3. The contracted affirmative forms are:

I’ll be reading; He’ll be reading

The contracted negative forms are:

I shan’t be reading He won’t be reading

4. The negative-interrogative forms are:

Shall I not be reading?; Will he not be reading?; Shan’t I be reading? ;Won’t he be reading?

§ 14. The use of the Future Continuous.

1. The Future Continuous is used to denote an action which will be going on at a definite, moment in the future. The definite moment is indicated either by another future action expressed by a verb in the Present Indefinite or by an adverbial phrase.

I shall already be working when you return.

At 12 o'clock I shall still be working.

The definite moment is often not expressed, but is understood from the situation.

I am sure you won’t be able to speak to him, he will be working.

2. The Future Continuous is very often used in modern English in the same meaning as the Future Indefinite, i. e. to denote a future action.

But my dear Ann Veronica, you will be getting into debt.

THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS IN THE PAST

§ 15. The formation of the Future Continuous in the Past.

1. The Future Continuous in the Past is formed by means of the Future Indefinite in the Past of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle I of the notional verb.

2. In the interrogative form the first auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.

In the negative form the negative particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb.

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

I should be reading Should I be reading? I should not be reading He would be reading Would he be reading? He would not be reading She would be reading Would she be reading? She would not be reading We should be reading Should we be reading? We should not be reading You would be reading Would you be reading? You would not be reading They would be reading Would they be reading? They would not be reading

3. The contracted affirmative forms are:

I’d be reading; He’d be reading

The contracted negative forms are:

I shouldn’t be reading; He wouldn’t be reading

4. The negative-interrogative forms are:

Should I not be reading?; Shouldn’t I be reading?; Would he not be reading?; Wouldn’t he be reading?

§ 16. The use of the Future Continuous in the Past.

The Future Continuous in the Past denotes an action going on at a definite moment which was future from the point of view of the past.

I felt sure they would be discussing the same problem when I called.

Verbs not used in the continuous form

It naturally follows from the definition of the Continuous form that verbs which do not express a process are not used in the continuous form.

The following groups of verbs do not express a process:

(a) verbs denoting sense perception (to see, to hear);

Note: The verb “to feel" is an exception. It is often used in the Continuous form.

I am feeling better to-day, or I feel better to-day.

(b) verbs denoting mental activity (to know, to believe, to think, to guess, to doubt, to imagine, to mean, to realize, to recognize, to remember, to suppose, to understand);

(c) verbs denoting wish (to want, to wish);

(d) verbs denoting feeling (to love, to hate, to like, to prefer);

(e) verbs denoting abstract relations (to be, to have, to consist, to depend, to belong, to contain, to deserve, to fit, to involve).

(f) verbs denoting physical properties of objects (to taste, to smell, to sound, to weigh)