This is a very reliable grammar book, from CAMBRIDGE. But I don't understand what the author means.
I don't understand the yellow highlight words.
Why is "complete actions"?
"When we use it in this way"=> which/what way?
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When we use will be (doing) to talk about an action in the future!– Kate BuntingCommented Jun 21 at 15:58
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other forms like "be going to" or " will" or "be Ving" also talk about an action in the future.– LE123Commented Jun 21 at 16:02
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The action will be done/completed at some point in the future– Mari-Lou ACommented Jun 21 at 16:09
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1I also don't see how completed action relates to the cited usage. The government will be taxing state pensioners next year is a perfectly acceptable utterance in exactly the same format, but there's no implication that the pensioners will only be subject to a "one-off windfall tax" - in fact, by default one would assume the government would be taxing state pensioners forever once they started, so the action would never "complete".– FumbleFingersCommented Jun 21 at 16:33
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1In light of my previous comment I'm not convinced We also use will be -ing to talk about complete actions in the future is a valid assertion from a trustworthy source. I found it in englishschooloflondon, a site which I suspect has few if any native Anglophones on the payroll. Their "byline" is ESOL - Empowering Confidence, Embracing Diversity. Since I don't think it's possible to "empower confidence", I think the site is worthless.– FumbleFingersCommented Jun 21 at 16:39
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2 Answers
Try looking at the future continuous in terms of the present continuous.
What that Cambridge grammar means:
The government is making a statement today.
COMPARE:
The government will be making a statement tomorrow.
It's complete actions, not completed actions.
- Now, I am talking to the Minister of Education.
COMPARE:
- Later, I will be talking to the Minister of Education.
The author chose to call that a complete action. Something definite in the future. Probably not the best choice of word. However, the use shows a higher level of activity. Rather than the more dull: The government will make a statement later.
"When we use it [future continuous] in this way, will be (doing) is similar to will (do) and going to (do)." going to do is more definite as a usual future form. "will" is just will. Often, intention to do something in the future.
it= will be doing.
will be [action verb] is just that. In the future, there will be an action that is describing something that in the present would be present continuous.
Conversation:
Mark: Hey John, so what will you be doing during the summer holidays?
John: Oh man, I'll be surfing for sure.
Why does Mark use the future continuous?
Mark: Hey John, what will you do this summer?
John: Oh man, I'll be surfing.
I'll be surfing is much more active (more physical) than: I will surf.
COMPARE:
Mark: Hey John, what will you do when they find out you stole the surfboard?
John: I won't do anything. After all, it was really mine.
There will means intend in the future. What do you intend to do about it?
Mark: Hey John, what are you going to do this summer?
John: I'm not going to do anything. Just sit around and relax.
That last one is just a straightforward future.
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"Complete" doesn't mean "scheduled". The tense signals intention, conviction, plan to be doing something, but "complete" is the wrong word to use for those ideas.– TimRCommented Jun 22 at 11:33
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@TimR Yes, I said that complete was not the right word. Perhaps you missed it?– LambieCommented Jun 22 at 12:08
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No, I didn't miss your tepid remark that it was "probably not the best choice". It was a very poor choice and the source of the OP's confusion.– TimRCommented Jun 22 at 12:35
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"Something definite in the future ... intention to do something in the future"– TimRCommented Jun 22 at 13:05
Note the word "also." I'm not sure whether the context was "We use [some other forms] to talk about complete actions in the future," like maybe simple future tense, or "We use future continuous [for other situations]," like maybe for future actions that will be ongoing for indeterminate amounts of time. Like "I will be attending Cambridge next year."
Either way, the point is: We also use other forms for this purpose, and we also use this form for other purposes. But to explain this particular usage, future continuous can be used for things in the future that will start and finish at a definite time, just as we use simple future, not just for things that will be ongoing or that are unclear about their time span.
But I would echo FumbleFingers advice: I would see this page as explaining a usage that you might encounter, not advising you that you need to use the continuous this way. It's not wrong to do so, but it's confusing, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to simple future for now.
