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Future Perfect

a)We use the Future Perfect to say that something will be completed by a particular time in future.

We will have delivered all our orders by the 1st of March.

You are late. The film will already have started by the time you get to the cinema.

b)The Future Perfect is used with the following time expressions: by, by then, by the time, untill/till (only in negative sentences), before, before then.

She won’t have finished the report until/till 5 o’clock.

Will you have read this book by the time it’s due back to the library.

We form the Future Perfect with will + have + past participle of the verb.

Future Perfect Continuous

a)We use the Future Perfect Continuous to describe an action lasting to a certain time in the future and to emphasise the duration of this action.

By the end of the year Mr. White will have been teaching here for fifteen years. On the 10th of this month I’ll have been living here for exactly two years.

b) The Future Perfect Continuous is used with by ….. for:

By the time of her retirement she will have been working in the company for more than thirty years.

They’ll have been travelling for six hours by the time they reach York.

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We form the Future Perfect Continuous with will + have + been + the -ing form of the verb.

Practice

Exercise 1

Fill in the Future Perfect or the Future Perfect Continuous.

1. He has little money and he is spending too much. Before the end of his holiday, he

……. (spend) all his money. 2. By 2050 most of the oil in the world ……. (run out). 3. By the time Jack finishes the race, he ……. (run) for two hours. 4. Come back at 4.30. I ……. (finish) the report by then and you can take a copy. 5. They ……. (not/have) lunch by two o’clock. Let’s visit them at 2.30. 6. By next year he …….

(work) as a Production Manager of the company for 20 years. 7. I hope by the end of the 21st century doctors ……. (discover) a cure for cancer. 8. In two years’ time I will be able to speak French fluently. By then I ……. (learn) it for four years. 9. This chess game is going to last ages. They ……. (not/finish) it until midnight.

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Review of the future

Exercise 1

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct future form, ‘be going to’ or present simple/present continuous with a future meaning.

1. “I … (go) to California tomorrow! I can’t believe it. This time tomorrow I … (fly) across the Atlantic”. 2. If the weather … (be) nice this afternoon, we’ll have a picnic.

3. Andrew and Ben are on holiday in Europe. They … (visit) seven countries by the time they … (get) home to Canada at the end of the month. 4. “I think it … (rain) tomorrow. Look at those clouds”. 5. “Are you nervous about the interview?” “Yes. This time tomorrow I … (talk) to the Managing Director”. 6. I … (write) to you, when I … (arrive) in Washington. 7. Tony is nearly eighteen. He … (work) for his father when he … (leave) school. 8. “Have you been living here long?” “Yes. By next month I … (live) here for ten years”. 9. “I’ve left my bag at home”. “I … (go) back and get it for you”. 10. Next April 21st … (be) my parents’ silver anniversary. That means they … (be) married for 25 years. 11. “What are you doing with these tools?” “I … (repair) the roof”. 12. “What are your plans for tonight?” “Well, I … (meet) Steve at eight o’clock”. 13. As soon as we … (reach) an agreement, we … (ask) our legal department to draft a contract for us. 14. It’s quite a long way. She … (walk) about five miles by the time she gets back. 15. Mr. Russell … (teach) his last English classes during May.

By then, he … (work) here for 40 years.

Exercise 2

Choose the correct tense.

1)Next Saturday Daisy is flying/flies to Paris for a business meeting. Her secretary has already booked the flight. The plane leaves/will leave at nine o’clock in the morning and one of her business clients will have met/ will be meeting her at the airport when the plane will land/lands. She doesn’t know how long the meeting will last/ will have been lasting, but she will have been returning/ will have returned home by Thursday evening.

2)Sally is going to become/ will be becoming a doctor when she finishes/ will have finished medical school. She thinks she is probably working/ will probably work in a hospital for most of her career. This time next month, she will have revised/ will be revising hard for her exams. By the time she gets her degree she will have been studying/ will have studied medicine for five years. Sally hopes she will have passed/ will pass all the exams with excellent grades.

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Review of tenses

Exercise 1

Correct the use of tenses where necessary.

1.We are completing the second phase by the end of April next year.

2.As the project nears completion, I’d like to thank all those who had been working on it and are here today.

3.I take questions at the end of my presentation, if you don’t mind waiting till then.

4.I wanted to show a short video now, but there’s seeming to be some kind of technical fault.

5.I’ll now be handing over to Carla. She worked on this part of the project for the last six months.

6.That’s a very good question. Actually, I thought about this in the taxi from the airport.

7.I have planned to go to Spain on holiday, but I broke my leg, so I couldn’t go.

8.I talked to Gaston when we were cut off.

9.I’ve been buying the tickets. We just need to book the hotel now.

10.I try to get in touch with Mr. Anderson, but his line is always busy.

11.Can you phone the factory and find out what will be happening?

Exercise 2

Read the email and underline the best grammatical choice in each case.

Dear all,

As you (1) know / are knowing, the annual client hospitality event (2) is fast approaching / will fast approach, but we (3) did not make / have not made a final decision where to hold it this year. One or two of you (4) already came forward / have already come forward with suggestions.

What I particularly (5) want / am wanting to avoid is a repetition of the fiasco we

(6) had / have had last year at the show jumping event. The whole thing (7) was / has been a complete disaster. People (8) still complained / were still complaining about it six months later!

This year we (9) have planned / had planned to do something more cultural like to go to opera, but I (10) don’t know / will not know if it is a good idea.

I (11) have scheduled / had scheduled a meeting for next Friday to discuss the matter further.

Charles