[Grammar] Will everyone be using smartphones by the end of this century?

[Son Ho]

I come across a sentence on page 64 in Bai Tap Tieng Anh 8 ( tap 2) by Mai Lan Huong. I don't understand why sentence 1 is correct. It is neither an action in progress at one point of time in the future nor in a normal course of events. I think it is just an action which will happen in the future, so I use sentence 2. Could you please explain?

1. Will everyone be using smartphones by the end of this century?
2. Will everyone use smartphones by the end of this century?

 

[jutfrank]

It is neither an action in progress at one point of time in the future ...

Yes, it is.

You can understand this sentence as talking about a future trend. That means that the action (using smartphones) will be in progress at a future point in time (the end of the century).

 

[tedmc]

The future continuous/progressive tense is used to make a projection into the future, that is if everything else happens as we expect.

 

[Son Ho]

Yes, it is.

You can understand this sentence as talking about a future trend. That means that the action (using smartphones) will be in progress at a future point in time (the end of the century).

Then we can use both of them. What is meaning of sentence 2? Could I use sentence 2 in this situation?

1. Will everyone be using smartphones by the end of this century?
2. Will everyone use smartphones by the end of this century?

 

[jutfrank]

No. Use 1, not 2.

 

[Son Ho]

Could I use the simple future by adding in the future?

1. Will everyone use smartphones in the future?

 

[Phaedrus]

Could I use the simple future by adding in the future?

1. Will everyone use smartphones in the future?

I think that the problem with "Will everyone use smartphones by Time-X/in the future" is pragmatic; the sentence suggests that no one uses a smartphone now.

Consider that no one would say "I will use a smartphone by Time-X/in the future" if he or she presently uses a smartphone.

However, one who presently uses a smartphone could very naturally say "I will (still) be using using a smartphone by Time-X/in the future."

 

[Tarheel]

Will everyone use smartphones in the future?

If your point is that this is a good replacement for "Will everybody be using smart phones by the end of the century?" then no it is not.

(Just about everybody is using them now, so I don't really see the point of the question.)

 

[Phaedrus]

Grammatically, the problem will be the same if we substitute "Will everyone eat cabbage by 2030?" or any such sentence.

 

[Tdol]

Could I use the simple future by adding in the future?

Why try? The original works.