SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SUB-TOPIC: TENSES LESSON #10: The Future Perfect Simple Tense TEACHER: Anthony Simukonde
Introduction
The future perfect tense is only used in a few situations, but it is still good to know it. Here is how to make it.
The future perfect is made with the future simple of
(will have) and the past participle. For regular past participles add 'ed' to the verb ('play' becomes 'played').
Here's the positive: Examples
By 20.00hrs tonight:
I will have finished reading this novel. You will have studied the English tenses.
She will have cooked
supper.
(d) He will have come
home.
(e) We will have met
Sechelani.
(f) It will have stopped
raining.
(g) They will have left for
Nakonde.
For the short form, we change will to 'll. But, when we are speaking, we also make 'have' shorter, so it sounds like [ I'll've finished.] ( don't write this!).
Here are some examples: (a) I'll have finished
reading this novel.
(b) You'll have studied the
English tenses.
(c) She'll have prepared
supper.
(d) He'll have come home. (e) We'll have met
Sechelani.
(f) It'll have stopped
raining.
(g) They'll have left for
Nakonde.
2. Here's the negative: Examples
By next week,
(a) I will not have finished
reading this novel.
(b) You will not have
studied the English tenses.
(c) She will not have
cooked dinner.
(d) He will not have
home.
(e) We will not have
Sechelani.
(f) It will not have
raining.
(g) They will not have
for Nakonde. come met stopped left
Here's the short form. Examples
(a) I won't have finished
this book
(b) You won't have studied
the English tenses
(c) She won't have
prepared supper.
(d) He won't have arrived. (e) We won't have met
Sechelani.
(f) It won't have stopped
raining
(g) They won't have left for
Nakonde.
3. To make the question, just put 'will' before the subject:
I. 'Yes / no' questions: By next year,
(a) will I have finished
reading this novel?
(b) will you have studied all the English verb tenses?
(c) will she have come? (d) will he have got
married?
(e) will it have got colder? (f) will we have met your
boyfriend?
(g) will they have left their
jobs?
II. 'Wh' questions:
(a) When will I have
finished reading this novel?
(b) Why will you have
studied all the English verb tenses by evening?
(c) When will she have
been here three weeks?
(d) Why will he have got married before June? Why will it have got colder by May?
How will we have met your boyfriend by tonight?
When will they have
left their jobs? (e) (f) (g)
4. How to Use the Future
Perfect Tense
I. We use the future perfect to say 'how long' for an action that starts before and continues up to another action or time in the future. Usually we need 'for'. We can also use the future perfect continuous here so we often use the future perfect simple with stative verbs. If we use 'when', we usually need the present simple.
Examples
(a) When we get married, I will have known Salifyanji for four years. (b) At 18.00hrs, I will have been in this office for half a day.
Sometimes we can also use the present perfect in the same situation. But we like to use the future perfect to make the time an easy number.
Examples
(a) I have lived here for 11 months and three weeks. ( This is correct, but the time is not an easy number.)
(b) On Tuesday, I will have lived here for one year. (A much easier number.)
II. We use the future perfect with a future time word, (and often with 'by') to talk about an action that will finish before a certain time in the future, but we do not know exactly when.
Examples
(a) By 20.00hrs, I will have finished reading this novel. [= I will finish reading this novel some time before 20.00hrs, but we do not know exactly when.]
(b) By the time I am forty, I will have married Buumba. (= I will marry Buumba sometime before I am forty. Maybe when I'm thirtynine, maybe when I'm thirty-five.)
Exercise
Fill in the correct verb form in the future perfect simple in each of the following sentences.
1. By the time I start my shift, Mr._________ for 18 hours straight. (work)
2. Salifyanji ____ the scholarship by the time she starts school in September. (get)
3. By this time next month, I hope they ____ building the community center. (finish)
4. Professor Simukonde ______ at this university for 25 years by the time he retires in June.
(teach)
5. By this time tomorrow night, we ______ in Nakonde. (arrive)
6. ______ he ______ the message by the time your flight takes off?
(receive)
7. Sankananji _____ the night shift by the time you get up in the morning. ( not finish)
8. The team _____ at the exhibition for five hours by the time I arrive there. ( work)
9. By the time we get on the plane, they ____already _____ the luggage. (load)
10. By 2022, I hope researchers ______ a cure for cancer. (find)