verb conjugation

Simple Past Verb Conjugation (using miscellaneous common verbs, for example)

Forming Simple Past tense verbs in the affirmative is pretty easy. There is only one form of the verb no matter what the subject is. Regular Simple Past tense verbs are formed by adding "-ed" to the end of the base form of the verb (e.g., walked, dressed, called, enjoyed, etc.). For verbs that already end with an "e," just add a "d" (e.g., cared, raced, decided, invited, etc.).

Here are some examples of conjugated Past Tense verbs:

1. I talked. I walked. I danced. I cared.

2. You talked. You walked. You danced. You cared.

3. She/He/It talked. She/He/It walked. She/He/It danced. She/He/It cared.

4. They talked. They walked. They danced. They cared.

5. We talked. We walked. We danced. We cared.

Simple Past Verb Forms (five ways of forming Simple Past tense verbs the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She talked.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She didn’t talk.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Did she talk?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she did. No, she didn’t.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When did she talk?)

The tricky thing for ESL students conjugating the Simple Past is remembering to use the correct "helping" or "auxiliary" verb "to do" when conjugating Simple Past tense verbs in the negative and when forming questions (yes/no questions and wh- questions).

Simple Past Function (when to use this tense)

The Simple Past verb tense has one primary function: to express an activity or situation that started in the past and ended in the past at a particular time. Here are some examples:

I finished my homework last night.

I traveled to Spain in 1985.

I got up at seven this morning.

ESL Student Challenges

Besides remembering to use the correct helping verb ("to do"), students studying English as a second language also have to memorize irregular Past Tense verbs (irregulars don't follow the general rule of adding "-ed") and they also have to learn about changing the spelling of verbs that end with "y" (e.g., "study" becomes "studied") and some consonants (e.g., "drop" becomes "dropped").

Forming the Past Continuous/Past Progressive

The Past Continuous is formed by combining the past tense of the helping verb "to be" (was or were) with the "-ing" (or the Present Participle) form of the main verb.

It looks like this:

subject + was/were + -ing

For example, "She was eating breakfast" ("eat" is the main verb and "was" is the helping verb). The Present Participle of the main verb will always be the same, no matter who or what the subject is. It's the helping verb in Past Continuous conjugation that will change according to the subject. The helping verb will be either "was" or "were."

Past Continuous Verb Conjugation (using miscellaneous common verbs, for example)

Here are some examples of conjugated Past Continuous verbs.

1. I was talking. I was walking. I was dancing. I was thinking.

2. You were talking. You were walking. You were dancing. You were thinking.

3. She/He/It was talking. She/He/It was walking. She/He/It was dancing. She/He/It was thinking.

4. They were talking. They were walking. They were dancing. They were thinking.

5. We were talking. We were walking. We were dancing. We were thinking.

Past Continuous Verb Forms (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She was drinking.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She wasn't drinking.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Was she drinking?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she was. No, she wasn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When was she drinking?)

Past Continuous Functions (when to use the Past Continuous)

The Past Continuous/Past Progressive verb tense has two functions.

Function #1: To express an activity that was in progress at a particular time in the past or when another action happened that interrupted the first activity.

Teaching ideas for past continuous Function #1 should include giving examples of this function. Here are some examples.

Example 1: Mary was writing about the past progressive verb tense when the phone rang. In this example, Mary started writing and then the phone rang and interrupted her writing action. She may or may not have continued writing after the phone rang. We don't know from this sentence.

Example 2: Last night at eleven o'clock, the teacher was still preparing his ESL lesson. In this example, the teacher started preparing his ESL lesson before eleven o'clock and was still preparing it at eleven o'clock.

Function #2: To talk about two activities that were in progress simultaneously in the past.

Of course, teaching ideas for past continuous Function #2 must also include some examples.

Example 1: Jane was cooking dinner while her roommate was setting the table.

Example 2: The baby was crying when we were trying to sleep.

You may notice that "when" is useful for both functions of the Past Continuous/Past Progressive. "While" is commonly used for the second function of this verb tense. How to use these two functions should be discussed in any teaching ideas for past continuous verbs.

