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A straightforward explanation and ONE exercise to complete

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The future continuous (will be + 'ing' form) and the future perfect (will have + past participle) tenses are used to talk about events in the future.

Future continuous

Don't ring at 8 o'clock. I'll be watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

This time tomorrow we'll be sitting on the beach. I can't wait!

We use the future continuous to talk about something that will be in progress at or around a time in the future.

Don't phone grandma now, she'll be having dinner.

The kids are very quiet. They'll be doing something wrong, I know it!

These sentences are not about the future but we can use the future continuous to talk about what we assume is happening at the moment.

Future Perfect

Do you think you will have finished it by next Thursday?

In 5 years time I'll have finished university and I'll be able to earn some money at last.

We use the future perfect to say that something will be finished by a particular time in the future.

We often use the future perfect with ' by' or ' in '

I think astronauts will have landed on Mars by the year 2020.

I'll have finished in an hour and then you can use the computer.

' By' means ' not later than a particular time' and ' in' means ' within a period of time '. We don't know exactly when something will finish.

I promise I'll have done all the work by next Saturday.

We don't know exactly when he will finish the work - maybe Thursday, maybe Friday - but definitely before Saturday.

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The future continuous (will be + 'ing' form) and the future perfect (will have + past participle) tenses are used to talk about events in the future. Don't ring at 8 o'clock. I'll be watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire. This time tomorrow we'll be sitting on the beach.

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4A speculation and deduction | English File Student's Site | Oxford University Press

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Students >English File Student's Site >Advanced third edition >Grammar >File 4 >4A speculation and deduction

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Find out on the basis of this short exercise

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9A ellipsis | English File Student's Site | Oxford University Press

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Students >English File Student's Site >Advanced third edition >Grammar >File 9 >9A ellipsis

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MODALS - talking about ability, certainty and obligation - PDF file

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MODALS - talking about ability, certainty and obligation - PDF file

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print it out and bring to our next class :)

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Find out all about it here. Read the EXPLANATION part first :)

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Exercise 1

Choose the correct option to complete the sentences below.

Passive voice with reporting verbs

In news reports and formal writing, it is common to use the passive forms of reporting verbs (verbs of saying or believing). Using this resource allows us to give information when we don't know for sure whether it is true or not. We distance ourselves from the information.

Reporting verbs are verbs such as agree, announce, believe, claim, consider, expect, hope, know, report, say, suggest, think, understand, etc. And we can use their passive form for distancing in two different ways.

it is said that ...

It+ passive reporting verb + that + clause (subject + verb)

they are said to be

Subject + passive reporting verb + to + infinitive ...

When we use this pattern, we use the simple infinitive or the continuous infinitive when the reported action is simultaneous to the reporting.

We can also use the simple infinitive to refer to the future.

We use the perfect infinitive or the perfect continuous infinitive when the reported action is previous to the reporting (earlier in the past).

there are said to be

We can also use the same structure with the pronoun there.

seem / appear

We can also use the verbs seem and appear for distancing ourselves from the information we are giving.

it seems/appears that + clause

it would seem/appear that

It means the same as it seems that, but it more formal.

Subject + seem/appear + to infinitive

there seem(s)to be/to have been

apparently, allegedly, according to

There are expressions that we can also use for distancing.

apparently

allegedly

We use allegedly to give information when something wrong appears to been done, but there is no proof.

according to

might / may

We can also use might or may to speculate and say that something is possible, but that maybe it isn't true.
Do the exercises

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Distancing - expressions and passive of reporting verbs - Test English

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Choose the correct option to complete the sentences below. In news reports and formal writing, it is common to use the passive forms of reporting verbs (verbs of saying or believing). Using this resource allows us to give information when we don't know for sure whether it is true or not.

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Print the handout and complete the exercise, then check your answers with the key :)

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Enjoy!

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Grammar Quiz: Infinitives and Gerunds (6)

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Relative clauses - defining relative clauses

Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types - defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses.

Defining relative clauses

Look at this sentence:

The woman who lives next door works in a bank.

' who lives next door' is a defining relative clause. It tells us which woman we are talking about.

Look at some more examples:

Look out! There's the dog that bit my brother.

The film that we saw last week was awful.

This is the skirt I bought in the sales.

Can you identify the defining relative clauses? They tell us which dog, which film and which skirt we are talking about.

Relative pronouns

Relative clauses are usually introduced by a relative pronoun (usually who, which, that, but when, where and whose are also possible)

With defining relative clauses we can use who or that to talk about people. There is no difference in meaning between these, though 'who' tends to be preferred in more formal use.

We can use that or which to talk about things. Again, there is no difference in meaning between these, though 'which' tends to be preferred in more formal use.

Simplifying defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses can be simplified, or reduced, in several ways:

If the relative pronoun is the object of the verb then it can be omitted:

This is the skirt that I bought in the sales.

This is the skirt which I bought in the sales.

This is the skirt I bought in the sales.

In this sentence 'skirt' is the object of the verb (buy). 'I' is the subject. When the relative pronoun is the object, it can be omitted.

Note that if the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb then it cannot be omitted:

BUT NOT

If the relative clause contains the verb 'be' + any of the following then it can be reduced:

(a) be + an adjective phrase

Note that other verbs are possible here as well as 'be', such as 'seem', 'look' and 'appear'.

(b) be + a prepositional phrase

(c) be + a past participle [a passive form]

(d) be + a present participle [a continuous form]

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Relative clauses - defining relative clauses

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Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types - defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. Defining relative clauses Look at this sentence: The woman who lives next door works in a bank. ' who lives next door' is a defining relative clause.