What is the future progressive tense used to indicate?

The future progressive tense is used to indicate an ongoing action that will take place at a specific time in the future. This tense highlights not only that an action will occur, but also emphasizes its duration or ongoing nature during that particular future time. For instance, when saying, "I will be studying at 8 PM," it conveys that the action of studying will be in progress at that time.

This understanding of the future progressive is key in distinguishing it from other tenses that denote different time aspects or conditions. For example, an action that has already occurred would suggest the use of the past tense, while a completed action in the present is expressed using the present perfect or simple present tense. The option regarding an action not related to time does not accurately reflect the fundamental purpose of any verb tense, which is inherently tied to the indication of time in relation to actions.