Past Perfect Verb Conjugation

The Past Perfect is formed this way:

subject + had + past participle.

The conjugation is fairly simple. Only the subject changes. Here are some examples of past perfect tense verbs with I, you, he/she/it, they and we.

1. I had talked. I had walked. I had danced. I had eaten.

2. You had talked. You had walked. You had danced. You had eaten.

3. She/He/It had talked. She/He/It had walked. She/He/It had danced. She/He/It had eaten.

4. They had talked. They had walked. They had danced. They had eaten.

5. We had talked. We had walked. We had danced. We had eaten.

Past Perfect Verb Form (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She had studied simple tenses before she studied the Past Perfect.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She had left by the time I arrived at the party.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Had she played tennis before?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she had. No, she hadn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When had she studied the Past Perfect Continuous?)

Past Perfect Function

The Past Perfect is used to talk about an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past. There will always be two past events or activities, or an event/activity and a particular time in the past. They don't both need to be included in the same sentence. Sometimes the other event/activity or time will be understood from the context of the conversation.

Here are some examples:

I had already gone to bed by the time you got home.She had studied English for six months before she left for the U.S. He had finished dessert before I even started my entrée. Her older brother had finished college before she started high school.

You'll notice that the Simple Past is used in the second part of the sentences. These sentences could also be written without using the Past Perfect, like this:

I went to bed before you got home.She studied English for six months before she left for the U.S.He finished dessert before I even started my entrée.Her older brother finished college before she started high school.

Whenever "before" or "after" are used, the Past Perfect isn't necessary because the sequence of events is already clear. Some Past Perfect lesson plans ask the ESL student to take two past tense events and ask them to correctly write a sentence using the Past Perfect.

Past Perfect Continuous Conjugation

The Past Perfect Continuous/Past Perfect Progressive is formed this way:

subject + had been + -ing.

The conjugation is fairly simple because only the subject changes. However, there are more parts for the ESL student to keep in order.

Here are some examples with I, you, he/she/it, they and we.

1. I had been talking. I had been walking. I had been dancing. I had been eating.

2. You had been talking. You had been walking. You had been dancing. You had been eating.

3. She/He/It had been talking. She/He/It had been walking. She/He/It had been dancing. She/He/It had been eating.

4. They had been talking. They had been walking. They had been dancing. They had been eating.

5. We had been talking. We had been walking. We had been dancing. We had been eating.

Past Perfect Continuous Forms (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She had been studying English grammar for a year before she started speaking English.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She had not been sleeping for more than a few minutes before the baby woke her up.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Had she been playing tennis for a while?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she had been. No, she hadn't been. Or, Yes, she had. No, she hadn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When had she been studying the Past Perfect Progressive?)

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Function

The Past Perfect Continuous has two main functions.

(1) To emphasize the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity or time in the past.For example, I had been waiting for them for thirty minutes before they finally showed up.

(2) To express an activity that was in progress close in time to another activity or time in the past.For example, She was all wet because she had been jogging in the rain.

Simple Present Verb Conjugation of Regular Verbs (using miscellaneous common verbs, for example)

1. I talk. I walk. I dance. I think.

2. You talk. You walk. You dance. You think.

3. She/He/It talks. She/He/It walks. She/He/It dances. She/He/It thinks.

4. They talk. They walk. They dance. They think.

5. We talk. We walk. We dance. We think.

Teaching Simple Present verb conjugation is often started with common, every day verbs the student can mostly likely use. There isn't any particular pattern (as in the Present Continuous, for example) to help the student. He or she must simply memorize the conjugation, paying special attention to the ending "s" used for the third person.

Simple Present Tense Verb Forms (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She talks.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She doesn't talk.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Does she talk?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When does she talk?)

Present Simple Functions (when to use the Present Simple)

The Present Simple verb tense has two primary functions:

1. To talk about general truths, that is, to talk about something that was true in the past, is true now, and will be true in the future (e.g., The sun rises in the East. Nurses work hard. Water boils at 100 °C.)

2. To talk about habits or rituals (e.g., I pay income taxes every year. She drinks coffee. We watch T.V. all the time. The Giants always lose.)

