| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. |
| NOUN + will be + verb-ing |
| This pattern expresses a future arrangement or planned action. We begin with a noun, the subject involved in the future action. Next, we use "will be", indicating a definite action happening at a specific time in the future. Finally, we add the verb in the progressive form by appending "-ing" to the infinitive. This puts the phrase into the future continuous tense, clearly showing that this activity will be ongoing or in progress at a certain moment. |
| Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. |
| We’ll be waiting for you at 7 p.m. |
| Here, "We" is our noun—it's the people who have planned the arrangement. Then, "will be" clearly signals a definite action in the future. Lastly, "waiting" is the verb in the progressive or continuous form, emphasizing that the action (waiting) will be actively happening at the specified future time, 7 p.m. |
| "Will + [verb]" and "Will be + [verb]-ing" are both similar future tense phrases, but they describe different kinds of events and actions. |
| When you say something with the pattern "will + [verb]," it's just a simple future action. It expresses something that will happen, often as a decision, a promise, or a prediction. The action is seen as a single event, not something happening over time. |
| “will be” + [verb]-ing is used when we want to talk about an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. It focuses on the ongoing nature of the action. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| I'll be expecting your call later today. |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| "I" is the noun. "Will be" is the future structure, here reduced with “I” to make “I’ll be.” And "expecting" is the base verb “expect” with -ing. |
| This sentence means that after the conversation, the speaker will continuously expect the listener’s call today. |
| Next... |
| I won't be attending class next week because I will be traveling. |
| This sentence has two future arrangements. |
| First, "I won't be attending" — "I" is the noun, "won't be" is the negative form of "will be", and "attending" is the -ing verb. |
| It shows that the speaker will not attend class throughout the week. |
| Then, "I will be traveling" — another future arrangement using the same pattern. |
| It tells us what the speaker will be doing instead during that time period. |
| Let's try one more, |
| I'll be waiting for you at the tennis club on Saturday. |
| Here, "I" is the noun, "will be" shows the future, and "waiting" is the -ing form of the verb. |
| This tells the listener what the speaker will be doing on Saturday —in this case, waiting. |
| Another one. |
| I have the day off tomorrow, so I won't be seeing you at the cafe. |
| "I" is the noun, "won’t be" is the negative future, and "seeing" is the verb in -ing form. |
| This shows that tomorrow, the speaker won’t see the listener throughout the day — in other words, they won’t meet. |
| One last example. |
| I will be coming to the barbeque at 6:30. |
| "I" is the noun, "will be" marks the future, and "coming" is the -ing verb. |
| It tells the listener the speaker's plan — at 6:30, they'll be on their way or arriving at the barbeque. |
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