The Future-Continuous-in-the-Past is formed by means of the Future-Perfect-in-the-Past of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle I of the notional verb.
In the interrogative form of the first auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.
In the negative form the negative particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb.
| Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
| I should have been working | Should I have been working? | I should not have been working |
| You would have been working | Would you have been working? | He would not have been working |
| He/she/it would have been working | Would he/she/it have been working? | He/she/it would not have been working |
| We should have been working | Should we have been working? | We should not have been working |
| They would have been working | Would they have been working? | They would not have been working |
II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
Id have been working
Hed have been working
The contracted negative forms are:
I shouldnt have been working
He wouldnt have been working
The negative-interrogative forms are:
Should I not have been working?
Shouldnt you have been working?
Would he not have been working?
Wouldnt he have been working?
III. The use of the Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past
The Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past denotes an action lasting during a certain period of time before a definite moment which was future from the point of view of the past.
I wondered how long they would have been packing by the time I returned.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS
The verbs in roman type are verbs which are not very common in modern English but may be found in literature. When a verb has two possible forms and one is less usual than the other, the less usual one will be printed in roman.
Compounds of irregular verbs form their past tenses and past participles in the same way as the original verb:
| come came | come | |
| overcome overcame overcome | ||
| set set | set | |
| upset upset | upset | |
| Simple past | Past participle |
| abode | abode |
| arose | arisen |
| awoke/awaked | awoken/awaked |
| was | been |
| bore | borne/born* |
| beat | beaten |
| became | become |
| befell | befallen |
| begot | begotten |
| began | begun |
| beheld | beheld |
| bent | bent |
| bereaved | bereaved/bereft* |
| besought | besought |
| betted/bet | betted/bet |
| bade | bidden |
| bid | bid |
| bound | bound |
| bit | bitten |
| bled blew broke bred brought broadcast built burned/burnt burst bought could cast caught chid chose clove/cleft clung clothed/clad came cost crept crowed/crew cut dared/durst dealt /delt/ dug did drew dreamed/dreamt /dri:md, dremt/ drank drove dwelled/dwelt ate fell fed felt fought found fled flung flew forbore forbade forgot forgave forsook froze got gilded/gilt girded/girt gave went ground grew hanged/hung had heard /h3:d/ hewed hid hit held hurt kept knelt knit knew laid led leaned/leant /li:nd, lent/ leaped/leapt /li:pt, lept/ learned/learnt left lent let lay lighted/lit lost made might meant /ment/ met mowed had to ---------- paid put read /red/ rent rid rode rang rose ran sawed said /sed/ saw sought sold sent set sewed shook should sheared/shore shed shone shoed/shod shot showed shrank shut sang sank sat slew slept slid slung slunk slit smelled/smelt smote sowed spoke speeded/sped spelled/spelt spent spilled/spilt spun spat split spread sprang stood stole stuck stung stank/stunk strewed strode struck strung strove swore swept swelled swam swung took taught tore told thought thrived/throve threw thrust trod understood undertook waked/woke wore wove wept wetted/wet would won wound wrung wrote | bled blown broken bred brought broadcast built burned/burnt burst bought be able cast caught chidden chosen cloven/cleft* clung clothed/clad come cost crept crowed cut dared/dmst dealt /delt/ dug done drawn dreamed/dreamt /dri:md, dremt/ drunk driven dwelled/dwelt eaten fallen fed felt fought found fled flung flown forborne forbidden forgotten forgiven forsaken frozen got gilded/gilt girded/girt given gone ground grown hanged/hung* had heard /h3:d/ hewed/hewn hidden hit held hurt kept knelt knit known laid led leaned/leant /li:nd, lent/ leaped/leapt /li:pt, lept/ learned/learnt left lent let lain lighted/lit lost made meant ment met mowed/mown --------- paid put read /red/ rent rid ridden rung risen run sawed/sawn said /sed/ seen sought sold sent set sewed/sewn shaken sheared/shorn shed shone shoed shod shot showed/shown shrunk shut sung sunk sat slain slept slid slung slunk slit smelled/smelt smitten sowed/sown spoken speeded/sped spelled/spelt spent spilled/spilt spun spat split spread sprung stood stolen stuck stung stunk strewed/strewn stridden struck strung striven sworn swept swelled/swollen swum swung taken taught torn told thought thrived/thriven thrown thrust trodden/trod understood undertaken waked/woken worn woven wept wetted/wet ---------- won wound wrung written |
