There is no point in asking John for a lift - he will have left by now.

[Nonverbis]

Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings.




This is from Appendix 4 (reference to unit 15 - future perfect, future perfect continuous).

Could you tell me why in this example future perfect is used?

It is a present time context: there is no point now. And ha has already left.

I would understand something like this:

There will be no point asking John for a lift - he will have left by that time.

But in the given example no future is presupposed at all.

 

[5jj]

There is no future, perfect or otherwise. The speaker is usng will to express present certainty that something has happened.

 

[Nonverbis]

Appendix:



The textbook:




Could you clarify: do you think that this appendix does not correspond to the unit?

 

[5jj]

The unit mentions the 'future perfect' for something that will be ended, completed, or achieved by a particular point in the future.

The example in the appendix, he fill have left by now, is an expression present certainty that something has happened by now.

 

[jutfrank]

do you think that this appendix does not correspond to the unit?

I do, yes.

 

[Tarheel]

@Nonverbis I would probably say:

He has probably left by now.

 

[5jj]

He has probably left by now.

That does not give so strong a sense of certainty as the original.

 

[Tarheel]

That does not give so strong a sense of certainty as the original.

"He will have left by now" is not something I would ever say.

 

[Rover_KE]

I might say ‘You won’t be able to ask John for a lift - he’ll have left by now’.

 

[emsr2d2]

"He will have left by now" is not something I would ever say.

It's common in BrE, with the contracted "He'll", at least.

 

[Tarheel]

It's common in BrE, with the contracted "He'll", at least.

It's common in response to what?

Abe: Do you you think I can get a ride from John?
Bob: I'm afraid not. He's already left.

Abe: Do you think I can get a ride from John?
Bob: Why are you are asking me. Why don't you ask John?

Abe: Do you think I can get a ride from John?
Bob: He's probably left already.

It seems that Abe knows John, but instead of talking to John he's talking to somebody else, which is odd. Or maybe he doesn't know John, but he hopes to get a ride from him anyway, which is odd.

In these days when everybody has a cellphone, it seems odd to me that you can't talk to the person you want to talk to.

Suppose I had arranged with John ahead of time to give me a ride home. I'm ready to go home, but I don't see him anywhere. So I ask somebody where John is. Perhaps:

Abe: I'm looking for John. He's supposed to give me a ride home.
Bob: He had an emergency and had to leave early. I'll give you a ride home.
Abe:: OK.