The future simple vs. the future continuous in context

Question

Can you please tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the future simple and the future continuous in the sentence below.

The courier will drop off your order in 30 minutes and he will wear a yellow jacket and a yellow helmet.

The courier will drop off your order in 30 minutes and he will be wearing a yellow jacket and a yellow helmet.

I'm aware of situations where I the future simple and the future continuous are used, but this context is giving me a hard understanding a difference in meaning. Is there any?

Answer 1

There is almost no practical difference in meaning in these sentences.

"he will wear" - When he goes to make the delivery, he will put the yellow jacket and helmet on. One would assume they will still be wearing it at the time he completes the drop off.

"he will be wearing" - At the time he is completing the drop he will be wearing the yellow helmet and jacket.

Reading this sentence, I would ignore the subtle difference and would expect to see someone in a yellow jacket and helmet when the drop off happens.

In the context of telling someone to expect the courier in certain clothes, I find the second option to be more natural.

Answer 2

The first sentence is incorrect. The simple "will" form describes a future event, so it means the action of the driver deciding to wear a yellow jacket happens in the future. When we join two actions together with a conjunction like "and", the actions must either happen at the same time, or in the order they are stated. In this case, it doesn't make sense that the courier will first drop off your order in 30 minutes and then wear a yellow jacket, so the grammar is bad.

The second sentence is correct because "will" continuous describes a situation that will be true at some time in the future. Here, the future context is when the courier delivers the package, and at that moment, the courier will have a yellow jacket on.