Zadie Smith once said: “The past is always tense, the future perfect”. Well, we have already discussed Future Perfect earlier in our blog, but what about Future Perfect Continuous? Future Perfect Continuous tense has always been regarded as a kind of a boogeyman or a jumpscare of English grammar. Many English non-native speakers who are walking a rough path of grammar learning in quest of the written English mastery often see it like some mystic dragon standing guard over the secret door towards perfect grammar knowledge. The truth is that although theoretically possible, this grammar form is rarely used in colloquial speech. Actually, I can even bet that many of both native and non-native speakers, except for those with PhD or Master’s degree in English language and literature of course, probably don’t really understand when and, which is the most important, why Future Perfect Continuous has to be used in oral or written speech at all. Therefore, the correct usage of Future Perfect Continuous tense that is suitable for the occasion, as well as expert knowledge and in-deep understanding of its theoretical basis, have always been considered as distinctive features of real English language pro. Well, today, for those who dare to confront this ancient grammar monster face to face, our expert editing team has prepared this ultimate super-simple guide on Future Perfect Continuous, which will make learning FPC easy as ABC.
Sharpening Sword, Polishing Armor and Learning Some Theory
Before starting our epic battle with Future Perfect Continuous, let us sharpen our swords, polish our armor and pass our troops in review first. Here is a little piece of theory for you to start with. The first fundamental rule of any war general whatsoever is to know the enemy in a face. So, now let us imagine we are General George Patton on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge, pull ourselves together, take a deep breath, look Future Perfect Continuous in the very eyes and finally shed some light on the perennial question of when and why we have to use it in our speech.
Similar to the Future Perfect Simple, Future Perfect Continuous (sometimes also referred to as Future Perfect Progressive) is used to project ourselves into future and to look back in retrospective. This tense is generally used to describe actions and events occurred in a period of time between the present moment and some moment in the future that are of unfinished nature. Future Perfect Continuous is most often used with expressions of time. The main difference between Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous is that that letter usually emphasizes the duration of action before another point in the future. Here is little example: “Oh, by five p.m. today I will have been proofreading my essay already for seven hours! I should have used one of those proofreading services online!”. Here’s another one: ‘Oh, by this time tomorrow I will have been waiting for my paper already for a week! I should have chosen more reliable proofreading company’. You see? Perfect for making complaints! It’s like you can kill two birds with one stone: grumbling at how much time you have spent on your assignments and making boast of your excellent grammar skills!
Aiming a Deadly Blow or How to Form the Future Perfect Continuous
Basically, Future Perfect Continuous verb form is composed of two elements – auxiliary verb ‘to be’ in future perfect form and present participle (or gerund, if you want to sound more cool, as if you still remember the course of Latin you completed in university) of the main verb. Now let’s do some math. In general, the Future Perfect Continuous formula for affirmative sentence is:
Subject + will have been + present participle
For example:
By next hour, I shall have been running for 1,000,000,000 hours non-stop (the heartfelt cry of that poor clock on your wall).
By the time I finish reading this blogpost, I will have been being aware about Future Perfect Continuous does exist already for 15 minutes.
Now, let’s deal with negative:
Subject + won’t have been + present participle
For example:
By next month, I won’t have been bothering myself with my college essay revision already for two years, because I trust it to the professionals.
By the next week, she won’t have been getting bad feedbacks for her essays already for six months thanks to this supper easy revision service!
Now it’s time for interrogative:
Will + subject + have been + present participle …?
For example:
How long will you have been waiting for the paper you ordered to that freelancer editor by the day of submission deadline?
Will you have been still working on that essay, when I’ll come back from party at nine p.m. (because I used easy proofreading service and don’t have to spend any more time on it)?
Don’t Forget Your Good Old Henchman
Well, now, when you can use Future Perfect Continuous like a pro and have a nice and shiny ticket to ride the grammar of English language, let me give you a little parting advice: the proverb “self-help is the best help” has long been out of fashion. If you’ve faced an urgent need for expert, fast and affordable editing and proofreading service, don’t be shy to grab a helping hand from your old good henchman. Our well-qualified and skilled editors (all with PhD or Master’s degree) are at your disposal 24/7 to help you in polishing your essay, term paper, thesis, document or even a whole website out of any grammar, spelling, lexical and punctuation mistakes! We ensure on-time delivery, full confidentiality and 100% original content, while our cool discounts and loyalty programs will become a real pleasant surprise. If you got any questions left, feel free to contact our round-the-clock support team.