Lecture Notes: Future Tenses

Simple Future Tense

A. Meaning

The simple future tense is used to describe an event that will occur in the future, e.g. in two hours, tomorrow, in five months, next year, in 10 years, etc. There are several instances when the future tense is required:

1. To express a prediction - As human beings, we can only speculate about the future; in other words, we never know for certain what will happen in the future. We can only predict, or make guesses about future events, based on what we know now. Weather reporters try to predict the weather for the next few days, economists try to predict the state of the nation's economy in the following year, business people try to predict how much money they will make, and students try to predict what grade they will get at the end of the semester. When an event is probable or possible, it is a prediction.
2. To express a prior plan - We can also use the future tense to express a prior plan. We know that an event will happen because we have already planned it. We are going to make the event happen. For example, I am going to stop by at the bank in the afternoon because I already thought about it and decided to go this morning. I intend to go to the bank.
3. To express willingness - Sometimes, an event will occur in the future because we volunteer to do it at the moment of speaking. It is not making a prediction or a plan; it is someone being willing or choosing to do it. If a parent asks his or her child to wash the dishes, the child can choose to do it. The child did not plan to wash the dishes, but he or she can volunteer when asked by the parent. To express a future event that is on a regular schedule - We know that something will happen in the future also because it is part of a regular schedule. Some of the things on a regular schedule are the bus, train, plane, movies, work, businesses and school. For example, tomorrow is Friday, and we know that Macy's Department Store closes at 9 p.m. every Friday. Therefore, we know that the store will close tomorrow at 9 p.m. We can make this prediction because the store has always closed at 9 p.m. in the past, and it will continue to follow the regular schedule and close at 9 on Fridays in the future. Only a few words apply in this category, e.g open, close, begin, start, arrive, leave, etc.

B. Usage

There are four ways to express the future time - will,be going to, present progressive and simple present - but their usage is not identical. Study the chart below:

Predictions Prior Plans Willingness Regular Schedules
(a) will (c) be going to (e) will (f) simple present
(b) be going to (d) present progressive (g) present progressive

(a) You are studying so hard. You will get an A on the test. (b) You are studying so hard. You are probably going to get an A on the test.

(c) Emily has invited her friends over for tomorrow. They are going to watch a video together. (d) But Tom can't come. He is playing baseball tomorrow.

(e) A: It's getting late. Can somebody take me home?

B: I will take you home.

(f) The bus leaves in 10 minutes. You'd better hurry up, or you will miss the bus. (g) The movie is starting at 7:30 p.m. We will have enough time to have dinner first.

C. Form

* The main verb is always in the base form.

Affirmative Statements:

a. will + verb
b. be going to + verb ('be' is in the simple present tense form)

• It will rain tomorrow.
• It is going to rain tomorrow.
  

Negative Statements:

a. will + not + verb (contracted = won't)
b. be + not + going to + verb

• Ron will not come to school next week.
• Ron won't come to school next week.
• Ron is not going to come to school next week.

Questions:

a. will + subject + verb
b. be + subject + going to + verb

• Will the energy crisis continue for a long time?
• Is the energy crisis going to continue for a long time?

Future Time Clauses

A time clause is a dependent clause that begins with a time adverb such as when, after, before, as soon as, until, while, and it must be connected to an independent clause. Even though the actions in both the time clause and the independent clause will happen in the future, the verb in the time clause is in the simple present tense while the verb in the independent clause is in the future tense. For example:

• When William gets home, he will take a shower.

('When William gets home' is a time clause and it expresses a future event. )

• I will pay the rent after I receive my paycheck.

('after I receive my paycheck' is a time clause and it also expresses a future event.)

When the sentence begins with a time clause, there is a comma before the independent clause. When the time clause follows the independent clause, there is no comma.

Future Progressive

A. Meaning

The future progressive tense describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, and it will continue even further into the future. Remember that stative verbs cannot be in the progressive.
1.
A: I will call you tomorrow at 7 a.m.

B: But tomorrow is Saturday! I will be sleeping at that time.
2.
When Christy graduates from college, her sister is going to be starting high school.

B. Form

Affirmative Statements:

a. will be + verb-ing
b. be going to + be + verb-ing

• At 7:30 a.m tomorrow, I will be driving in heavy traffic.
• At 7:3p a.m. tomorrow, I am going to be driving in heavy traffic.
  

Negative Statements:

a. will + not + be + verb-ing
b. be + not + be + verb-ing

• When Derek moves to New York, he will not be taking all his furniture.
• When Derek moves to New York, he is not going to be taking all his furniture.

Questions:

a. will + subject + be + verb-ing
b. be + subject + be + verb-ing

• Will you be using the computer when I get home from school?
• Are you going to be using the computer when I get home from school?

