Future Perfect vs. Future Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B2

1 (b) will have hit

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By 8:00 PM tonight” is a strict deadline. The Future Perfect is used to warn that the typhoon’s arrival will be a completed reality before this time.
• Error Analysis: (c) will be hitting (Meaning Trap: Implies it is just starting to hit at that exact time, weakening the urgency to evacuate beforehand). (a) will hit (Common Mistake: Fails to capture the ‘deadline’ aspect of the preposition ‘by’). (d) will have hitting (Structural Error).

2 (c) will be blowing

• Why it is correct (The Key): “At exactly midnight” points to a specific, precise moment in the future. The terrifying winds will be in the continuous process of blowing.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have blown (Meaning Trap: Implies the winds have already stopped blowing by midnight, which is factually incorrect for the storm’s peak). (b) will blow (Common Mistake). (d) will blowing (Structural Error).

3 (d) will have evacuated

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By 3:00 PM today” acts as an absolute safety deadline. The mayor requires the evacuation process to be 100% completed prior to this time.
• Error Analysis: (a) will be evacuating (Meaning Trap: If citizens are still in the process of evacuating at 3 PM, they will be caught in the storm). (b) will evacuate (Common Mistake). (c) will have evacuate (Structural Error).

4 (c) will be experiencing

• Why it is correct (The Key): “This time tomorrow” designates a specific time in the future where an action will be actively in progress.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have experienced (Meaning Trap: Implies the worst of the storm is entirely over by this time tomorrow). (b) will experience (Common Mistake). (d) will have experience (Structural Error).

5 (b) will have barricaded

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By the time the storm surge reaches the harbor” is the deadline. The military must completely finish closing the bridges before the water hits.
• Error Analysis: (a) will be barricading (Meaning Trap: If the military is still barricading when the surge hits, their lives are in danger). (c) will barricade (Common Mistake). (d) will have barricade (Structural Error).

6 (a) will be falling

• Why it is correct (The Key): Driving at “2 AM” will interrupt an ongoing, continuous weather event (heavy rain falling).
• Error Analysis: (b) will have fallen (Meaning Trap: Means the rain has stopped falling, so visibility wouldn’t be an issue anymore). (c) will fall (Common Mistake). (d) will falling (Structural Error).

7 (c) will have completely sold

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By nightfall” is a deadline. The sentence predicts the total depletion of supplies (a completed action) prior to that time.
• Error Analysis: (a) will be completely selling (Meaning Trap: You cannot be actively selling out “completely” over a continuous period; it’s an end state). (b) will completely sell (Common Mistake). (d) will have completely sell (Structural Error).

8 (c) will have submerged

• Why it is correct (The Key): “When you wake up” acts as a point of realization. By that point, the flooding of the lower levels will be a completed, devastating fact.
• Error Analysis: (a) will be submerging (Meaning Trap: Implies the water is just starting to rise as you wake up, missing the severity of the overnight damage). (b) will submerge (Common Mistake). (d) will have submerging (Structural Error).

9 (d) will be working

• Why it is correct (The Key): “During the entire weekend” and “around the clock” strongly indicate a prolonged, continuous, and ongoing effort by the rescue crews.
• Error Analysis: (b) will have worked (Meaning Trap: Focuses on completion rather than the ongoing, exhausting nature of the rescue effort). (a) will work (Common Mistake). (c) are will work (Structural Error).

10 (b) will be putting

• Why it is correct (The Key): “At 10 PM tonight” is a specific moment. Staying in the house means you will be in the continuous state of endangering your family.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have put (Meaning Trap: Implies the risk is already over). (c) will put (Common Mistake). (d) will be put (Structural Error: Passive voice is incorrect here).

11 (a) will have reached

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By the time the national guard finally arrives” is the deadline. Reaching maximum capacity is an achievement/limit that will be completely hit before the guard gets there.
• Error Analysis: (b) will be reaching (Meaning Trap: Fails to emphasize that there will be absolutely no room left by the time they arrive). (c) will reach (Common Mistake). (d) will have reach (Structural Error).

12 (c) will be fielding

• Why it is correct (The Key): “Tomorrow” during the storm sets a continuous timeframe where operators will be actively in the middle of answering calls.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have fielded (Meaning Trap: Implies they will have finished answering calls, which contradicts the instruction not to interrupt them). (b) will field (Common Mistake). (d) will fielding (Structural Error).

13 (b) will have failed

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By 5:00 AM” is a strict deadline. The failure of the grid will be a completed event, causing the subsequent darkness.
• Error Analysis: (a) will be failing (Meaning Trap: If it is merely “failing” (flickering), absolute darkness hasn’t happened yet. “Have failed” ensures total darkness). (c) will fail (Common Mistake). (d) will have fail (Structural Error).

