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Ask Ebaby! Teachers Go Super!

Future continuous vs. Simple Future

britdam007

britdam007

India


At 8 p.m I will be doing dishes; at 9 p.m I will be walking in the garden; at 10 p.m I wil be having my supper etc.


Does future continuous tense describe daily routine?


In the above example can future continuous be replaced by simple future tense?


e.g    Don’t call me between 9pm and 10pm as I will be watching TV.


Instead can we say : Don’t call me between 9pm and 10pm as I will watch TV.


I have done a thorough search in Google and it says:



1. The future continuous tense is used for activities that will be in progress at a point of time. The action will start before that point of time and will continue after it. The point in time can be given by time expressions or by other activities.
At 8 o’clock I will be travelling to Dorset.
This time tomorrow we’ll be lying on the beach.

(In these two sentences the point of time that we refer to is given by a time expression.)
The shop will be closed. Will you be working?
I’ll be sleeping when you come back.

(In these two sentences the point of time that we refer to is given by another action.)


2. It describes the idea that an action will happen in the normal course of events. It refers to routine activities, not intentions, decisions or plans.
I’ll be writing to you again. (I always write to you, so I’ll do it again, as usual.)
They’ll be leaving on Friday. You can join them. (They normally leave on Fridays.)
Everybody will be working on a computer sooner or later. (If nothing special happens.)



So do you agree with the above version that is given by Google?


By the way your website says that future continuous and future tense can be used intechangebly e.g. Will you be leaving for Paris tommorow = Will you leave for Paris tommorow?


So I’m quite confused! Could you please advise?


Best regards,


Abhishek


02:07 AM May 18 2013 |

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Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

Good questions. I do agree with what you found on Google. 


Will you send me the link to what you found on our website so I can take a look?


Thanks,


Amy

11:44 PM May 20 2013 |

britdam007

britdam007

India

Yes certainly, the links are: http://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/.


and http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futurecontinuous.html.



Best regards,


Abhishek

03:24 AM May 21 2013 |

britdam007

britdam007

India

Your website says: The future progressive tense is formed with will be + main verb + ing, as in, “I will be staying with my parents over the summer.” This form doesn’t change regardless of the subject. It is the same for I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. For instance, you can say, “He will be staying with his parents over the summer,” or, “We will be staying with our parents over the summer.


The negative form of this tense is won’t be + main verb + ing, as in, “She won’t be comingtonight.” You can form a question like this: “Will she be coming tonight?” “Will they be staying with their parents over the summer? Often the future progressive can be used interchangeably with the simple future tense. You can say, “When will you be leaving for Paris?” or ”When will you leave for Paris?” Both of these sentences are correct.



Best regards,


Abhishek

03:57 AM May 22 2013 |

Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

Thanks for sending the links. First of all, keep in mind that the Ebaby! lesson says that the future progressive and simple future can _often _be used interchangeably. It doesn’t work with sentences constructed with “as,” as you provided above. However, you could say either “I will be watching TV between 9 and 10 tomorrow” or “I will watch TV between 9 and 10 tomorrow.” (The “as” construction is more common to British English, which may be why it’s not mentioned in the Ebaby! explanation.)


Best,


Amy

02:53 PM May 22 2013 |

britdam007

britdam007

India

 Don’t call me between 9pm and 10pm as I will be watching TV.


What conjunction would you use instead of “as” then?


03:16 PM May 22 2013 |

Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

You’d probably use “because.”


-Amy

06:01 PM May 23 2013 |

britdam007

britdam007

India

But as and because are one and the same. Aren’t they?


Best regards,



Abhishek

03:58 AM May 24 2013 |

Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

Yes, the meaning is the same, but it would be more common to use “because” in American English.


-Amy

05:30 PM May 26 2013 |