Lesson Topic: Writing New Year's Resolutions Using the Future Perfect
By That Time, I Will Have Gone There
Lesson Topic: Writing New Year's Resolutions Using the Future Perfect
To begin the new year, we thought we would begin by giving you ideas on how to write successful New Year's resolutions. A New Year's resolution is a goal you set for yourself that you want to accomplish during the upcoming year.
The grammar often used to set New Year's resolutions is the future perfect.
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The future perfect is used to express an activity that will be done and finished before another time or event in the future. For example,
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Here's a timeline to help you easily understand it.
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When I talk to you in June (the second event), I will have gone to California (the future event that will be completed BEFORE I talk to you).
So, how do we form the future perfect? We suggest that when you are learning to make the future perfect, first think of 2 future events that will not happen at the same time. Using the following 2 events, let's make a timeline as we did above. For example, let's say our 2 future events are
- at 4:00, I will see the doctor.
- at 6:00, I will come home.
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A common phrase used with the future perfect is by the time. By the time means before. By the time is attached to the LATER (SECOND) event. Therefore, we write
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Notice that we removed the word will.
Now we put the FIRST event in the future perfect by adding have/has and by using the past participle form of the verb.
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Finally, combine these two events.
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You may also switch these two ideas (clauses) as follows:
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You may also use the word before instead of the phrase by the time:
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Quiz
Directions: For each situation there are 2 future events. Combine the 2 future events by using the future perfect. Use before or by the time. The first 5 are new year's resolutions. There may be more than one answer.
1. First event: I will stop smoking.
Second event: Spring will arrive.
2. First event: I will lose 25 pounds.
Second event: I will see you in the summer.
3. First event: I will learn to cook.
Second event: I will make my family a gourmet meal.
4. First event: I will apply to college.
Second event: July will come.
5. First event: I will write a new résumé on MyEnglishTeacher.net.
Second event: The end of January will come.
6. First event: She will finish her Ph.D. thesis.
Second event: Julie will graduate from Oxford University in May.
7. First event: The doctor will return.
Second event: Noon will arrive.
8. First event: We will fix your car.
Second event: You will come back.
9. First event: Her pictures will be developed.
Second event: Miok will finish lunch.
10. First event: Pigs will fly.
Second event: Richard will do his homework.
1. First event: I will stop smoking. Second event: Spring will arrive. Answers: By the time spring arrives, I will have stopped smoking. By spring, I will have stopped smoking. 2. First event: I will lose 25 pounds. Second event: I will see you in the summer. Answers: By the time I see you in the summer, I will have lost 25 pounds. By summer, I will have lost 25 pounds. 3. First event: I will learn to cook. Second event: I will make my family a gourmet meal. Answer: By the time I make my family a gourmet meal, I will have learned to cook. 4. First event: I will apply to college. Second event: July will come. Answers: By the time July comes, I will have applied to college. By July, I will have applied to college. 5. First event: I will write a new résumé on MyEnglishTeacher.net. Second event: The end of January will come. Answers: By the time the end of January comes, I will have written my résumé on MyEnglishTeacher.net. By the end of July, I will have written my résumé on MyEnglishTeacher.net. 6. First event: She will finish her Ph.D. thesis. Second event: Julie will graduate from Oxford University in May. Answers: By the time Julie graduates from Oxford University in May, she will have finished her Ph.D. thesis. By graduation in May, Julie will have finished her Ph.D. thesis. 7. First event: The doctor will return. Second event: Noon will arrive. Answers: By the time noon arrives, the doctor will have returned. By noon, the doctor will have returned. 8. First event: We will fix your car. Second event: You will come back. Answer: By the time you come back, we will have fixed your car. 9. First event: Her pictures will be developed. Second event: Miok will finish lunch. Answer: By the time Miok finishes her lunch, her pictures will have been developed. 10. First event: Pigs will learn to fly. Second event: Richard will do his homework. Answers: By the time Richard does his homework, pigs will have learned to fly. **This is a joke. Pigs will never learn to fly. Therefore, the meaning is a joke to say that Richard will never do his homework. |
Rules to Remember! |
1 | The word perfect in English grammar means past or finished. Therefore, the future perfect indicates something in the future will be finished BEFORE another event. |
2 | When using the future perfect with 2 future events, the first event uses the future perfect grammar (have/has + past participle); the second event often has the phrase by the time which means before. |
3 | For a list of irregular past participles, click here. |
4 | For more lessons on perfect tenses, see our previous lessons: |