The formation of the future continuous (sometimes called the future progressive) is:  subject + will + be + verb+ing

Examples:

I will be sleeping
They will be studying
We will be eating

This verb tense is a 4th way to indicate a future event.  There are some differences between all these different ways, but sometimes 2 or more ways can be used with no difference in meaning.

The first way is with will:  I will run in the Boston Marathon this year.
The 2^nd way is with be going to:  I’m going to run in the Boston Marathon this year.
The 3^rd way is with the present continuous:  I’m running in the Boston Marathon this year.
The 4^th way is with the future continuous:  I will be running in the Boston Marathon this year.

There is also a 5^th way, and that is by replacing “will” with “be going to” in the future continuous.  I call this the be going to future continuous:  I’m going to be running in the Boston Marathon this year.

The future continuous is used in 3 situations:

A.  It’s used for actions that are already happening at some future time.

Examples:

At this time next week, I’ll be lying on the beach in Los Cabos.
Next year, we’ll be traveling around Asia.
This evening she’ll be using the computer.

B. The future continuous is also used for future actions that have been planned. It has the same meaning as “going to,” the present continuous, and “be going to,“ future continuous.

Examples:

I’ll be going downtown later today.
I’m going to go downtown later today.
I’m going downtown later today.
I‘m going to be going downtown later today

He’ll be studying for the IELTS exam all next month.
He’s going to study for the IELTS exam all next month.
He’s studying for the IELTS exam all next month.
He‘s going to be studying for the IELTS exam all next month.

We’ll be visiting Aunt Laurie and Uncle Tim this summer.
We’re going to visit Aunt Laurie and Uncle Tim this summer.
We’re visiting Aunt Laurie and Uncle Tim this summer.
We‘re going to be visiting Aunt Laurie and Uncle Tim this summer.

C.  When used as a question, the future continuous and the be going to future continuous asks about someone’s plans because we want something.

Examples:

Will you be using the computer this evening?  I want to use it to do some research.
Are you going to be using the computer this evening?

Will they be staying the whole weekend?  I don’t want to share my bedroom for too long.
Are they going to be staying the whole weekend?

Will I be playing defense in tomorrow’s game?  I want to play defense.
Am I going to be playing defense in tomorrow’s game?

by Pink

whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress.  Pink has sold over 47 million albums worldwide.  She has won 3 Grammy Awards and 7 MTV Video Music Awards.  In 2009, Billboard named her the Pop Songs Artist of the Decade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.

Use these flashcards to practice the verb tenses:  present simple, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past simple, past continuous, future simple, and future continuous.  (N) means negative.  (Q) means question.

In this drill the verb is they come.

Verb tense drill G

Verb tense drill H

In this drill the verb is I grow.

Verb tense drill I

In this drill the verb is it takes.

The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.

Use these flashcards to practice the verb tenses:  present simple, present continuous, past simple, past continuous, future simple, and future continuous.  (N) means negative.  (Q) means question.

In this drill the verb is we have.

Verb tense drill D

Verb tense drill E

In this drill the verb is he makes.

Verb tense drill F

In this drill the verb is you eat.

The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.The file you specified does not exist.

Verb tense drill A

Use these flashcards to practice the verb tenses:  present simple, present continuous, past simple, past continuous, and future simple.  (N) means negative.  (Q) means question.

In this drill the verb is I go.

 

Verb tense drill B

In this drill the verb is she does.

 

Verb tense drill C

In this drill the verb is you see.

Gerunds, which are normally verbs, can be used as nouns. Just like any other noun, gerunds can be used as subjects, objects, or objects of prepositions. They are formed by adding –ing to the base form of a verb. Of course, there may be a double letter before the –ing.  See doubling rule here.  (Click < to get back to this page.) Sometimes a gerund is used alone, but at other times it is connected to an object or a prepositional phrase, just like a verb. When this happens, it is called a gerund phrase.

Examples:
Shopping is one of her favorite activities. (subject noun)
She enjoys shopping more than anything else. (object noun)
She is always thinking about shopping. (object of a preposition)

Getting enough sleep is very important. (subject noun)
His doctor suggests getting enough sleep each night. (object noun).
He’s used to getting enough sleep. (object of a preposition)

Visiting our mother makes us happy. (subject noun)
We don’t mind visiting our mother every month. (object noun).
We feel like visiting our mother more often. (object of a preposition)

Also, like regular nouns, you can make a gerund negative.

Not arriving on time makes the teacher angry at them. (subject noun)
She hated not arriving sooner for her sister’s wedding. (object noun)
They will get into trouble for not arriving on time. (object of a preposition)

Not finishing your research paper will result in a failure for this course. (subject noun)
She couldn’t help not finishing her partner’s sentences. (object noun)
You would be punished for not finishing your chores. (object of a preposition)

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

by Whitney Houston

an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, she was the most awarded female act of all-time according to the Guinness World Records.  Houston is one of pop music’s best-selling artists ever with between 170 and 200 million records sold worldwide.  This song was written by composers Michael Masser (music) and Linda Creed (lyrics).  It was originally recorded in 1977 by  American singer and guitarist George Benson.  It was re-recorded in 1985 by Whitney Houston.

