Unit 30: I'll have been studying English for thirty weeks
Future perfect continuous
Select a unit
- 1 Pop-ups
- 2 Hidden talents
- 3 Can't buy me love
- 4 Travellers' tales
- 5 The colleague from hell
- 6 Jurassic mystery: unpacking the past
- 7 Career changes
- 8 Art
- 9 Project management
- 10 The dog ate my homework!
- 11 The diary of a double agent
- 12 Fashion forward
- 13 Flat pack skyscrapers
- 14 Extreme sports
- 15 Food fads
- 16 Me, my selfie and I
- 17 Endangered animals
- 18 A nip and a tuck: cosmetic surgery
- 19 I'm really sorry...
- 20 Telling stories
- 21 Fakes and phrasals
- 22 Looking to the future
- 23 Becoming familiar with things
- 24 From rags to riches
- 25 Against the odds
- 26 Our future on Mars?
- 27 Where is it illegal to get a fish drunk?
- 28 Dodgy dating
- 29 Annoying advice
- 30 I'll have been studying English for thirty weeks
Session 4
We can make predictions and assumptions about the future, past and present with the future perfect continuous tense. Listen to how it can be used, and check your understanding.
Activity 1
The longest programme
24-Hour BBC Learning English-athon
What better way to practise your English than to have a 24 hour non-stop programme from your favourite team?
Before this fictional event, Callum and Neil are meeting with Rob and Finn to go over the preparation and timings. Listen to their conversation as they discuss what will have been happening by particular times in the broadcast.
As you listen the first time, try to answer these questions.
1: Why is Finn late?
2: What time does the programme start?
3: How long is each presenting shift?
Listen to the audio and complete the activity
Callum
Ok everyone, thank you, thanks for coming. Has anyone seen Finn? He wasn’t in the office this morning.
Rob
No, I guess he’ll have been catching up on his sleep ahead of the programme today.
Neil
Right that makes sense...
(Finn arrives)
Finn
Hi, sorry I’m late. I was doing some last minute preparation.
Neil
In bed?
Finn
Eh?
Callum
Never mind – glad you’re here. Now, are you ready?
Finn
Well, I’ve been trying to rest my voice.
Neil
Ah, so that’s why it’s been so nice and quiet in the office recently, eh!
Callum
And I’m sure you’ll have been checking your scripts.
Finn
Yes - I have been.
Callum
Great. So let’s see, now we start at 10.00 and we’re aiming for 24 hours of programmes.
Finn
That will be the longest edition of 6 Minute English ever!
Rob
We’ll have to call it 1,440 Minute English!
Finn
Rob, did you just work that out in your head?
Rob
Yes!
Neil
Really?
Rob
No, I used the calculator on my phone.
Callum
OK, steady on everyone, come on: concentrate! Let’s go through some key points. Now Finn, by two o’clock you’ll have been broadcasting for four hours. Do you think you can keep going that long without a break?
Finn
Well I won’t have been talking for all that time, will I? I mean, there's, there’ll be music and interviews as well, won’t there?
Callum
Sure. How long before you think you will need a rest.
Finn
I think about four o’clock. We’ll have been on the air for six hours by then.
Rob
More importantly, the poor audience will have been listening to your voice for that long! They’ll need a rest as well.
Finn
Ha ha, thanks for that Rob!
Rob
You’re welcome.
Callum
And then it’s you Rob, you’ll be doing the next six hours, up to 10. What will you have been doing to get ready?
Rob
Well in all likelyhood I will have been relaxing with my feet up somewhere.
Callum
Will you have been paying attention to the broadcast?
Rob
Erm, maybe?
Callum
Because you need to know what’s been happening so you don’t repeat anything and so you can pick up where Finn leaves off.
Rob
OK. well in that case, I will have been relaxing with my feet up - and my ear glued to the programme.
Callum
Great. At 10 it’s back to you Finn, then every six hours, swap between you and Rob. How does that sound?
Finn
Tiring!
Callum
By the end you both will have been talking for 12 hours and we will have been transmitting non-stop for 24.
Rob
And I’m sure I’ll have drunk more coffee than I have in my whole life - just to keep me awake.
Finn
Yes, but think of the glory - we'll have been breaking new ground for BBC Learning English, and passing new milestones.
Rob
I think with all that coffee I will've been passing a lot more than milestones by the end.
Neil
Eew, that's more information than I needed.
Callum
Right, OK everyone, are we ready? See you in the studio at 10.00.
All
Yep, OK, sure thing, see you there, etc
Answers
1: Finn was late because he was doing some last minute preparation for the programme.
2: The programme starts at 10.00.
3: Each presenting shift is six hours.
To do
Now listen again and try to answer these questions about the meeting. Try to do it without looking at the transcript but if you need some extra help you can, of course, refer to it.
The Big Broadcast
8 Questions
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
He uses the future perfect continuous.Question 1 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
Do we use the future perfect continuous when we know something for a fact?Question 2 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
Does he know for sure what he has been doing in the recent past?Question 3 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
He uses the future perfect continuous.Question 4 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
What time does the broadcast start?Question 5 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
What will the audience have been doing for all that time?Question 6 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
He uses the future perfect continuousQuestion 7 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio again. As you listen, answer the questions.
Hint
They split the 24 hours equally between them.Question 8 of 8
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
End of Session 4
That's the end of this session. In session 5, we bring you the final episode of our drama, Gulliver's travels.
Session Grammar
Future Perfect Continuous
Positive:
subject + 'll/will + 've/have + been + present participleI will have been living there for 4 years.
Negative:
subject + won't/will not + 've/have + been + present participleI won't have been studying there for very long.
Question:
Question word + 'll/will + subject + 've/have + been + present participleHow long will you have been working there for?
Session Vocabulary
to break new ground
to do something that hasn't been done beforea milestone
a significant and important achievement