After a lesson teaching Simple Present verbs to students, the ESL teacher can also introduce "clue" words, such as "always," "never," "often," etc., to help the student better understand and use the Simple Present.

The Present Progressive tense (also called the Present Continuous) is usually one of the first verb tenses ESL students are taught. However, prior to a grammar lesson about Present Progressive conjugation, ESL students have to learn the irregular verb, "to be." The verb "to be" is the helping verb (or auxiliary verb) used to form the Present Continuous.

The Present Progressive is formed by combining the helping verb "to be" with the "-ing" (or the Present Participle) form of the main verb. For example, "She is dancing" ("dancing" is the main verb, "is" is the helping verb).

The Present Participle of the main verb will always be the same, no matter whom or what the subject is. It is the helping verb in a Present Progressive conjugation that will change according to the subject. (See the examples below.)

As with teaching all verb tenses, three things are essential in teaching English Language Learners:

(1) Verb conjugation,

(2) Verb form, and

(3) Verb function.

Present Progressive Verb Conjugation (using miscellaneous common verbs, for example)

1. I am talking. I am walking. I am dancing. I am thinking.

2. You are talking. You are walking. You are dancing. You are thinking.

3. She/He/It is talking. She/He/It is walking. She/He/It is dancing. She/He/It is thinking.

4. They are talking. They are walking. They are dancing. They are thinking.

5. We are talking. We are walking. We are dancing. We are thinking.

Present Progressive Verb Forms (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She is talking.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She isn’t talking.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Is she talking?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she is. No, she isn’t.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When is she talking?)

Present Progressive Function (when to use the Present Progressive)

The Present Progressive/Present Continuous verb tense has two primary functions, and one secondary function:

(1) To express an activity that is in progress at the moment of speaking. The activity is temporary. It began in the past, is happening right now, and will probably end at some time in the future (e.g., I am writing an article about Present Progressive conjugation. She is sleeping on the couch. They are watching television.), and

(2) To talk about something that is happening generally at this time (during this week, this year, at this time one's life, etc), (e.g., I am teaching ESL to adults. She is traveling with friends. He is writing a book.).

(3) Using the Present Progressive for the Future: Depending on the context, the Present Progressive can also be used with a future meaning. For example, "Tonight, I'm cooking dinner for friends."

Present Perfect Verb Conjugation

The Present Perfect is formed this way: subject + have/has + past participle. Here are some examples with I, you, he/she/it, they and we.

1. I have talked. I have walked. I have danced. I have eaten.

2. You have talked. You have walked. You have danced. You have eaten.

3. She/He/It has talked. She/He/It has walked. She/He/It has danced. She/He/It has eaten.

4. They have talked. They have walked. They have danced. They have eaten.

5. We have talked. We have walked. We have danced. We have eaten.

Present Perfect lesson plans for verb conjugation can have blanks for students to fill in the correct past participle or the correct helping verb.

Simple Past Verb Form (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She has studied the Present Perfect.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She hasn't studied the Present Perfect.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Has she studied the Present Perfect?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she has. No, she hasn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When has she studied the Present Perfect?)

Present Perfect Functions

Here are the three functions of the Present Perfect.

1. Unspecified time

2. Repetition

3. Started in the past and continues until the present, may or may not continue into the future (there just isn't a short way to describe this function)

Function 1: Unspecified time

The Present Perfect verb tense can be used to express something in the past when we don't know when it happened or when it happened is not important. For example, "I've gained ten pounds!"

This function of this verb tense is often confusing for ESL students. Compare the Present Perfect usage to the Simple Past. "I traveled to Europe in 2004." The Simple Past is used when a time is specified. The specified time could be "this morning," "yesterday," "at 6pm," "when I was a child," etc. "I've traveled to Europe." Since no time is specified, the Present Perfect verb tense is used.

Present Perfect lesson plans often ask ESL students to decide which of these two tenses to use.

Function 2: Repetition

The Present Perfect is used to describe something that has happened many (or a couple of) times in the past. For example, "I've traveled to Brazil many times," "I've eaten at that restaurant twice," "John Grisham has written several books."

