by R. S. Karunaratne

Future continuous tense

The future continuous tense is formed in the following way: will be + base form of verb + ‘ing’

We use the future continuous tense to refer to actions which will be going on at a certain time in the future.

Father will be setting off early tomorrow morning on his inspection tour.

At 8.30 p.m. Grace will be flying in from London.

The students will be revising their lessons all morning in preparation for the examination.

Malcolm, will you be using your laptop tonight?

I won’t be attending the committee meeting as I have another appointment.

We use the future continuous tense to refer to actions in the future which have already been planned or which will take place regularly.

The minister will be attending a crucial meeting with the union leaders today to settle the strike.

I’ll be meeting my grandmother when I visit Melbourne next week.

The audience will be listening to a beautiful song sung by Madhuri in a short while.

Mary has invited us to be with her on Sunday.

She will be preparing lunch in the morning.

Will you be attending my birthday party tomorrow?

We use the future continuous tense in a question when we want to inquire politely about somebody’s plans.

Will you be signing my appointment letter today?

Will you be giving me a lift to school?

Will you be celebrating your wedding anniversary at least this year?

Sir, will you be releasing the examination results today?

Doctor, will you be prescribing the same medicine?

The future continuous tense is useful if we want to show that we are not talking about making decisions, but about things that will happen anyway.

A: On your way home can you buy some vegetables?

B: It’s OK. I’ll be going to the supermarket anyway.

The future continuous tense can be expressed with the “going to” structure.

I’m going to be exercising all morning tomorrow.

Sam is going to be driving, so I won’t have a problem.

Activity

Underline the correct verb in the following sentences. Check your answers with the key.

1. I will work / will be working tomorrow.

2. They will come / will be coming for the interview.

3. She will accept / will be accepting the offer.

4. Father will not work / will not be working on Sunday.

5. This time tomorrow we will be sitting / will sit in the cinema.

6. On Sunday the students will be sitting / won’t be sitting in the classroom.

7. When I arrive will you still be cooking / still cook the meal?

8. I will help / will be helping Mary tomorrow.

9. When I go there tomorrow grandmother will knit / will be knitting as usual.

10. From next month I will save / will be saving Rs 1,000 regularly.

Key

1. will be working 2. will be coming 3. will accept 4. will not be working 5. will be sitting 6. won’t be sitting 7. still be cooking 8. will be helping 9. will be knitting 10. will be saving

Quiz on Latin roots

If you know the meaning of Latin roots, you will know the meaning of certain words.

In the following quiz we give the Latin roots and their meanings.

Write an English word with the Latin root on the dotted line.

The first one has been done for you. Check your answers with the key.

Latin root Meaning English word

1. Cede go precede

2. Ceive take ................

3. Claim cry ................

4. Cline lean ................

5. Clude close ................

6. Dict speak ................

7. Fer carry ................

8. Flect bend ................

9. Form shape ................

10. Gress walk ................

11. Ject throw ................

12. Merge plunge ................

13. Mit send ................

14. Pel push ................

15. Pend hang ................

16. Plic fold ................

17. Plore cry ................

18. Port carry ................

19. Pose put ................

20. Press squeeze ................

21. Rupt break ................

22. Scribe write ................

23. Sent feel ................

24. Sist stand ................

25. Spect look ................

Key

2. receive

3. exclaim

4. incline

5. exclude

6. predict

7. defer

8. reflect

9. reform

10. digress

11. abject

12. emerge

13. admit

14. repel

15. expend

16. duplicate

17. explore

18. import

19. suppose

20. compress

21. corrupt

22. transcribe

23.resentment

24. assistance

25. respectful

Use of prepositions

Part 8

Most beginners find it difficult to use prepositions correctly. Therefore, they should study how the following prepositions are used in speech and writing.

Ahead of

If something is ahead of you, it is directly in front of you.

The room ahead of me was dark and small.
If a period of time lies ahead of you, it will take place soon in the future.
You have got a whole year ahead of you to prepare for the examination.
If you do something ahead of somebody else, you do it before that person does it.
The teacher had come just ahead of us.
If something happens ahead of schedule, it happens earlier than planned.
The minister arrived at the venue ahead of schedule for the conference.
If you are ahead of somebody else, you have made progress than they.
American universities are far ahead of Asian universities.

Along

When you go along a road, you move towards one end of it.
The students went along the street towards the park.

Alongside

If something is alongside something else, it is next to it.

The police jeep pulled up alongside the trishaw transporting illicit brew.
The river alongside the road was a beautiful sight.
If you work alongside somebody else, you work in the same place.
The parents themselves worked alongside the students, cleaning the classrooms.

Along with

We use along with when we mention somebody or something else that is also present or involved.

He was sworn in along with several other Justices of the Peace. The food parcels were delivered to us along with bottles of water.

Amid / amidst

Amidst is a literary word. If something happens amid noises, it happens while they are occurring.

She walked to the stage amid applause.

Among / amongst

Amongst is a literary word. If somebody is moving among a group of people, he is surrounded by them.

I was not afraid as I was among friends.
We found the puppy hiding among the pillows.
The hermit lived in a cave among the rocks.
If you are among a group, you are a member of that group.
I was among the happy few who managed to pass the examination.
If you share something among a number of people, something of it is given to all of them.
The robbers divided the spoils among themselves.

Forming adjectives from nouns

Words often come in families. You can expand your vocabulary by becoming familiar with word families.

A rich vocabulary will help you to express yourself in a wider range of ways. Here is a quiz.

You have to write the adjective against each noun given in column ‘A’. After filling column B, check your answers with the key.

Column A Column B

1. Bearer ..................
2. Beating ..................
3. Beauty ..................
4. Behaviour ..................
5. Belief ..................
6. Blockage ..................
7. Blood ..................
8. Boiler ..................
9. Boredom ..................
10. Break ..................
11. Breath ..................
12. Brother ..................
13. Burn ..................
14. Burial ..................
15. Calculation ..................
16. Calm ..................
17. Capability ..................
18. Care ..................
19. Celebration ..................
20. Centre ..................
21. Certainty ..................
22. Challenge ..................
23. Change ..................
24. Character ..................
25. Chemical ..................

To be continued

Key

1. bearable 2. unbeatable 3. beautiful 4. behavioural 5. believable 6. blocked 7. bloody 8. boiling 9. boring 10. broken 11. breathless 12. brotherly 13. burning 14. buried 15. calculated 16. calm 17. capable 18. careful 19. celebrated 20. central 21. certain 22. challenging 23. changeable 24. characteristic 25. chemical