Tense Sequence
Comparing Near and Future Events
Near future vs. Far future
After certain adverbs, present tense verb forms replace the future tense.
| NEAR FUTURE | FAR FUTURE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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After I make tea, |
we will watch a movie on TV . |
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I will make some tea |
before we watch a movie on TV. |
||
Adverbs with Mixed Time Frames
| NEAR FUTURE - EVENT 1 | FAR FUTURE - EVENT 2 |
|---|---|
As soon as you get here, |
we'll leave. |
When you give me the keys, |
I'll be able to begin driving. |
| I'll have to take the drivers exam |
before I get my driver's license. |
After the examiner passes me, |
you will be proud of me |
| I won't be able to drive alone. |
until I have a license. (unless) |
| *I will have already reached age sixteen |
by the time I get my license. |
* a comma is used when a clause is changed to initial position
**(future perfect verb tense) Also see Adverbs of Mixed Times
Other Adverbs
after |
before |
when |
as soon as |
until |
by the time |
Word Order – commas
| INITIAL POSITION | MIDDLE POSITION |
|---|---|
USE COMMAS |
NO COMMAS |
As soon as you get here, we'll leave. |
We'll leave as soon as you get here. |
Before I drink coffee, my head hurts. |
My head hurts before I drink coffee. |
After I drink coffee, my headache stops. |
My headache stops after I drink coffee. |
When you give me the keys, I'll start driving. |
I'll start driving when you give me the keys. |
After / Afterwards
| FAR FUTURE - EVENT 2 | NEAR FUTURE - EVENT 1 |
|---|---|
We'll sit down and talk. |
after you arrive. |
| NEAR FUTURE - EVENT 1 | FAR FUTURE - EVENT 2 |
You will arrive |
Afterwards, we'll sit down and talk. |
You will arrive |
before we sit down and talk. |
Common Mistakes
| ERRORS | FIX |
|---|---|
*After I will make tea, we will watch a movie on TV . |
After I make tea, we'll watch a movie on TV. |
Practice
Travel
Enter the correct tense and subject-verb agreement.
- Type your answer in the box.
- Then, check your answer.
Practice
Sequence of Events
- Select the verb that best completes the sentence.
- An asterisk (*) indicates an incorrect answer.
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