·        They won’t have been working for ANZ Royal before June.

Question:

(Wh-word) +will + subject + have been + V-ing +...?

·        How long will you have been living in the UK by 2015?

·        Will you have been flying to Florida by tomorrow?

·        Who will you have been sitting with by the end of the film?

Short answer:

·        Will you have been waiting for an hour by 1pm?

Yes, I will

No, I won’t

·        Will she have been staying with you by next week?

Yes, she will

No, she won’t

J Note:

·        We often use this tense with verbs that show continuity (e.g. live, work, learn, wait...)

·        when we use the future perfect continuous tense, we usually tell about the particular time in the future. (e.g. by tomorrow etc.)

·        You need to know about the spelling rule of verb +ING.

·        State verbs are not used in continuous tenses.

Use

1.     The future perfect continuous tense is used to talk about a situation or action that is happening now will continue up to a certain time in the future. It may continue further in the future.

·        By 6 pm this evening I will have been writing my report for 3 hours.

·        It will have been raining for 2 hours by the time you go to work this evening.

·        Mr. Bora will have been working as a teacher of English for 15 years by 2015.

Compare the future continuous with the future perfect continuous:

1.     I will be waiting for Sue at 2 pm this evening.

(It is my plan in the future. I am not waiting for Sue at moment of speaking)

2.     I will have been waiting for Sue for an hour by 2 pm this evening.

(I am waiting for Sue at the moment of speaking and I will wait till 2 pm and  may wait further )

Compare the future perfect simple and continuous:

1.     I will have cleaned my bathroom by 5 pm.

(The action will be finished at 5 pm)

2.     I will have been cleaning my bathroom for half an hour by 5 pm.

(This action is ongoing and may continue further in the future)