English Grammar - Advanced
Future Continuous Structure
Go To Quizzes >>> Future Continuous
We make the future continuous tense by using the future of the verb "to be" plus the main verb in the "-ing" form.
So, for the verb "sit":
| Present Continuous | ||
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|
I will be sitting You will be sitting He will be sitting She will be sitting It will be sitting We will be sitting You will be sitting They will be sitting |
I won't be sitting You won't be sitting He won't be sitting She won't be sitting It won't be sitting We won't be sitting You won't be sitting They won't be sitting |
Will I be sitting? Will you be sitting? Will he be sitting? Will she be sitting? Will it be sitting? Will we be sitting? Will you be sitting? Will they be sitting? |
Future Continuous Use
Go To Quizzes >>> Future Continuous
We use the future continuous tense to talk about what will be happening at a certain time in the future. Compare this with the past continuous which we use to talk about what was happening at a certain time in the past.
Examples:
When your mother arrives at 6pm tomorrow, you will still be working.
As you arrive at work on Monday morning, I will be sitting on a beach in Cuba!
Don't call us at 9pm. We'll be eating dinner at that time.
Just like the past continuous, it can also be used to give information about what will be happening in the background. Using the tense like this is quite unusual.
Examples:
I hope when I get up tomorrow, the birds will be singing and my mum will be cooking my breakfast!
Gerund Or Infinitive
Go To Quizzes >>> Gerund or Infinitive
In the Intermediate level, we saw that some verbs take the infinitive and some take gerund:
I enjoy swimming in the summer.
I want to go to Egypt this winter.
Some verbs can take both the infinitive or the gerund without any change in meaning.
I love going to the cinema on a Saturday evening.
I love to go to the cinema on a Saturday evening.
But there are some verbs that change their meaning depending on whether they are followed by the infinitive or the gerund.
Here are the most important:Stop
With the gerund, stop means to give up something:
He stopped smoking on the doctor's advice.
With the infinitive, it means to take a break in order to do something.
While driving through France, we stopped to visit a famous vineyard.
Go on
With the gerund, go on means continue.
I asked him to listen to me but he went on listening to his music.
With the infinitive, it means to pass to the next stage, to proceed to do something else.
After studying history at university, he went on to work in a museum.
Remember
With the gerund, remember means you have a memory now of having done something before:
I drank too much last night. I don't remember going to the last pub.
I remember seeing her shocked face when I told her the news.
With the infinitive, it means you remember at the time that there is something you have to do in the future.
Remember to close the windows before you leave the house.
It was Joan's birthday yesterday and I only remembered to buy her a card in the morning.
Regret
With the gerund, you regret something that you said in the past:
I regret telling Simon that he was a moody person.
After she told him the news, she instantly regretted saying anything.
With the infinitive, you regret something that you are about to say:
I regret to inform you that we will have to let you go, Mr. Jenkins.
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Try
With the gerund, try means to attempt to do something as an experiment, a solution to a problem:
If your back hurts so much, try having a bath before bed every night.
I'm not happy with my job. I tried speaking to the boss about it but nothing he said convinced me that I want to stay.
With the infinitive, it means to attempt to do something (often unsuccessfully) that is very difficult.
I tried to speak to the boss yesterday, but his secretary wouldn't let me in.
My back hurts. I try to lift heavy things and I just can't!
