Timeline for Will + Present Perfect constructions, application for past and future
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2013 at 1:08 | vote | accept | mosceo | ||
| Jun 29, 2013 at 15:39 | comment | added | BobRodes | The point is that whether or not the event happened in the past is irrelevant. As FumbleFingers says, the meaning is "we will discover at a point in the future that at that point in time an event is a past event." Your statement is equivalent to "[at some future point in time] We will find that they have neither been in a bed nor had a shower for a week." To simplify further: "He will have locked the car" is a more concise way of saying "We will find that he has locked the car." | |
| Jun 28, 2013 at 13:43 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | Realistically, no. Ordinarily I'd say there's no way to use "will" in respect of anything in the past. The only exception would be if, say, "they" are about to arrive at your home, and you already know/suspect that they haven't slept properly for a week. You could say to someone else "They will be tired" when what you really mean is "We will discover that they are tired". In such contexts, you might use future tense to refer to something which has already happened, but which isn't yet visible and known to everyone. | |
| Jun 28, 2013 at 1:43 | comment | added | mosceo | So none of the meanings of "will" makes the statement past? | |
| Jun 28, 2013 at 1:30 | history | answered | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |