A puzzling question

Question

The model answer is 'will be waiting'.  I think 'will have waited' is OK, too. Am I right? I also want ti know why 'will be waiting' is preferable to 'a' and 'd'

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Omar AhmedThe model answer is 'will be waiting'.

Understandably. What else would we be in the process of doing at the moment the train arrives?

Omar AhmedI think 'will have waited' is OK, too. Am I right?

No.

Omar AhmedI also want to know why 'will be waiting' is preferable to 'a' and 'd'.

a) will wait

When ..., we will wait indicates that we won't start waiting until the train arrives.

When the train arrives, the passengers will get out.

d) will have waited

Oof. This is hard to explain because it doesn't make any sense. You can't start to do something when the train arrives which is something you have already done.

The closest you can come to making something like this work is the following.

When the train arrives, we will have [waited / been waiting] for two hours.

'will have been waiting' is preferable.

CJ

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