Welcome to the future, Potion Maker.

So far, your grammar potions have described timeless truths, completed actions, and actions already in progress. Now we add a new kind of magic—one that captures an action unfolding in the future.

This is the spell of the future progressive tense.

Future Progressive Tense

The future progressive tense refers to an action in the future that will be ongoing for a period or will occur at a specific time. Use it to show:

• an action that will be in progress in the future
• a temporary future action
• an action happening over a period of time

A time expression (an adverb of time, a prepositional time phrase, or a time clause) is usually used to show the action will be in progress; without one the meaning can be ambiguous. Not having a time expression still makes the sentence grammatical.

Potion formula for Future Progressive Tense Verb Phrase → modal auxiliary verb “will” + bare infinitive “be” + present participle

Examples:

• She will be learning magic tomorrow.
• At 8:00 p.m., the authorities will be speaking with the witnesses.
• Next week, we will be speaking with the witnesses.

Why “be” Stays Unchanged

When we use a modal auxiliary verb like “will,” the auxiliary verb “be” does not conjugate to agree with the subject.

Example:

• I will be studying.
• She will be studying.
• They will be studying.

Notice that “be” stays the same in every sentence.

However, in the present progressive and past progressive, the form of to be changes to agree with the subject because there is no modal verb blocking subject agreement.

Examples:

• I am studying.
• She is studying.
• She was studying.
• They were studying.

Present Participle Spelling Rules

1. For most one-syllable verbs ending in one vowel letter followed by one consonant letter, double the final consonant and add “-ing.” 

• Example: run → running

This rule does not usually apply when the final consonant is w, x, or y.

• Example: fix → fixing

It also does not apply when the vowel sound is written with a vowel team or when the final consonant is part of a multi-letter spelling pattern.

2. When a multi-syllable verb ends in a stressed final syllable with one vowel letter followed by one consonant letter, double the final consonant before adding “-ing.”

• Example: admit → admitting

But if the final syllable is not stressed, do not double the final consonant.

• Example: open → opening

A stressed syllable is pronounced with more force or clarity than an unstressed syllable. An unstressed vowel often reduces to the schwa sound /ə/ or a reduced vowel, as in the first syllable of about or the final syllable of sofa.

3. When a verb ends in a consonant plus silent “-e,” drop the “-e” before adding “-ing.”

• Example: come → coming

4. Do not drop the letter “-e” in “be.”

• Example: be → being

5. If no other rule applies, add “-ing.”

• Example: drink → drinking

Stative Verbs in Future Progressive

Some stative verbs can be used in the future progressive when they shift to a dynamic, temporary meaning, or developing meaning; however, many speakers and grammar checkers prefer the simple future in such cases.

• Example: She will be feeling better tomorrow.
• More natural: She will feel better tomorrow. 

Thinking and Knowing: know, believe, understand, realize, recognize, suppose, mean, remember, forget

Emotions and Feeling: love, like, dislike, hate, prefer, enjoy, want, wish, need

Verbs of Possession: have (possession), own, possess

Sense Verbs: see, hear, smell, taste, feel

Being and Existence: be, seem, appear, look, sound, resemble, exist

Relationship: include, contain, involve, lack, fit, depend

Prepositional Phrases of Time

Since it is common to use prepositional phrases in this tense to establish time, let’s review them briefly.

A prepositional phrase comprises a preposition followed by the object of the preposition. Together, they form a phrase that functions as either an adverbial or adjectival element in the sentence. 

A prepositional phrase of time may be placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a comma, or after the verb’s complement.

Common Prepositions of Time: at, on, in, by, until, within, since, for

Example: At midnight, the cat will be hunting mice.

Tenses Overview

Here is a quick review of the tenses we have studied so far:

• Simple present tense conveys information that is true today and gives the impression of timelessness or ongoing relevance.
• Present progressive tense shows that an action or state of being is currently in progress. The task is incomplete and is presently being addressed.
• Simple past tense describes a completed action or a past state.
• Past progressive tense shows an action or state that someone was carrying out at a specific moment in the past and did not complete.
• Simple future tense refers to an action or state that will happen in the future.
• Future progressive tense refers to an action that will be ongoing in the future.

Boxing in Phrases

Place a light blue box around prepositional phrases. For now, the prepositional phrase will already be in a light blue box. 

The future is uncertain, but your grammar does not have to be. Keep practicing—and each lesson will make your potion a little stronger.

Words of Wisdom

“Tomorrow is never promised, but live like you will see it, and correct as many mistakes as though you will not.”