14 (c) will be pounding

• Why it is correct (The Key): “Throughout the night” implies a repetitive, ongoing, and continuous violent action by the waves.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have pounded (Meaning Trap: Implies the waves stop pounding before the night is over). (b) will pound (Common Mistake). (d) will have pounding (Structural Error).

15 (a) will have passed / will be facing

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By Sunday” is the deadline for the hurricane to completely end (will have passed). Afterward, the citizens will enter a prolonged, continuous period of dealing with the destruction (will be facing).
• Error Analysis: (b) will be passing / will have faced (Meaning Trap: Completely reverses the logical order of a storm and its aftermath). (d) will have passed / will have faced (Meaning Trap: Implies the aftermath is also completely over by Sunday). (c) will pass / will face (Common Mistake).

16 (c) will have lost / will be sitting

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By tomorrow evening” requires the Future Perfect for the completed loss of water (will have lost). Consequently, residents will be in the ongoing, miserable state of waiting in the dark/without water (will be sitting).
• Error Analysis: (a) will be losing / will have sat (Meaning Trap: Reverses the sequence). (b) will lose / will sit (Common Mistake). (d) will have lose / will be sitting (Structural Error).

17 (b) will the storm have destroyed / will have gone

• Why it is correct (The Key): Advanced syntax. Starting with “Not only” requires subject-auxiliary inversion (will the storm have). “By midnight” applies to both clauses, meaning both the highway destruction and the loss of communication will be 100% complete (will have destroyed / will have gone).
• Error Analysis: (c) the storm will have destroyed… (Common Mistake: Fails to invert after “Not only”). (a) will the storm be destroying… (Meaning Trap: Misses the completion required by the deadline “by midnight”). (d) will be going (Meaning Trap: Inconsistent with the completion deadline).

18 (a) will have spent

• Why it is correct (The Key): “By the time the official evacuation order is lifted” is the deadline. The Future Perfect calculates the total accumulated duration of time (“for over five days”) completed by that deadline.
• Error Analysis: (b) will be spending (Meaning Trap: Misses the grammatical requirement to use Perfect tense when summarizing an accumulated duration). (c) will spend (Common Mistake). (d) will have spend (Structural Error: Past participle of spend is spent).

19 (c) will be dropping / will be recording

• Why it is correct (The Key): “At the peak of the storm tonight” marks a specific ongoing timeframe. Both actions—the pressure dropping and the meteorologists recording it—will be happening simultaneously in a continuous manner.
• Error Analysis: (a) will have dropped / will be recording (Meaning Trap: If the pressure has completely dropped and stopped, the meteorologists aren’t recording a rapid change anymore). (d) will drop / will record (Common Mistake). (b) will be dropping / will have recorded (Meaning Trap).

20 (d) have dropped

• Why it is correct (The Key): This is a trap! In future time clauses starting with until, before, when, as soon as, the word “will” is forbidden. We use the Present Perfect to emphasize that the condition (winds dropping) must be completely fulfilled before the helicopters can fly.
• Error Analysis: (a) will drop (Common Mistake: Using ‘will’ in an ‘until’ clause). (b) will have dropped (Common Mistake: ‘Will’ is strictly forbidden here). (c) will be dropping (Structural Error/Meaning Trap).

1. Future Perfect for Deadlines & Safety: In emergency situations, use will have + past participle (V3/ed) to emphasize that a critical action must be 100% completed before a certain time. Look for disaster markers like by 8:00 PM, by nightfall, by the time the storm hits.
• Example: “You will have evacuated by 3 PM.”
2. Future Continuous for Ongoing Chaos: Use will be + V-ing to paint a picture of severe conditions that will be in progress at a specific exact time or over a duration. Look for markers like at exactly midnight, this time tomorrow, throughout the night.
• Example: “Winds will be blowing at 100 mph.”
3. Accumulating Time or Damage: Whenever you calculate a total amount reached by a deadline (e.g., spent 5 days in a shelter, sold out completely), you must use the Future Perfect.
4. The “Until/Before/When” Survival Rule: In life-saving instructions (time clauses), never use “will” after words like until, before, when, as soon as. Use the Present Simple or Present Perfect to show a condition must be met (e.g., Do not leave until the winds have stopped).
5. Inversion for Dramatic Warnings: To make a broadcast sound highly official and urgent, use inversion after negative words like Not only. Remember to swap the subject and the auxiliary verb: Not only will the storm have destroyed the roads… (NOT Not only the storm will have destroyed…).