In the earlier posts, you read about the present perfect tense and the past perfect tense. Now let's take a look at the future perfect tense. The future perfect tense looks like this: will + have + past participles
The future perfect tense is used to indicate a future action which will be completed when/before/by the time another future action happens. This another future action is indicated by the simple present tense.
Read this situation.
Mrs Lee is now getting out of the house. She is going to the market to buy some vegetables. She is talking to her 10-year-old son, John. Pay attention to the words in bold and italics as you read John's reply.
"John, make sure you do your homework when I'm not at home," Mrs Lee says.
"Don't worry, Mum. I will have done all my homework by the time you come home from your shopping," John replies.
Note that John can also use a different sentence construction like this:
By the time you come home from your shopping, I will have done all my homework. Make sure the comma is inserted after the word shopping when this kind of sentence construction is used.
will have done is the future perfect tense
by the time is the connector
you come home from your shopping is the other future action indicated by the simple present tense.
John's reply means that he will start to do his homework after his Mum has left, and when his Mum gets back home, his homework will be completed. This is how the future perfect tense can be used in English sentences. More examples:
Using future perfect tense in statements
If you don't hurry, the bus will have gone by the time/when you reach the bus-stop.
The clerk will have typed the itinerary before her boss orders her to do so.
Using future perfect tense in questions.
Will you have cooked lunch before your kids come back from school?
Will he have eaten all the cookies by the time you join us for tea?
The future perfect tense can also be used with words like before or by followed by a specified future time. Read these examples.
They will have established another outlet before the end of this year.
(will have established is the future perfect tense)
(the end of this year is the specified future time)
Kelvin will have finished his college studies by next year.
(will have finished is the future perfect tense)
(next year is the specified future time)
The goods will have arrived by 3 pm today.
(will have arrived is the future perfect tense)
(3 pm today is the specified future time)
Click on "References" and then proceed to click on "English Grammar Reference: Different Tenses".
By Susan L
On 12/10/2009 10:47:00 PM
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