Tenses - Future Perfect

Wife: Just think, by May we’ll have found a buyer for the house and we’ll have moved to Margate.

Husband. Yes. Just think.

Statement of Form

subject + will + have + past participle

What students need to know

It describes an action completed by - that is to say before - some specified time in the future:

“By the time I retire, I’ll have travelled the world.”

“In your dreams, son.”

What students struggle with

You won’t often here a student using this correctly in fluent speech. The concept is not that hard in itself, so let’s look at why:

It’s pretty tricky to pronounce: “I will have” is usually said /ɑ:ləv/, “Will he have” becomes  /wɪli:jəv/ and so on; and if students can’t say it, it makes it harder to remember and, at the risk of sounding obvious, that’s going to stop them – saying it. The point is, remembering and producing the correct form is often the sticking point.

It’s not the highest frequency piece of grammar and many students already struggling with such matters as plans, arrangements and predictions may not regard this as a learning priority.

Generative situation

World Problems Get students talking on the theme of the main problems facing the world – see if they can come up with a list. It might include things like, “global warming”, “terrorism” “banks” “cancer” “cyber-crime” “match-fixing”. Next, write “2050” on the board. Find out if students think these will still be a problem then. Try to elicit “We (or scientists) will have fixed global warming.” “Doctors will/won’t have cured cancer.” “FIFA will/won’t have stopped match-fixing.” (Note, it’s worth avoiding the passive form, “Cancer will have been cured” at the expense of some authenticity at this point.)

Fun practice

Pessimists and Optimists Get students in two groups. The pessimists make predictions about the grimmest possible vision of the future. “We won’t have cured cancer. They won’t have found a source of cheap fuel. We won’t have learnt to live together in peace.” The optimists are as positive as possible. Pairs are formed, one student from each group, and they discuss which of the various predictions are most likely to be true.