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Lcchang

#369304 Wed, 23 May 07 12:58 PM

Mr. Harrington ______ for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finished the report.

A) has worked
B) has been working
C) will work
D) will have been working

I think none of the answers is right. The right answer should be "had worked". Do you think so? Please advise.

LCChang

Lcchang

Joined on Mon, Feb 27 2006

Northern Taiwan

Contributing Member (1,021)

Life will never end.

Mister Micawber

#369309 Wed, 23 May 07 01:08 PM

I agree. Or 'had been working'.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,610)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Yoong Liat

#369423 Wed, 23 May 07 05:54 PM

Mister Micawber wrote:

I agree. Or 'had been working'.

Hi Mister Micawber

Mr. Harrington had been working for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finished the report.

Mr. Harrington had worked for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finished the report.

Is there any difference in meaning?

Thanks in advance.

Yoong Liat

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Singapore

Veteran Member (6,092)

Yoong Liat

Trex

#369487 Wed, 23 May 07 08:38 PM

with some verbs like "work" and "live" there is no difference.

Trex

Joined on Sat, May 19 2007

Junior Member (54)

Verbs

Marius Hancu

#369497 Wed, 23 May 07 09:01 PM

I think D is correct. The time depends on the other verbs in the sentence, not on the will combination.

-----
Will have + past participle can express certainty or confidence about the past.

Dear Sir, You will recently have received a form ....
We can't go and see them now--they'll have gone to bed.

Swan, Practical English Usage, will: certainty
--------

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

Verbs

Mister Micawber

#369542 Wed, 23 May 07 11:58 PM

Can you find another good example with this combination of verb tenses, Marius? I admit that that sentence logic here needs a little convoluted thinking, but I cannot see it as reading other than:

Mr. Harrington will have been working for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finishes the report.

Future perfect references relative past in the future-- that is, a future point from another point farther in the future. 'Finished' puts both actions into the absolute past, since 'report completion' postdates 'work time'. The time does indeed depend on the other verb in the sentence. The only other possibility I see is Conditional: He would have been working...by the time he finished.

Mister Micawber

Verbs, Dates, Tenses, Conditionals

Marius Hancu

#369705 Thu, 24 May 07 10:25 AM

Future (perfect) is only one of the utilizations of this construct. We're not dealing with it here, IMO.

My reading of the original sentence is:

I'm certain/confident/assume that Mr. Harrington will have been working for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finished the report.

or, without using "will":

Mr. Harrington must have been working for 2 weeks by the time he eventually finished the report.

As to other examples about more or less confident asssumptions about the past, here's some from the BBC:

BBC NEWS | Europe | What Chirac's mood means for G8

Mr Chirac will have been en route from Singapore to Gleneagles when he learned that London beat Paris in the competition to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

BBC - History - The Human Face of War

Well, dearest, I know you will have been thinking a good deal about me today and wondering how I have faired. I thought about you all last evening and ...

Marius Hancu

Mister Micawber

#369723 Thu, 24 May 07 11:32 AM

Yes, I see-- thank you. Come to think of it, if I just use the form alone it seems perfectly normal: She will have received my gift last Tuesday.

Mister Micawber