Business English for Success

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Look at the following basic formula for the future perfect tense:

Subject + will have + past participle

I will have graduated

The future perfect tense describes an action from the past in the future, as if the past
event has already occurred. Use the future perfect tense when you anticipate completing
an event in the future, but you have not completed it yet.

• You will have forgotten me after you move to London.

Notice that both actions occur in the future, but one action will occur before the

other. At some time in the future, the subject (you) will move (future tense) to

London, and at some time after that, the subject will have forgotten (future

perfect tense) the speaker, me.

Exercise 4

On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following sentences by using the correct
perfect verb tense for the verb in parentheses.

1. I plan to start a compost bin because I ____ (to want) one for a long time now.


2. My brother told me he ____ (to argue) with his friend about politics.


3. By the time we reach the mountain top the sun ____ (to set).


4. Denise ____ (to walk) several miles in the past three hours.


5. His mother ____ (to offer) to pay him to work in her office.