Function 3: Started in the past, continues until now, and may or may not continue into the future

For example, "I've watched All My Children since 1970." This tense can often be replaced with the Present Perfect Progressive when emphasizing duration. "I've been watching soap operas since 1970." You'll notice that "for" and "since" are often clues to use the Present Perfect verb tense instead of the Simple Past.

This is a general overview of the three functions of the Present Perfect. Use a good grammar textbook, such as Azar's, Understanding and Using English Grammar , to fully prepare your Present Perfect lesson plans.


ESL and EFL students will have these challenges with Present Perfect lesson plans:

(1) Subject-verb agreement with the correct helping verb (have/has).

(2) Deciding when to use the Present Perfect or the Simple Past tense to express something that happened in the past.

(3) Knowing the irregular past participles of some verbs.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Conjugation

The Present Perfect Continuous (or Present Perfect Progressive) is constructed this way:

subject + have/has been + -ing.

The conjugation is fairly simple. However, the ESL student must remember to use "has" for the third person, and there are more parts for the ESL student to keep in order.

Here are some examples of Present Perfect Continuous verbs with I, you, he/she/it, they, and we.

1. I have been talking. I have been walking. I have been dancing. I have been eating.2. You have been talking. You have been walking. You have been dancing. You have had been eating.3. She/He/It has been talking. She/He/It has been walking. She/He/It has been dancing. She/He/It has been eating.4. They have been talking. They have been walking. They have been dancing. They have been eating.5. We have been talking. We have been walking. We have been dancing. We have been eating.

Present Perfect Continuous Forms

Here are the Present Perfect Continuous forms the English language learner must learn.

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She has been studying English as a Foreign language for four years.)2. Negative Usage (e.g., She has not been living here since 2005.)3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Have you been playing tennis for very long?)4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she has. No, she hasn't.)5. WH- Questions (e.g., When have they been backpacking through Europe?)

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Functions

The Present Perfect Continuous has two functions. The first function is to show the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues until the present time.

Here are some examples of this tense using this first function:

She has been working on this project for three years.They have been acting strangely since they arrived.

The second function is to talk about something that has been in progress recently or lately.

Here are some examples of this tense using the second function:

You look great! Have you been working out lately?I've been thinking about taking a trip to South America.


The biggest challenge ESL or EFL students will be deciding when to use Present Perfect Continuous forms or the Present Perfect forms. One of the functions of the Present Perfect is to talk about an activity that has begun in the past and continues until the present.

This is the same function as the Present Perfect Progressive.

The thing to stress to students is that the Continuous (or Progressive) tense is used when you want to emphasize the duration of an activity that started in the past and continues until now.

Also, there is very little difference in meaning with verbs like "teach," "live" and "work" when "for" or "since" are used. For example, "I have been teaching ESL to adults for ten years," and "I have taught ESL to adults for ten years." Both of these sentences have the same meaning.

Teaching Future Simple tenses to ESL or EFL students actually involves teaching two tenses.

Usually, the Present Progressive tense used for the future (e.g., "I am studying tonight") is the first part of teaching the Future to English Language Learners. This particular function of the Present Progressive should be introduced to learners when you teach the Present Progressive tense.

This current page focuses on the Simple Future tense. As with all tenses, verb conjugation is only one part of the lesson. The form and the functions must also be taught.

Also note that "Future Simple" is interchangeable with "Simple Future."

Verb Conjugation

The Future Simple is pretty easy to form. Here's how:

subject + will + base form of the verb.

Here are some examples with miscellaneous common verbs.

1. I will talk. I will walk. I will dance. I will eat.

2. You will talk. You will walk. You will dance. You will eat.

3. She/He/It will talk. She/He/It will walk. She/He/It will dance. She/He/It will eat.

4. They will talk. They will walk. They will dance. They will eat.

5. We will talk. We will walk. We will dance. We will eat.

Future Simple Verb Form (five forms the ESL/EFL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She will teach Future Simple tenses tomorrow.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She will not teach the Present Progressive tense usage for the future. She won't teach the Present Continuous.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Will she teach English grammar?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she will. No, she won't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When will she teach the more verb tenses?)

