1. Review: the future perfect tense
The future perfect tense is used for:
- actions that have not happened yet, but will have been finished by a time in the future.
- saying how long an action will have been happening by a future time.
The future perfect tense uses the structure:
- subject + will + have + perfect participle (p.p.) + future time or
- subject + (be) going to + have + p.p. + future time
*Perfect participle (p.p.) = gone, done, seen, eaten etc.
| Subject | Will / (be) going to | Have p.p. | P.p. | Future time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| every child in the country | will | have | taken | this time tomorrow | Every child in the country will have taken the exam by this time tomorrow. |
| the package | will | have | arrived | the time they get home | The package will have arrived by the time they get home. |
| George | is going to | have | finished | 9pm | George is going to have finished work by 9pm. |
| Marcel | will | have | cooked | when I get home | Hopefully, when I get home, Marcel will have cooked dinner. |
If using the future perfect tense to say how long an action will have been happening at a future time, add a duration phrase.
| Future perfect | Duration phrase | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Andre will have worked | for 10 years | Andre will have worked at this company for 10 years this time next week. |
| I am going to have been | for three months | I am going to have been a waiter for three months tomorrow. |
| Kenny will have been there | for two hours | We need to hurry. At this rate, by the time we reach the restaurant Kenny will already have been there for two hours. |
| Atticus Jones will have served as Prime Minister | longer than anyone in history | Atticus Jones will have served as Prime Minister longer than anyone in history by the time the next election takes place. |
*Note: The time phrase can be placed at the start or at the end
| Time phrase at end | Time phrase at start |
|---|---|
| Every child in the country will have taken the exam by this time tomorrow. | By this time tomorrow every child in the country will have taken the exam . |
2. What is the passive voice?
The passive voice changes ‘x did something to y’ into ‘y has something done to it (by x)’.
It is made by:
- object + be + perfect participle (+ by subject)
*Perfect participle (p.p.) = gone, done, seen, eaten etc.
‘Be’ changes depending on the tense you want to use (present, past, future, perfect, etc.).
3. The future perfect tense (passive voice)
The future perfect passive uses the structure:
- object + will + have + been + p.p. (+ by subject) + future time or
- object + (be) going to + have + p.p. (+ by subject) + future time
| Object | Future perfect passive (Will / (be) going to + have + been + p.p.) | (By subject) | Future time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | will have been told | by the managers | before the day is finished | You all will have been told by the managers who is getting fired before the day is finished. |
| JaMycal’s name | will have been read | before we get to the ceremony | If we don’t hurry up, JaMycal’s name will have been read before we get to the ceremony. | |
| Jill | will have been interviewed | by the police | by the end of the afternoon | Jill will have been interviewed by the police for six hours by the end of the afternoon. |
| I | am going to have been fired | by the end of the week | I think I am going to have been fired by the end of the week. |
*Again, if wanting to describe how long an action will have happened, add a duration phrase.
| Future perfect passive | Duration phrase | Future time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| the boys will have been made to run | for at least half an hour | by the time the training session is finished | Fitness is important at this club: by the time the training session is finished, the boys will have been made to run for at least half an hour. |
| the building will have been closed | for a month | by the time the new owner takes over | The building will have been closed for a month by the time the new owner takes over, so more repairs will be needed. |
4. Converting a future perfect into its passive voice
To change a future perfect tense into its passive voice:
1. swap the subject and object
2. change ‘will have + p.p.’ to ‘will have been + p.p.’
| Future perfect tense | Future perfect tense (passive) |
|---|---|
| She will have bought the house by Thursday afternoon. | The house will have been bought by Thursday afternoon. |
| By this time next week they will have finished the road. | By this time next week, the road will have been finished. |
| By the end of the year the company is going to have made its first $1m. | By the end of the year, the first $1m is going to have been made by the company. |
5. Exercises
1. Change these sentences into the passive voice:
(i) The painter is going to have finished his painting by this evening.
(ii) We expect the astronauts to have fixed the problem by 16 00 hours.
(iii) The newspapers say a shipping magnate will have bought the team by the end of the week.
2. Change these sentences out of the passive voice:
(i) All the furniture is going to have been moved by the weekend.
(ii) If they work all day, the job will be finished by this evening.
(iii) At the current rate, $4 billion will have been spent on this project come October.