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody’s searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed at least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me, they can’t take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all inside of me
The greatest love of all is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed at least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me, they can’t take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all inside of me
The greatest love of all is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

And if, by chance, that special place
That you’ve been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

Vocabulary:

lead the way: be the leaders
possess:  have
sense of pride:  feeling of being proud
used to be:  were when we were young
searching for:  trying to find
look up to:  admire
fulfilled my needs:  gave me what I needed
depend on me:  do things for myself
walk in anyone’s shadows:  think of myself as being less than anyone else
dignity:  feeling of being equal to anyone
achieve:  get
strength:  power

appear:  to come into sight, to seem
A motorcycle appeared in his rearview mirror.
She appears to be a little nervous.

claim:  to say as a fact
He claims to be your father’s son from another marriage.
She claims to be telling the truth, but I don’t believe her.

conflict:  to be in disagreement or opposition
His story conflicts with her story, so who’s telling the truth?
Her part-time job does not conflict with her university studies.

debate:  to argue in favor of one thing or of another thing
They debated what kind of government was the best.
The students debated various solutions to the problem of homelessness.

devise:  to create, invent
We devised a plan to trap the mice.
He devised a simple system to purify water.

excel:  to do better than most others
My son excels in math and science.
She got a raise because she excels at work.

flash:  to show quickly
The police officer flashed his badge before entering the room.
She flashed him a big smile as she left the room.

hinder:  to stop (someone) from doing (something)
He went to the library because the noise at home was hindering his studying.
That big tree across the street hinders our view of the ocean.

improvise:  to do without any preparation
She wasn’t prepared, so she had to improvise a speech at her sister’s graduation.
The actor forgot his lines but improvised well enough to continue.

legalize:  to make legal
Canada legalized marijuana for use as a medicine.
There are no plans to legalize gambling in this state.

mourn:  to feel sad (usually when someone dies)
The children mourned the loss of their of their father in the war.
For months afterwards, he mourned the death of his dog.

provoke:  to make (something) happen (often anger)
The crowd provoked the police into taking strong action.
If you talk about politics, it will provoke my brother into an argument.

recruit:  to get (someone) to join (a group)
We need to recruit one more person to join our study group.
He’s trying to recruit me into his gang.

signify:  to represent, mean
The blinking lights in the theater signified that intermission was over.
Those dark clouds signify the coming of a storm.

strive:  to try hard, make a great effort
The airline strives to make sure every customer has a good experience.
He is always striving to better himself.

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

Suggestions are like weak advice when you use the modals could and might.  The verb that follows must be in the simple form.  Compare the following:

You must go see the dentist.  (the strongest advice)

You have to go see the dentist.  (the strongest advice)

You’d better go see the dentist.  (strong advice)

You should go see the dentist.  (regular advice)

You ought to go see the dentist.  (regular advice)

You could go see the dentist, if you wanted to.  (weak advice, more like a suggestion)

You might consider seeing the dentist.  (weak advice, more like a suggestion)

More examples with could and might:
You could apologize to her for forgetting your anniversary.
You could come early and help me set up the room.
You could take her to a movie for your first date.
You might try listening more carefully next time.
You might consider taking guitar lessons.
You might want to change your clothes before you go out.

When there’s nothing better to do that you can think of, use might as well or may as well.

Examples:
You might as well stop now and continue in the morning.  (You think it’s the best thing to do)
You may as well start over from the beginning.   (You think it’s the best thing to do)

Other ways to make suggestions:

Why don’t you/we/I is a question and is followed by a verb in the simple form.

Examples:
Why don’t you go clean up before dinner?
Why don’t we finish this first and then go eat?
Why don’t I make a reservation for this evening?

How about (also pronounced how ’bout) is a question and is followed by a gerund or if plus a subject and verb.

Examples:
How about going to the movies tonight?
How about if we go to the movies tonight?

How about learning how to drive?
How about if you learn how to drive?

Let’s and shall we are used when you include yourself.  Shall we is a question.

Examples:
Let’s take a break and go for lunch.
Shall we take a break and go for lunch?

Let’s get out of here.
Shall we get out of here?

