First Published: 9th of January, 2020 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: January 9, 2021 at 15:22 pmA future time clause introduces a future idea, but it can also come after the independent clause. Here is an example: When I get home, I’ll watch TV. (Comes before independent clause).
I’ll watch TV when I get home. (Comes after independent clause).
The dependent clause, “when I get home,” is an example of a future time clause. A future time clause begins with a conjunction of time, examples: when, before, after. Like all clauses, a future time clause consists of a subject and a verb.
A future time clause refers to an event in the future, but it always use the present tense form of the verb. Here is another example.
When I get to school tomorrow, I’ll talk to the teacher about your issue.
The verb in the future time clause above is “get.” That is, it’s present tense. But the verb in the independent clause is in the future tense: I’ll talk to the teacher. The future time clause is a dependent clause. It cannot make a complete thought on its own. It depends on the independent clause of the sentence to complete its meaning. However, the future time clause may come at the first or last part of the sentence. Let’s reverse the clauses in the example above.
I’ll talk to the teacher about your issue when I get to school tomorrow.
