Identify the tense of the underlined verb in the sentence:
By December, Mr Iyer will have been driving our school bus for twenty years.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Future perfect continuous tense
Future perfect continuous tense:
- Its form is will have been + V-ing.
- It shows how long an action will have gone on by a future time.
- “Will have been driving” has “will have been” and the -ing word “driving”.
- “By December” is the future time, and “for twenty years” is how long.
- Example: By March, we will have been living in Kochi for ten years.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Future perfect tense — Incorrect.
- The future perfect is will have + past participle (V3), as in “will have driven”.
- The underlined verb has “been” and an -ing word.
- Example: By noon, she will have finished the report.
Option 3: Future continuous tense — Incorrect.
- The future continuous is will be + V-ing, as in “will be driving”.
- The underlined verb also has “have been”.
- Example: At eight tonight, I will be studying.
Option 4: Present perfect continuous tense — Incorrect.
- The present perfect continuous is has / have been + V-ing, as in “has been driving”.
- The underlined verb begins with “will”.
- Example: Ravi has been waiting since two o’clock.