Form the future perfect continuous with will have been plus the -ing form, as in by the time she retires next year, she will have been working for this company for over three decades, to highlight how long something will have been happening up to a specific future point.
Grammar Rule
This tense highlights how long something will have been happening, unlike the future perfect simple, which emphasizes completion.
Future Perfect Continuous: Rules and Examples
| Use | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Duration up to a future point | will have been + -ing | By the time she retires next year, she will have been working for this company for over three decades. |
| Question | Will + subject + have been + -ing? | Will you have been working here for ten years by the time the new office opens? |
Remember: will have been + -ing expresses duration up to a future point; will have + past participle expresses completion.
Practice Test
Instructions
Answer each question in the test below forming the correct future perfect continuous sentence. You will get a new random set of questions every time you retake the test, plus a downloadable results summary with your name and score at the end.
Future Perfect Continuous
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you form the future perfect continuous?
Use will have been plus the -ing form of the verb, the same for every subject, as in she will have been working for this company for over three decades.
What does the future perfect continuous emphasize?
It emphasizes the duration of an action up to a specific point in the future, unlike the future perfect simple, which emphasizes completion.
How do you form a question in the future perfect continuous?
Put will before the subject, followed by have been and the -ing form, as in will you have been working here for ten years by the time the new office opens.
How is the future perfect continuous different from the future perfect simple?
The future perfect continuous focuses on how long an action has been happening, while the future perfect simple focuses on the fact that it will be completed.