Future Perfect

A. Meaning

The future perfect tense is used to describe an event that will be completed before another future event. It is to emphasize that it will be finished by a certain time in the future. The future perfect is often used with the time adverb by the time and adverbs already and yet, and only 'will', not 'be going to' is used for the perfect tense.

For example:

a. By the time we get married, we will have dated for 3 years.
(We started dating in 1999. We will get married in 2002. By 2002, we will have dated for 3 years.)
b. Monica and John are living in an apartment now. But they will have already bought a house by the time they have their first child.
(They don't have a child now, but they will in the future. By that time, they will have already bought a house. So the baby's first home will be their new house, not the apartment.)

B. Form

Affirmative Statements:

• will + have + past participle
  By the time you come home, I will have finished cooking dinner.
  

Negative Statements:

• will + not + have + past participle
  We will not have finished our project by December 2002.
  

Questions:

• will + subject + have + past participle

Will Sally have read 20 pages by 6 o'clock tonight?

Future Perfect Progressive

A. Meaning

The future perfect progressive tense is used to describe an action that will be in progress before another future event. It is to emphasize the duration of the action, i.e. how long by another time in the future. Like all other progressives, the future perfect progressive indicates that the action will not be finished at that time. This tense is not commonly used.

1. By the time my daughter graduates from college, I will have been working at this company for 25 years.
(My daughter will graduate in the future. At that time, I will have worked for 25 years and I will continue to work.)
2. A: When did Theresa start acting in movies?
B: Let's see. She will have been acting for exactly one year next month, so she started in March of last year.

B. Form

Affirmative Statements:

• will have been + verb-ing
  By 2003, Dr. Garcia will have been doing research on cancer for 50 years.
  

Negative Statements (very rarely used):

• will not have been + verb-ing
  Brian has quit smoking. By the time he sees his doctor, he will not have been smoking for a whole month!
  

Questions:

• will + subject + have been +verb-ing
  Will Jerry have been running for 4 hours by the time he crosses Golden Gate Bridge?

Lecture Notes: Perfect and Perfect Progressive Tenses

Lecture Notes: Perfect and Perfect Progressive Tenses


Present Perfect

A. Meaning

1. The present perfect tense is used to describe an event that happened some time before the present time. The exact time of the event is unknown or unimportant. But the important thing to remember is that the original time of orientation of the discourse is the present; in other words, you use the present perfect tense when you begin talking about present events but need to go backwards in time to talk about a past event. The past event is somehow related to the present time.

For example:

I want to go shopping because I have not bought any clothes in a long time.

"want" is in the present tense, which means I want to go shopping now. The time of orientation of the first verb is the present. But the speaker has to go back from the present time to the past to express what has or has not happened. "I have not bought any clothes" means that the speaker has not bought clothes since some time in the past until now.

If the time of orientation of the discourse is in the past, you can not use the present perfect tense.

For example:

wrong a. Margie graduated from high school. Then she has entered a very good college.
right b.Margie graduated from high school. Then she entered a very good college.
right c. Margie is smart. She has entered a very good college.

Sentence (a) is wrong because the first sentence begins in the past. She graduated from high school first. Then she entered college, still a past event. So the next sentence should be in the past as well, as in sentence (b). Sentence (c) is correct because the first sentence begins in the present, "is", which is a present condition. Then we have to go back into the past to explain why she is smart now. She is smart because she has entered, some time in the past, a very good college. Her entering a college in the past is related to her present condition.

Some common adverbs used with the present perfect tense are ever, never, already, yet, still, just.

2. The present perfect is also used to describe an event that has occurred repeatedly before now. Again, the original time of orientation must be in the present. In other words, use the present perfect tense to describe how many times something has occurred so far.

For example:

a. Sally loves the movie Gladiator. She has seen it five times.

b. Mr. Johnson has graded 50 tests so far, and he is still not finished.

Notice that the verb "loves" in sentence (a) is in the present tense. It is a present condition. But when and how many times did she see the movie? Some time in the past, many times before now. So the verb in the second sentence must be in the present perfect, "has seen". Sentence (b) is also expressing a present situation; Mr. Johnson started grading tests some time in the past, but right now he is not finished, which is a present condition.

B. Form:

• Affirmative Statements: has/have + past participle

1. Julie has been a dancer for three years
2. The politicians have voted on the campaign finance reform.

• Negative Statements: has/have + not + past participle

1. Julie has not danced in three years.


2. The politicians have not voted on the campaign finance reform.

• Questions: has/have + subject + past participle

1. How long has Julie been a dancer?


2. Have the politicians voted on the campaign finance reform?

Present Perfect Progressive

A. Meaning

The main difference between the present perfect and the present perfect progressive is that the progressive tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that began in the past and is continuing in the present. The event is still happening in the present time. The present perfect progressive tense occurs often with for, since, all morning, all day, all week, etc.

