Learn English – Will you be having cake

differencefuture-continuousfuture-tense

The first question is in the Future Continuous tense. Often used in very polite requests and offers.

Will you be having cake?

  1. Yes, thank you.
  2. Yes, I will.
  3. Yes, I will be
  4. Yes, I will do.

The second question is in the Future Simple tense

Will you be late?

  1. Sorry, I will.
  2. Yes, I will
  3. Yes, I will be
  4. I will.

Are any of these short positive answers "wrong"?

Here is the list of short negative answers.

Will you be having cake?

  1. No, thank you.
  2. No, I will not.
  3. No, I won't be
  4. I won't, thank you.

And

Will you be late?

  1. No, I will not
  2. No, I won't
  3. I won't be
  • Are all the answers idiomatic? Are any non-standard?
  • Are there any other acceptable alternatives?
  • What different meanings, if any, do they have?

Related: Why is "I'll be", wrong as a short answer?

Best Answer

This answer is from a British perspective: I don't know whether the situation is similar in the US or other English speaking countries. It is necessary to consider the first question in two different contexts:


You are in somebody's home and they offer you tea and cakes.

Host: Will you be having cake?
Guest: Yes, thank you.

This is a polite offer, and only the first answer is suitable as a polite reply. The remaining answers would be much too assertive, though "Yes, I will, thanks" would be OK.


You are talking with a friend about your birthday party, which is next week.

Friend: Will you be having cake?
You: Yes, I will -or- Yes, I will be

This a request for information, and the first two I will answers are appropriate: they are examples of answer ellipsis.

The Thanks answer is not appropriate because the friend is not offering you cake.

Yes, I will do is an answer ellipsis of Yes, I will do that, or Yes, I will do so. It is probably not an appropriate answer to this particular question, but might be an appropriate way to accept a suggestion, for example:

Friend: I think you should buy a cake
You: Yes, I will do.


For the negative replies about cake, 1 and 4 are OK for offers of cake, and 2 and 3 are appropriate for requests for information.

For will you be late?, all of the positive and negative answers are appropriate, though "No, I will not" might sound a bit tetchy.

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