Passive Voice In Future Tenses:

Understanding the passive voice in future tenses is essential for expressing actions where the focus is on the action or the receiver rather than the doer. This article explains how to form future passive constructions, provides examples, outlines common mistakes with corrections, and offers exercises to help you master these structures.

What Is Passive Voice In Future Tenses?

In future tenses, the passive voice shifts the focus of the sentence from the agent (doer) to the action or its recipient. To form the future passive, we combine the appropriate future auxiliary with the past participle of the main verb.

Forms Of Passive Voice In Future Tenses

1. Future Simple Passive

• Structure: Object + will be + Past Participle

• Example (Active): The team will complete the project.

• Example (Passive): The project will be completed (by the team).

2. Future Continuous Passive

• Structure: Object + will be being + Past Participle

• Example (Active): The workers will be repairing the road.

• Example (Passive): The road will be being repaired (by the workers).

  
  Note: The future continuous passive is rarely used because it can sound awkward and is often better rephrased.

3. Future Perfect Passive

• Structure: Object + will have been + Past Participle

• Example (Active): The company will have finished the report by Friday.

• Example (Passive): The report will have been finished (by the company) by Friday.

4. Future Perfect Continuous Passive

• This form is extremely rare and generally avoided in modern English. Instead, alternative phrasing is recommended when expressing continuous action in a future perfect context.

Common Mistakes:

❌ Mistake 1: Incorrect Auxiliary Form

• Incorrect: The project will be finished by the team tomorrow in contexts requiring future perfect.

• Correct: The project will have been finished by the team tomorrow.

• Explanation: Use "will have been" for actions that will be completed before a future time.

❌ Mistake 2: Omitting the Past Participle

• Incorrect: A new system will be install next month.

• Correct: A new system will be installed next month.

• Explanation: Always use the past participle form after the auxiliary "will be".

❌ Mistake 3: Using Passive Where Active Is Preferable

• Incorrect: The report will be written by him.

• Better: He will write the report.

• Explanation: While the passive is grammatically correct, use the active voice when the doer of the action is important for clarity.

❌ Mistake 4: Overusing Future Continuous Passive

• Incorrect: The room will be being cleaned by the staff this afternoon.

• Alternative: The staff will clean the room this afternoon.

• Explanation: The future continuous passive can be cumbersome; consider rephrasing for clarity.

Exercises:

Exercise 1: Convert Active to Passive (Future Simple)

1. The team will launch the new product.

2. The director will release the film next month.

3. The company will hire new employees soon.

4. They will finish the construction by December.

Exercise 2: Convert Active to Passive (Future Perfect)

1. The engineers will complete the design by next week.

2. She will have solved the problem by the time you arrive.

3. The researchers will have published the study before the conference.

4. We will have reached our destination by midnight.

Exercise 3: Identify and Correct Mistakes

1. The plan will be complete by tomorrow. → Correct it if necessary: __________

2. A new policy will have been introduce by the management next year. → Correct it: __________

3. The meeting will be being held by the board at 10 AM. → Correct it if needed, or rephrase: __________

4. The book will be write by the author soon. → Correct it: __________

Exercise 4: Rewrite Sentences Using Passive Voice In Future Tenses

1. The chefs will prepare a special dinner tonight.

2. The athletes will complete the marathon by 4 PM.

3. The company will announce the new policy next week.

4. The technician will repair the system by tomorrow.