Future Tenses

October 31st, 2009 in English Grammar, English Learning, ESL

Simple Future or Future Indefinite Tense

Affirmative
I will/shall write.
He will/shall write.
They will/shall write.

Negative
I will/shall not write.
He will/shall not write.
They will/shall not write.

Interrogative
Will/shall I write?
Will/shall he write?
Will/shall they write?

The simple future tense is used to talk about an event which is yet to take place. The simple future tense form is constructed with the help of the auxiliaries will/shall.

I shall write to him.
I will come.
We will wait.
He will certainly pass the test.
We will buy a house in the city.

Note that the simple future tense constructed with will or shall is still only a weak expression of a wish or hope. To make it a strong expression of determination, the phrase ‘going to’ is often used.

I am going to write to him.
He is going to pass the test.
I am going to get a job.
We are going to buy a house in the city.

The Future Continuous Tense

Affirmative
I will/shall be writing.
He will/shall be writing.
They/you/we will/shall be writing.

Negative
I will/shall not be writing.
He will/shall not be writing.
They/you/we will/shall not be writing.

Interrogative
Will/shall I be writing?
Will/shall he be writing?
Will/shall they be writing?

The future continuous tense represents an action as going on some time in the future, whether by habit or by deliberate planning.

He will be having a nap in the afternoon. (Habit)
They will be assembling at the club this evening. (Habit)
We shall be visiting Paris in the summer. (Plan)

The Future Perfect Tense

Affirmative
I will/shall have written.
He will/shall have written.
They will/shall have written.

Negative
I will/shall not have written.
He will/shall not have written.
They will/shall not have written.

Interrogative
Will/shall I have written?
Will/shall he have written?
Will/shall they have written?

The future perfect tense is used to indicate that some action will be completed before a certain point of time in the future.

I will have finished this job by that time.
She will have left before he arrives.
We will have completed half the course by Christmas.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future perfect continuous tense is no longer in use. It is used to describe an action that has been in progress for some time and will be continuing uninterruptedly until a certain point of time in the future.

By 2011 we shall have been living in this house for 15 years.