Future Tense Questions Long
In the future perfect continuous tense, the phrases 'how long' and 'by the time' are used to express the duration or length of time that an action will have been happening before a specific point in the future.
1. 'How long' is used to inquire about the duration of an ongoing action in the future perfect continuous tense. It is often followed by the verb phrase 'will have been' and the present participle form of the main verb. For example:
- How long will you have been studying for the exam by next week?
- How long will they have been living in that city by the end of the year?
In these examples, 'how long' is used to ask about the length of time that the action of studying or living will have been happening before a specific future point (next week, end of the year).
2. 'By the time' is used to indicate a specific point in the future when an ongoing action in the future perfect continuous tense will be completed. It is often followed by a future time expression or clause. For example:
- By the time I finish my degree, I will have been studying for five years.
- By the time they arrive, we will have been waiting for two hours.
In these examples, 'by the time' is used to specify the point in the future when the action of studying or waiting will be completed. It emphasizes the completion of the action after a certain duration.
Overall, both 'how long' and 'by the time' are used in relation to the future perfect continuous tense to express the duration or length of time an ongoing action will have been happening before a specific future point or completion of an action.