GRAMMAR: Future Time Clauses (1)

FUTURE TIME CLAUSES IN ENGLISH

Contrast with French
Read the French sentence and its English translation:
Quand elle ira Qubec la semaine prochaine, elle visitera Pierre.
When she goes to Quebec City next week, she will visit Pierre.
Notice that the verb ALLER is in the simple future in the French version of the
sentence, whereas the verb GO is in the simple present in the English version of
the sentence.
The sequence of words: "When she goes to Quebec City next week" is called a
future time clause. Time clauses function as adverbs that indicate WHEN the
action of the main clause occurs. "When she goes to Quebec next week" indicates
WHEN "she will visit Pierre."

RULE:

In English, the verb in a FUTURE TIME CLAUSE must

be in the present.1

COMMON WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS USED TO INTRODUCE TIME CLAUSES

WHEN, BEFORE, AFTER, AS SOON AS, WHILE, BY THE TIME
Example Sentences with Future Time Clauses
(a) I will call you when I get into town.
(b) Before John watches television, he is going to do the dishes.
(c) After Susan has her breakfast this morning, she will drive to the market.
(d) We will have dinner as soon as he arrives home from work.
(e) While we watch TV tonight, we are going to eat popcorn.
(f) By the time the soccer game ends, I will be very tired.
DO NOT MAKE THE CLASSIC ERROR OF USING THE SIMPLE FUTURE
FORM OF A VERB IN A FUTURE TIME CLAUSE!
When she will go to Quebec City next week, she will visit Pierre.
(INCORRECT)
1

Sometimes, especially after AS SOON AS and BY THE TIME, it is possible to use the present perfect to give emphasis
to the anteriority of the action described in the future time clause: As soon as I have finished the dishes, we will leave. It
is also possible, especially after WHILE, to use the present progressive to give emphasis to the continuousness of the
action described in the future time clause: While we are staying in Florida, we are going to visit my cousin Freddie in
Orlando. Nevertheless, it is always possible to use the simple present in a future time clause.

_________________________________________________________________

WILLIAM L. MILNES Enseignement de langlais 2010

GRAMMAR: Future Time Clauses (2)

Complete the sentences by using the simple present or the simple future form of the
verbs in parentheses.1
(a) My aunt and uncle _____________________________ (buy) a cottage in the
Laurentians as soon as they _____________________________ (have) enough
money.
(b) There _____________________________ (be) a surprise birthday for John next
Saturday. When John ______________________ (open) the door to his apartment
and ______________________ (see) all of his friends standing there,
he _________________________ (be) really surprised.
(c) After David _____________________________ (finish) his degree, he and his
girlfriend ______________________________ (take) a trip to Europe.
(d) Before Ms. Davidson _______________________ (make) the decision next week,
she ___________________________ (consult) her advisor.
(e) There has been a lot of snow so far this winter. While the good skiing
conditions ____________________________ (last), Pierre Mercier and his
friends ________________________________ (go) to Tremblant as often as
possible.
(f) The hockey player _________________________ (go) out for dinner with his wife
when he __________________________ (arrive) back from the road trip.
(g) The criminals ______________________________ (try) to escape from the country
after they ___________________________ (rob) the bank.
(h) I ____________________ (begin) as soon as you ___________________ (give) me
the word.
(i) The teachers from Ontario ___________________________
they __________________________ (hear) the news.

(smile)

when

(j) After the government ________________________ (raise) taxes on cigarettes,

smuggling ___________________________ (start) up again.
(k) The Japanese students ___________________________ (go) back to Japan after
the course ______________________ (be) over.
(l) The children ___________________________ (be) very happy when
they ______________________ (learn) that we are going to have pizza for supper.
(m) He ______________________________ (sell) his shares in Microsoft as soon as
they ___________________________ (increase) in value.
(n) When the recession __________________________ (hit), his construction
company _____________________________ (have) a lot of difficulties.
1

In most of the sentences in this exercise, it is also possible to use the future with BE GOING TO in the main
clause.

_________________________________________________________________

WILLIAM L. MILNES Enseignement de langlais 2010

GRAMMAR: Future Time Clauses (3)

Complete the sentences by using the simple present or the simple future form of the
verbs in parentheses.1
(a) When Peter George ________________________ (go) to New York City next week,
he _________________________ (see) his sister Margaret in Brooklyn.
(b) He and Margaret have already bought tickets for a play on Broadway. But before
they ______________ (go) to the play, they ________________________ (have)
dinner in a little restaurant in Greenwich Village.
(c) As soon as my daughter ______________________ (finish) her homework
assignment, she ___________________________ (phone) her boyfriend John.
They ________________________________ (see) a movie tonight.
(d) Peter and Susan have been saving up their money for two years. As soon as
they __________________ (have) $25,000, they _____________________ (invest)
on the stock market.
(e) By the time Jonathan _____________________________ (finish) the report on the
Ontario market, he ______________________________ (be) completely exhausted.
He has been working on it day and night for two weeks. He says that
he ________________ probably ____________________ (finish) it next Tuesday.
(f) After the game ______________________ (be) over, the players from the two
teams __________________________ (shake) hands.
(g) Steven Jennings _____________________________ (have) a terrible hangover
when he ______________________ (wake) up tomorrow morning. He has already
had eleven beers.
(h) While my girlfriend Debbie and I __________________________ (have) dinner
tonight, we ____________________________ (drink) a glass of red wine.
Debbie _________________________ (buy) a bottle of Bordeaux at the liquor store
while she ________________________ (be) at the mall this afternoon.
(i) The teacher from Toronto _____________________________ (sell) his Microsoft
shares before the market ________________________ (crash).
(j) When Charles Smith _________________________ (go) home tonight,
he ____________________________ (find) a letter from the bank in his mailbox.
(k) I think that the sky is clearing. As soon as the rain ______________________ (stop),
we _____________________ (walk) to the market. While we _______________ (be)
there, we ___________________________ (verify) the price of the salmon filets.
(l) I ______________________ (make) the coffee. After we _________________ (eat)
breakfast, I ____________________________________ (phone) Mary Higgins.
She _______________________________ (drive) the children to the daycare.
1

In most of the sentences in this exercise, it is also possible to use the future with BE GOING TO in the main
clause.

_________________________________________________________________

WILLIAM L. MILNES Enseignement de langlais 2010

GRAMMAR: Future Time Clauses (4)

Write ten sentences with future time clauses that begin with WHEN.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
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6. ___________________________________________________________________
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7. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
8. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
10. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

WILLIAM L. MILNES Enseignement de langlais 2010

GRAMMAR: Future Time Clauses (5)

Write ten sentences with future time clauses that begin with BEFORE, AFTER, AS
SOON AS, or WHILE.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
8. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
10. ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

WILLIAM L. MILNES Enseignement de langlais 2010