NOTE:  Let’s = let us

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

Verbs:

bet one’s bottom dollar:  make a bet one can’t lose
You can bet your bottom dollar that she’ll be late.

break even:  neither win nor lose money
If we sell that gold coin now, we can break even.

bring home the bacon:  earn money to support the family
She’s the one who brings home the bacon in that family.

cash in:  to change into cash by exchanging or selling something
He decided to cash in and sold his company for five million dollars.

chip in:  contribute with others to buy something
All the employees chipped in on a retirement gift for George.

clean up:  win or make a lot of money
He took his tow truck out on the road during that last snow storm and just cleaned up.

foot the bill:  pay
Who’s going to foot the bill if the truck breaks down?

get caught short:  be in a situation where one doesn’t have enough money
If we don’t want to get caught short, we should start saving now.

grease one’s palm:  give someone money for special treatment
If we want to get into the club, we have to grease the doorman’s palm.

have sticky fingers:  steal money
I told you not to hire him because he had sticky fingers.

hit the jackpot:  win a great deal of money
The first time they bought a lottery ticket, they hit the jackpot.

keep the books (in a company):  record the money earned and spent (by the company)
His daughter keeps the books for the company.

lay out more money:  spend more money
The contractor said we have to lay out more money to fix the cracks in the basement.

live high off the hog:  own the best that money can buy
She sold her company last year, and now they’re living high off the hog.

live on a shoestring:  living on a tight budget with no extra money to spend
Since she left her parent’s house, she’s been living on a shoestring.

lose one’s shirt:  lose all one’s money
He invested all his money in a real estate scheme and lost his shirt.

make a bundle:  make a lot of money
If we sell this idea to an investor, I’m sure we can make a bundle.

make a fast buck:  make money quickly
Everybody wants to make a fast buck, but it’s extremely hard to do.

make a killing:  make a very good investment that pays well
He bought Microsoft stock in 1984 and made a killing.

make ends meet:  have just enough money for expenses
He had to get a second job to make ends meet.

make money hand over fist:  earn large amounts of money
They created an app that finds the cheapest gas, and now they’re making money hand over fist.

pay an arm and a leg (for something):  spend more than one can afford
I hear she paid an arm and a leg for her new teeth.

pay through the nose:  pay too much
If you pay the minimum on your credit card each month, you’ll pay through the nose.

pick up the tab:  pay the bill for everyone
He invited everyone to come celebrate with him, and he picked up the tab for everything.

rake in the cash:  make a lot of money
As soon as they opened the doors of their restaurant, they started to rake in the cash.

scrape together:  manage to get
The young couple were able to scrape together a down payment on a condo.

set one back:  cost
How much did that new car set you back?

shell out:  spend
You have to shell out some money and replace the glasses you broke.

splurge:  spend too much money
After he got a raise at work, he started to splurge.

strike it rich:  make a lot of money quickly
Lots of people hope to strike it rich by creating the next popular app.

take a beating:  lose a lot of money
He took a beating in the stock market last year.

tighten one’s belt:  stop spending money except for necessities
Since your parents stopped supporting you, you need to tighten your belt.

won’t break the bank:  is something one can afford to buy
I can buy that laptop.  It won’t break the bank.

Nouns:

a cheapskate:  a person who doesn’t like to spend money at all
That man never leaves a tip when he eats here.  He’s a cheapskate.

a deadbeat:  a person who doesn’t pay what they owe
His father is a deadbeat that he hasn’t seen in years.

a handout:  free gift from family or friends
Every Christmas my sister comes home looking for a handout.

a penny pincher:  a person who is very careful with their spending
Her mother has always been a penny pincher.

a windfall:  a lot of money
They received a windfall when her father died.

chicken feed:  very little money
He returns cans and bottles for chicken feed.

cold hard cash:  real money in bills and coins
I won’t accept a cheque.  I want cold hard cash.

money to burn:  money one doesn’t need
You guys can go to Las Vegas if you want, but I don’t have any money to burn.

nest egg:  savings of money for the future
They decided never to spend their nest egg.

one’s two cents worth:  one’s opinion
After everyone had said their two cents worth, the president made her decision.

Adjectives / prepositional phrases:

at all cost:  without thinking of the price
They need to fix that roof at all cost.

back on one’s feet:  in good financial health
I want to help him get back on his feet.

down and out:  feeling sad because of having no money
He’s been down and out since he lost his job.

flat broke:  without any money at all
To tell you the truth, I’m flat broke.

from hand to mouth:  having just enough money for the basic things
The family down the street is living from hand to mouth.

hard up for cash:  needing money
My brother lost his job last month, and he’s hard up for cash.

in the hole:  owing money
I’m in the hole for about ten thousand dollars.

in the red:  losing more money than making
The company has been in the red for the last ten months.

loaded:  rich
The man she met is tall, handsome and loaded.

on the house:  free
To celebrate our one-year anniversary, for the next ten minutes drinks are on the house.;

strapped for cash:  without any money
Can you lend me a hundred dollars?  I’m a little strapped for cash at the moment.

Sentences:

I feel like a million dollars:  I feel happy
I think I’ve finally met the right person, and I feel like a million dollars.

money is no object:  it doesn’t matter how expensive it is, one can buy it
I want the very best.  Money is no object.

money was burning a hole in one’s pocket:  one wanted to spend money quickly
The money from my grandparents was burning a hole in my pocket, so I spent it.

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.