1. Tim has been studying for a test since last week. He will do very well on it. (He started studying last week and is still studying because the test is some time in the future.)
2. I have been running errands all day long. (I started running errands in the morning and I'm not done yet.)
3. My sister has been making her own clothes for many years now. (She started making her own clothes a long time ago and is still making them.)

Note:

You cannot put stative verbs in the present perfect progressive tense. They can only be in the present perfect tense.

wrong: I have been knowing John for seven years.

right: I have known John for seven years.

wrong:George has been having his car since 1998.

right: George has had his car since 1998.

Some common words and expressions used with the present perfect progressive tense are recently, lately, these days, which indicate that the action started a short time ago and has continued to the present time. It implies that the action or event is fairly new or recent.

1. 
   My teacher has been giving us a lot of homework lately. (He didn't use to give us a lot of homework. But a few days ago, he started to give us a lot more.)
2. Kelly has been dating. We're very happy for her. (She started dating not too long ago. This is her new boyfriend.)
   

B. Form

• 
  Affirmative statements: has/have + been + verb-ing

1. Mr. Davis has been teaching for twelve years.
2. We have been waiting for the bus since 5 o'clock.

• Negative Statements: has/have + not + been + verb-ing

1. Mr. Davis has not been teaching since 1995.
2. I have not been working since I got laid off last month.

• Questions: has/have + subject + been + verb-ing

1. Has Mr. Davis been teaching for a long time?
2. What have you been doing with your free time lately?
   

Past Perfect

A. Meaning

Just as the time of orientation for the present perfect tense is the present, the time of orientation for the past perfect tense is the past. The discourse begins at a certain time in the past, but when it needs to go back into the past even further, that is when the past perfect tense is used.

For example:
a. I failed the test because I hadn't studied enough for it.

b. When we saw Akiko last week, she had lost a lot of weight.

c. We arrived at the airport after the plane had already left.

In sentence (a) "failed" is in the past tense, indicating that the event took place in the past. But when did the speaker study for the test? Before the test took place. So the discourse moved further into the past, which requires the past perfect tense. In sentence (b), Akiko had lost weight before we saw her. In sentence (c), the verb in the first part of the sentence, "arrived" establishes the time of orientation as the past. But the second verb "had left" indicates that the plane left before they arrived. It took place before a past event. So were they able to get on the plane? No, they weren't.

Some subordinators that may require the past perfect tense in the independent clause are when, after, before, by the time.

wrong: By the time he had been five years old, he learned to read.

right: By the time he was five years old, he had learned to read.

right: He had learned to read by the time he was five years old.

wrong: When I had come home, my family already ate dinner.

right: When I came home, my family had already eaten dinner.

right: My family had already eaten dinner when I came home.

But look at the sentences below:

d. When we arrived at the airport, the plane left.

e. When Bruce went to Africa, he lost a lot of weight.

In sentence (d), both the verb in the dependent clause, "arrived", and the verb in the independent clause, "left", are in the simple past tense. It means they arrived at the airport first. Then the plane took off. Did they get on the plane? They probably did. In sentence (e), Bruce first went to Africa, then he lost a lot of weight.

Note:

If the past events are listed in succession, or in sequence, then the past perfect tense is not used. This is often the case when adverbial conjunctions of sequence, first, second, then, next, finally, etc., are used.

wrong: The plane had already left. Then we arrived at the airport.

right: The plane left. Then we arrived at the airport.

wrong: First, we had graduated from high school. Next, we went to college.

right: First, we graduated from high school. Next, we went to college.

B. Form

• 
  Affirmative Statements: had + past participle

1. By the time I graduated from college, I had already found a job.

• Negative Statements: had + not + past participle

1. When Walter graduated from college, he had not found a job yet.

• Questions: had + subject + participle

1. Had Walter found a job by the time he graduated from college?
2. What had Mae done before she came to the U.S.?
   

Past Perfect Progressive

A. Meaning

The rules for the past perfect progressive are the same as those for the present perfect progressive, except that the time of orientation is the past. The past perfect progressive is used to describe an event that was in progress at another moment in the past or that had completed just before another event in the past.

For example:

1. We had been sleeping for two hours when you called us. (We went to bed two hours before you called us. We were still sleeping when you called.)
2. When I saw my cousin last month, he looked really good. He had been exercising regularly. (He started exercising several months ago. He was still exercising regularly when I saw him. )

B. Form

• Affirmative Statements: had + been + verb-ing

1. Benjamin had been waiting for 30 minutes by the time we got to the restaurant.
   

• Negative Statements: had + not + been + verb-ing

1. Benjamin had not been waiting long by the time we got to the restaurant.
   

• Questions: had + subject + been + verb-ing

1. How long had Benjamin been waiting by the time we got to the restaurant?