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Post by Somak Meitei on Jun 13, 2014 12:30:36 GMT 5.5
Dear brother I have read about Tenses in some English grammar books,but here I have something which is quite different from some of my seniors teaching English language, particularly on the usage of Future Perfect Continuous Tense.What I am mentioning here may be an information that I heard from Them in a drowsy afternoon in the sunshine,but I think they said that there was no usage of future perfect continuou as if it did not have any Action.But A.S.Hornby's Guide To Patteres and Usage in English says: 'Imagine a student who has already been at the university for three years and who is to take his degree examination ten months from now. We might say of him: When George gets his degree, he will have been studying for four years.(the expression indicates an activity represented as being continuous over a period of time that will end in the future) If it is, I don't know why They do say 'Obsolete Future Perfect Tense'. I think it is rare that we use FPC in our day-to-day life, as a matter of fact. What do you think of the usage of this kind of aspect of tense,brother?
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Post by Thoithoi O'Cottage on Jun 13, 2014 14:06:57 GMT 5.5
No one aspect can perform (all) the functions of another. Many may not (often or never) finds themselves in a circumstance in which they need to express something in a particular aspect. For them that aspect of that tense (FPC in this case) is rare or never used. However, there are specific circumstances that require expression only in that aspect, and there are people who need (rarely or not) to say or express things in that aspect.
Rarity does not mean it is not there or not used. You use a rarely used thing when it is required. In a sense, the frequency variation of the use of all things, including tenses and their aspects, is a matter of degree. Some things are used very often; some are not used that often, some things less often and still some others very less or rarely. Even among the most often used, there is a frequency variation. Articles and personal pronouns are among the words most frequently used in daily conversations. Among them "I" is again used more frequently.
In the same way FPC is just used less, but there are situations in life which should be expressed in it.
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Post by Thoithoi O'Cottage on Jun 13, 2014 14:44:53 GMT 5.5
Present continuous (PreC) sometimes can act for simple future (SF), as in 1. I am leaving tomorrow. to mean I will leave tomorrow. (Let's ignore the difference in significance between these two construction.) However, PreC cannot function for SF in all cases indiscriminately. For example, 3. If the plug is that oily, your engine will not start. cannot be replaced by *4. If the plug is that oily, your engine is not starting. There is no aspect of the future tense that can function for FPC. Some erroneously replace it by SF or FC (future continuous), but they do not see the difference. FPC aspect cannot be expressed by no other future aspects.
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