The English language is renowned for its 16 different tenses, each serving a specific purpose in conveying the time and action. One of them is the past future perfect tense. This tense is not only fascinating but also incredibly useful in communication. In this unit, we’ll discuss the past future perfect tense, exploring its definition, usage, and function, and also providing practical examples to help you master this tense.

 

1. Understanding the Past Future Perfect Tense

 

The past future perfect tense describes actions that were anticipated to be completed at a certain point in the past, from the perspective of a past moment. It blends the concept of the future perfect tense (will have + past participle) with the past perspective (would have + past participle).

 

2. Formation of The Past Future Perfect Tense

To form the past future perfect tense, we can use the following pattern:

 

Subject + would have + past participle of the verb

 

For instance:

She said she would have finished the report by 5 PM yesterday.

 

Here, “would have finished” indicates that, at a certain past moment, the action of finishing the report was expected to be completed by a specific future point (which is now also in the past).

 

3. Usage and Functions of the Past Future Perfect Tense

 

The past future perfect tense serves several important functions:

 

3.1. Expressing Past Expectations | Past Future Perfect

 

   It reflects what someone in the past believed would happen in the future.

   Examples: 

 

1. By the time he arrived, he thought he would have completed the project.
2. He believed he would have completed his degree by the age of 25.
3. She thought they would have solved the problem before the meeting started.
4. They expected the construction would have been finished by last summer.
5. I assumed we would have reached the destination by midnight.
6. He predicted the team would have won the championship by the end of the season.
7. I should have told her that I loved her, so she would not have left me.

 

3.2 Indicating Hypothetical Outcomes | Past Future Perfect

 

   This tense is often used in third conditional sentences to discuss potential outcomes that did not  happen.

 

 Example:

 

1. If she had left earlier, she would have avoided the traffic.
2. If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.
3. If they had left earlier, they would have avoided the traffic jam.
4. If he had taken the job offer, he would have been promoted by now.
5. If we had booked the tickets in advance, we would have gotten better seats.
6. If you had told me about the event, I would have attended.

 

3.3 Demonstrating Retrospective Assumptions | Past Future Perfect

 

It shows assumptions or predictions made about the past from another past perspective.

 

Example:

 

1. They assumed they would have found a solution by then.
2. She assumed they would have completed the project by the time she returned from her trip.
3. He thought that by now, the company would have launched the new product.
4. They believed the weather would have improved by the time their vacation started.
5. We presumed the guests would have arrived by 8 PM.
6. She expected that he would have received her letter before the meeting.

 

Expressing Reported Speech | Past Future Perfect

 

This tense is often used to express reported speech in the future perfect tense (will have + past participle).

 

Examples:

 

1. Direct speech: “I will have finished the report by noon.”

           She said she would have finished the report by noon.

 

2. Direct speech: “They will have completed the renovations by next month.”

          He mentioned they would have completed the renovations by next month.

 

3. Direct speech: “We will have solved the issue before the meeting.”

           They noted they would have solved the issue before the meeting.

 

4. Direct speech: “You will have received your package by Friday.”

           She assured me I would have received my package by Friday.

 

5. Direct speech: “The committee will have reviewed all applications by the end of the week.”

   Reported speech: He explained that the committee would have reviewed all applications by the end of the week.

 

6. Direct speech: “I will have cleaned the house before you get back.”

   Reported speech: She promised she would have cleaned the house before I got back.

 

Exercises

 

Exercise 1

 

Complete the sentences using the past future perfect tense of the verbs in parentheses.

 

1. By the time the meeting ended, she thought she __________ (finish) her presentation.
2. He said that by the end of the month, he __________ (complete) the assignment.
3. If they had planned better, they __________ (arrive) on time.
4. By the time the concert started, they thought they __________ (find) their seats.
5. She believed that by the end of the year, she __________ (save) enough money for a new car.
6. If he had taken the earlier train, he __________ (reach) the office before the meeting started.
7. He mentioned that by now, the team __________ (finish) the project.
8. She assumed that by their anniversary, they __________ (move) into their new house.
9. If we had followed the original plan, we __________ (complete) the construction by summer.
10. He thought that by the time he graduated, he __________ (secure) a job offer.

Exercise 2

 

Rewrite the following sentences in reported speech using the past future perfect tense.

 

1. “I will have completed the report by noon,” she said.
2. “They will have left by the time you arrive,” he mentioned.
3. “We will have finished our work before the deadline,” they noted.
4. “We will have finished the project by Friday,” he said.
5. “She will have booked the tickets by tomorrow,” he mentioned.
6. “They will have launched the new product by the end of the quarter,” she noted.
7. “I will have prepared the presentation by the meeting time,” he assured.
8. “We will have resolved the issue before the deadline,” they claimed.
9. “You will have received the documents by next week,” she promised.
10. “The team will have reached their goal by the end of the month,” he expected.

 

Exercise 3

 

Create sentences using the past future perfect tense based on the prompts given.

 

1. (expectation) / finish / report / by / end of the day
2. (assumption) / complete / task / before / deadline
3. (hypothetical) / pass / exam / if / study / harder
4. (prediction) / reach / destination / before / sunset
5. (hope) / receive / feedback / by / next week
6. (plan) / complete / project / within / allocated time

 

Answers

 

Exercise 1

 

1. would have finished
2. would have completed
3. would have arrived
4. would have found
5. would have saved
6. would have reached
7. would have finished
8. would have moved
9. would have completed
10. would have secured

Exercise 2

1. She said she would have completed the report by noon.
2. He mentioned they would have left by the time I arrived.
3. They noted they would have finished their work before the deadline.
4. He mentioned that she would have booked the tickets by the next day.
5. He said they would have finished the project by Friday.
6. She noted that they would have launched the new product by the end of the quarter.
7. He assured that he would have prepared the presentation by the meeting time.
8. They claimed that they would have resolved the issue before the deadline.
9. She promised that I would have received the documents by the next week.
10. He expected that the team would have reached their goal by the end of the month.

Exercise 3

1. She expected she would have finished the report by the end of the day.
2. He assumed they would have completed the task before the deadline.
3. She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.
4. She predicted they would have reached their destination before sunset.
5. She hoped she would have received feedback by next week.
6. They planned they would have wrapped up the project within the allocated time.

The past future perfect tense plays a crucial role in expressing past expectations, hypothetical scenarios, and retrospective assumptions. By understanding its structure and function, you can enhance your ability to convey complex temporal relationships in English. Practice with the exercises provided, and you’ll find yourself more comfortable using this advanced tense, enriching both your spoken and written communication.

Mastering the past future perfect tense not only improves your grammatical accuracy but also allows for more precise and nuanced expressions, making your language use more sophisticated and engaging.