All about Future Tenses

Simple Future tense

Form

The simple future form of a verb is shall/will + Verb

The simple future form of  be is shall/will + be

The simple future form of have is shall/will + have

Uses

First person (I/We) + shall express pure future, i. e., future without intention, determination etc. It indicates that something will happen as a matter of course

I shall be 50 next birthday. 

We shall have a holiday on Independence Day. 

Note 

>Will is frequently used with first person to indicate  pure future as well as intention, determination etc. 

The use of shall to express pure future is going out of style, particular in American English

> won't/wouldn't is always preferred to shan't to indicate refusal/negative intention

I won't give you any money. 

2. Shall we is always used in question tags after let's. Shall and will are not interchangeable here:

Let's go home now, shall we? (Not, will we) 

3.Shall I/shall we is used to elicit a person's wishes/instructions

Shall I close the gate? 

4.Shall is used with I/we to make an enquiry :

Shall I speak to him for you? ( not interchangeable with will) 

Note

Will + I/we in questions indicates nervousness, perplexity, not an enquiry

Where will I go now? 

How will I get back? 

What will we do with this meagre amount? 

5. Second person/third person + will expresses pure future, i. e., future without intention, determination promise etc:

He will be fifty next birthday. 

Note: 

In questions, too, second/third person takes will, not shall:

When will you go home? 

6. First person + will expresses a strong will/determination, i. e. Volition

I can't take this insult, I will resign my post. 

7. Second/third person + shall usually indicates promise/threat:

You shall pay a fine ( not, will) 

8. Third person + shall is used to express an official announcement/order/ command. Will is not possible here:

The college shall remain closed tomorrow. ( not, will) 

9. Third person + shall expresses obligation/compulsion in the field of law:

He shall be released on the 18th of this month. 

Shall and will are not interchangeable in legal documents requiring precision. 

10. Third person + will expresses a present habit:

He will sit for hours murmuring to himself. 

11. Third person + will is used to a characteristics activity:

Water and milk will mix well. 

12. Principal clause ( future) + adverb clause of time/condition (simple present/present perfect) 

You will get wet if you go out in the rain

He won't rise high in life unless he works hard. 

13. Will/won't can be used ( with stress) in an 'if clause' when it expresses an obstinate habit:

If you go on gambling you will get into trouble. 

14. Would is used in the main clause of a sentence expressing an improbable condition: 

If I were a bird I would fly to you at once. Not, I will fly to you at once)

Future continuous tense

Form

The future continuous form of a verb is 

Will be + present participle

The future continuous form of have is : will be + have

Note 

Of the two shall/will, will is the more usual even with the first person

Uses

1. It expresses an action in progress at some time in future. In this sense it is a future equivalent of the present continuous. 

He is washing the car now

He will be washing the car tomorrow morning. 

2. Future continuous is also used to express a future activity as part of a plan  or arrangement but it is not so definite and certain as the one indicated  by the present continuous

He is taking his examination next week. (Certainty) 

He will be talking the examination next week. ( possibility) 

Note 

Present continuous normally refers to near future but future continuous often refers to distant future:

He is leaving for home to-night/next week. 

I shall be leaving for London next year. 

But we cannot write/say

We will be having a party tomorrow. 

We are leaving for London next year.

Future Perfect Tense

Form

The future perfect form of a verb is: shall/will + perfect infinitive

Note 

Of the two Shall have/will have, will have is more usual, so it is used with all persons. 

The future perfect form of shall/will + have is: shall/will + have + had

Here have(had) means 'to experience/to receive/to take'

He will have had his exam by the end of this month. ( will have taken) 

He will have had a lot of opposition. (Will have experienced) 

The future perfect form of verb is: will have been

She will have been a teacher for ten years by March next

Uses

1. Future perfect expresses completion of an action by a given time in future:

He will have built a house by the end of this year. 

He will have had his exam by the end of this month. 

2. Future perfect is often used to express a past possibility. In addition to modal will, can and may also can be used:

He may/can/will have won the lottery. 

In all the three sentences 'there was possibility of his winning  the lottery, but we don't know whether he actually won it or not

Thus this construction expresses an assumption/deduction about a past action, not about a present or future action.

Future Perfect continuous tense

Form

Form

The future perfect continuous form of a verb is: shall/will + have been + present participle

Uses

1. This tense indicates an activity that will continue over a period of time, so it is normally used with an expression of time:

By the end of this month, we will have been working here for 27 years

Note 

Future perfect continuous  denotes action in progress while future perfect denotes completed action. 

By the end of this month, she will have been travelling for 8 months. ( continuous action) 

By the end of this month, she will have travelled 8 months. (Completed action)