Future Perfect Continuous

 

We use both ”will +  have +  been +  verb +  ing” and  ”be +  going +  to +  have +  been + verb +  ing” to  talk express/ predict that something will continue and finish at some time in the future before something else in the future. 

The lion will have been eating for ten minutes by the time the poachers arrive.

She is going to have been completing her doctorate by May next year.

h

The future Continuous can also be used to show that something will cause something else to happen at sometime in the future.

He will be a millionaire by the time he is twenty because he will have been working  hard to sell his products.

They will only have been eating  for a short time when you turn up.

d

Note

We can also start sentences with the subordinate conjunction and time clause = By the time + present simple but we must remember to use a comma immediately after the time clause.

d

By the time + present simple + comma + subject + will+ have + been + verb 1 + ing + ( object )

By the time the poachers arrive, the lion will have been eating for 10 minutes.

d

Note

Other expressions can be used to replace ” by the time” such as ” by + time ” / ” by + day ”  / ” by + year ” without the present simple clause.

By Monday, I am going to have been studying for one whole week.

I am going to have been studying for one whole week by next Monday.

k

Formulas with  ‘ will ‘ 

( + ) Subject + will + have + been  + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( – ) Subject + will  +  not + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( ? ) Will + subject + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( -? ) Will + not( won’t) + subject + have + been + verb + ing +  by the time + present simple

( -? ) Will  + subject + not  + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( + Information Question ) Q/W + Will  + subject + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( – Information Question ) Q/W + Will + not( won’t) + subject + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

d

Formulas with ‘ going to ‘

( + ) Subject +  be +  going to + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( – ) Subject + be + not  going to + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( ? ) be  + subject + going to +  have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( -? ) be  + not  + subject + going to +  have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( -? ) be + subject +  not + going to + have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( + Information Question ) Q/W + be + subject + going to +  have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

( – Information Question ) Q/W + be + not + subject + going to +  have + been + verb + ing + by the time + present simple

K

Test your knowledge with the following questions

[wp_quiz id=”13607″]