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APPENDIX
I. SOME SPELLING RULES
I. Doubling the final consonant.
Rule 1. A final single consonant letter is doubled before a suffix beginning with a vowel (-able, -ing, -er, -est, etc.) if
a) the last syllable of the word is stressed, and
b) the final consonant is preceded by a short vowel represented by a single letter,
e.g. red-redder, redden, reddish; begin-beginning; thin-thinned, thinner. But: repeat-repeated, repeating; develop-developed, developing.
Note 1. The words handicap, kidnap, outfit, worship are exceptions:
handicapped-handicapping; kidnapped-kidnapping; outfitted-outfltting-ouifitter; worshipped-worshipping-worshipper.
Note 2. Final r is doubled if preceded by a letter representing a stressed vowel, no matter if it is long or short (but not a diphthong): e.g. occur-occurred
refer-referred But: differ-differed
appear-appeared
Note 3. Final l is doubled if it is preceded by a short vowel (stressed or
unstressed). It is not doubled if preceded by a long vowel or a diphthong: e.g. travel-travelling
expel-expelled But: reveal-revealed
Rule 2.
A final single consonant is not doubled if
a) preceded by an unstressed vowel: e.g. open-opened, opening
limit-limited-limiting;
b) preceded by a vowel sound represented by two letters: e.g. look-looked-looking
turn-turned-turning;
c) the suffix begins with a consonant: e.g. hot-hotly (but: hottest)
forget-forgetful (but: unforgettable).
II. Mute Final e.
Rule 1.
Final mute e is usually dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel letter; otherwise it would make two consecutive vowels: guide-guidance; amuse-amusing; fame-famous; refuse-refusal.
But: age-ageing.
Note 1. e is retained to show pronunciation in such words as: courage-corageous; advantage-advantageous; service-serviceable.
Note 2. e is also kept after o: toe-toeing; shoe-shoeing; canoe-canoeing; tiptoe-tiptoeing.
Note 3. Verbs ending in -ie change the ie into before -ing to avoid a double i: die-dying; tie-tying; lie-lying.
Note 4. Double e () is retained before all suffixes except those beginning with e ( ed, -er, -est): agree-agreeable; see-seeing.
Note 5. Rule 1 is not strictly observed in the case of monosyllabic words when they are likely to be misread: likeable; seatable or likable, seatable.
Rule 2.
Mute e is retained before a suffix beginning with a consonant (to keep the pronunciation): safe-safety; nine-nineteen; whole-wholesome; care-careful. Exceptions to the rule: due-duly; true-truly; whole-wholly; argue-argument; nine-ninth.
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III. Final -y and Its Modifications.
Rule 1. Words ending in -y preceded by a consonant change -y into -;' before all endings except -ing: dry-dries; forty-fortieth; cry-cried; carry-carriage; clumsy-clumsier; pity-pitiful; happy happily; merry-merriment. But: drying, crying, frying, applying.
Note 1. Words ending in -y preceded by a consonant drop the -y before suffixes beginning with -4: -ic, -ical, -ism, -ist:
economy-economic, economical;
history-historic, historical;
geology-deological, geologist
Note 2. Final -y is retained:
a) in personal names: Mary-Marys, Gatsby-the Gatsbys;
b) in some words before the suffixes -hood, -ish, -1st, -like, -thing: babyhood, copyist, ladyship, ladylike, anything, everything;
c) in some monosyllabic words before -er, -est, -ly, -ness: shy-shyer, shyest, shyness; sly-slyer, slyest, slyly, slyness; dry-dryly, dryness (both forms are possible in dryer-drier, flyer-flier).
Note 3. Final -y changes to -e before -ous: piteous, beauteous, plenteous, duteous.
Rule 2. Final -y preceded by a vowel letter is retained before all suffixes: day-days, play-playful, pay-pays, payment; enjoy-enjoyable.
Exceptions: gay-gaily, gaiety; day-daily.
