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He will surely walk on the moon. And that he (makes/will make) his footprint on the moon's surface will move many people.

I made this sentence up.

Which tense must I use, and why? Is the present tense that refers to the future and is of noun clauses that are a subject possible? I would appreciate many opinions.

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  • I don't understand the sentence "Is the present tense . . ." What are you asking? And I don't know what you are trying to say in your 'sentence'. How you are using "that he"? Do you mean 'if he' or 'when he' or 'the fact that he'? You could say, "And many people will be moved if/when he leaves his (or 'makes a') footprint on the/its surface." You don't need to repeat 'the moon'. You could just say, "And leaving his footprint will move many people." / "And by making/leaving his footprint (there) he will move many people". / "And his making/leaving a footprint (there) will move many people." Aug 21, 2020 at 4:24

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I wouldn't start from here.

The problem is that the sentence needs to be completely reworked to make sense. As it stands it doesn't matter what tense you use.

I think the best way to phrase this is with the passive voice:

He will surely walk on the moon, and when he does many people will be moved.

There are lot and lots of alternatives

Many people will surely be moved when they see the footprints that he will surely leave on the moon.

In your original structure "And that he makes..." is correct grammar.

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  • For the original structure (the that-clause as a subject) I think I prefer "That he will have made" or "That he has made". But I agree with you. The original wording is very awkward. "When ..." is much better.
    – rjpond
    Aug 22, 2020 at 20:27

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