Future Simple Function

The Future Simple tense is used to express future time (pretty simple). It's also used to express willingness. For example, "The phone is ringing. I'll get it."

The ESL Future Continuous tense (aka the Future Progressive) is one of the three progressive/continuous verb tenses ESL students have to learn to master English. The other two are the Present Continuous and the Past Continuous.

This tense is a little more complicated for students, because it involves two concepts: (1) a progressive action and (2) a point in time in the future. It's usually saved for intermediate ESL or EFL learners. However, advanced English language learners will also benefit from a review of the ESL Future Continuous.

ESL Future Continuous Verb Conjugation

The Future Continuous can be formed two ways:

subject + will be + -ing form of the verb or

be going to + be + -ing.

Here are some examples using subject + will be + -ing. Only the subject changes. "Will be + -ing" stays the same no matter who or what the subject is.

1. I will be talking. I will be walking. I will be dancing. I will be eating.

2. You will be talking. You will be walking. You will be dancing. You will be eating.

3. She/He/It will be talking. She/He/It will be walking. She/He/It will be dancing. She/He/It will be eating.

4. They will be talking. They will be walking. They will be dancing. They will be eating.

5. We will be talking. We will be walking. We will be dancing. We will be eating.

Here are some examples using be going to + be + -ing. The only thing that changes in this form of the ESL Future Continuous is the conjugation of the verb "be" in "be going to." The rest ("going to be + –ing") stays the same.

1. I am going to be talking. I am going to be walking. I am going to be dancing. I am going to be eating.

2. You are going to be talking. You are going to be walking. You are going to be dancing. You are going to be eating.

3. She/He/It is going to be talking. She/He/It is going to be walking. She/He/It is going to be dancing. She/He/It is going to be eating.

4. They are going to be talking. They are going to be walking. They are going to be dancing. They are going to be eating.

5. We are going to be talking. We are going to be walking. We are going to be dancing. We are going to be eating.

ESL Future Continuous Verb Forms (five forms the ESL/EFL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She'll be teaching ESOL students next semester. / She's going to be teaching ESOL students next semester.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She will not be teaching students from the U.K. She won't be teaching students from the U.K. / She isn't going to be teaching students from the U.K.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Will she be teaching them the Future Progressive? / Is she going to be teaching them the Future Progressive?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she will. / Yes, she is. And, No, she won't. / No, she isn't.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When will she be teaching the Future Simple tenses? / When is she going to be teaching the Future Simple tenses?)

ESL Future Continuous Function

The Future Continuous (aka the Future Progressive) is used to talk about an activity that will be in progress at some time in the future.


I will be vacationing in France next summer. / I'm going to be vacationing in Brazil the summer after next.

You will be teaching adult ESL students tomorrow at 11 a.m. / You are going to be teaching adult ESL students tomorrow at 11 a.m.

She will be eating dinner when I get there. / She is going to be eating dinner when I get there.

They will be waiting for me at the train station when I arrive. They are going to be waiting for me at the train station when I arrive.

We will be playing tennis at 5:30 a.m. / We are going to be playing tennis at 5:30 a.m.

Student Challenges with the ESL Future Continuous

The first possible challenge is the fact that there are two ways to express the Future Continuous. I am always sure to present only one form at a time.

The other challenge, or confusion, is that sometimes either the Future Continuous or the Future Simple can be used with very little or no difference in meaning.

Here's an example:

"Don't eat too much. Dinner will be coming soon.""Don't eat too much. Dinner is going to be coming soon."

Future Perfect lesson plans are appropriate for advanced students or, possibly, for high intermediate students. This verb tense is usually pretty difficult for ESL students to master. One of the reasons is that it isn't used as frequently as other tenses, even by native English speakers.

Future Perfect Verb Conjugation

The Future Perfect is formed this way:

subject + will have + past participle.

The conjugation is fairly simple. Only the subject changes. Here are some examples with I, you, he/she/it, they and we.

1. I will have talked. I will have walked. I will have danced. I will have eaten.

2. You will have talked. You will have walked. You will have danced. You will have eaten.

3. She/He/It will have talked. She/He/It will have walked. She/He/It will have danced. She/He/It will have eaten.

4. They will have talked. They will have walked. They will have danced. They will have eaten.

5. We will have talked. We will have walked. We will have danced. We will have eaten.

ESL cloze exercises can be used for Future Perfect lesson plans for verb conjugation.

Future Perfect Verb Form (five forms the ESL student must learn)

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She will have studied future tenses.)

2. Negative Usage (e.g., She will not have studied the Present Perfect.)

3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Will she have studied the Future Perfect?)

4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she will have. No, she won't have.)

5. WH- Questions (e.g., When will she have studied the Future Perfect Continuous?)

Future Perfect Function

The Future Perfect is used to express an activity that will be completed before another time or event in the future. It's usually used with a time clause, for example, "by the time." The time clause will use the Present Simple tense.


By the time I finish dinner, you will have eaten two desserts!

She will have studied English for six months by the time she leaves for the U.S.

By the time she sees her son, he will have been in Iraq for two years


Future Perfect lesson plans focusing on verb conjugation can include cloze (fill-in-the-blanks) exercises. The challenge here will be using the correct past participle for irregular verbs. So if your focus is teaching ESL/EFL students the proper conjugation, it may be best to use regular verbs first.

Overall, ESL students have trouble using this tense easily and effectively because they don't get enough practice using it. It's usually one of the last tenses taught (actually, it's next to the last tense taught), so when students start new ESL classes, the teacher often has to review the previous tenses. By the time students have to leave the class, the teacher may not have had time for Future Perfect lesson plans.

The ESL Future Perfect Continuous verb tense is one of the last tenses taught to ESL and EFL learners. Thorough coverage of this tense will cover verb conjugation, verb tense forms and verb tense functions. This page provides tips for teaching ESL students the Future Perfect Continuous tense (also called the Future Perfect Progressive).

ESL Future Perfect Continuous Conjugation

The Future Perfect Continuous (or Future Perfect Progressive) is constructed this way:

subject + will have been + -ing.

The verb conjugation is the same for all subjects, however, this verb tense has the longest string of words. So it's often difficult for English language learners to consistently get the order right.

Here are some examples of Future Perfect Continuous verbs with I, you, he/she/it, they, and we.

http://www.teaching-esl-to-adults.com/irregular-verbs-list.html

1. I will have been talking. I will have been walking. I will have been dancing. I will have been eating. 2. You will have been talking. You will have been walking. You will have been dancing. You will have been eating.3. She/He/It will have been talking. She/He/It will have been walking. She/He/It will have been dancing. She/He/It will have been eating. 4. They will have been talking. They will have been walking. They will have been dancing. They will have been eating. 5. We will have been talking. We will have been walking. We will have been dancing. We will have been eating.

ESL Future Perfect Continuous Forms

Here are the Future Perfect Continuous forms all English language students must learn.

1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., He will have been teaching English as a Foreign language for forty years by the time he retires.) 2. Negative Usage (e.g., She will not have been living there for very long when she moves.) 3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Will you have been working at your company for many years when you retire?) 4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, he will have been. No, he won't have been. Or, Yes, he will have. No, he won't have.) 5. WH- Questions (e.g., How long will the children have been sleeping when the alarm goes off?)

ESL Future Perfect Continuous Tense Functions

The Future Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize the duration of an activity that will be in progress before another time or event in the future.


She will have been sleeping for only four hours when the alarm goes off.We will have been driving for fifteen hours by the time we arrive in Los Angeles.At midnight, I will have been studying English grammar tenses for three hours.

Also, the activity that will be in progress before the other time or event in the future may be something that started in the past.

For example:

He is going to move next year. He will have been living in the same house for twenty years when he moves.ESL Student Challenges

The Future Perfect Progressive tense can sometimes be used interchangeably with the Future Perfect.

For example:

He is going to move next year. He will have lived in the same house for twenty years when he moves.It's 11 p.m. At midnight, I will have studied English grammar tenses for three hours.

Remind the student that the Continuous/Progressive tense is used when you want to emphasize the duration of an activity. This will help the ESL learner to distinguish when to use each of these two tenses more effectively.

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