What is future perfect tense?

Definition
	Future perfect tense is an absolute-relative tense that refers to a time located before a contextually determined temporal reference point that must be located in the future relative to the moment of utterance.

Example (English)
	By that time, he will have returned.

Generic
	Future perfect tense is a kind of
	What is absolute-relative tense?

Sources
	Comrie 1985b 69–71
	Mish 1991 501

Context for this page:

Concept module: future perfect tense
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): F
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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