How to Use the Passive Voice in the Future Perfect Tense to Score High in IELTS Test
Using the passive voice in the future perfect tense in the IELTS speaking and writing tests can be a great way to showcase your advanced grasp of English grammar. The future perfect tense is used to describe actions that will have been completed at some point in the future. When used in the passive voice, the focus is on the action or the result of the action rather than the doer.
Understanding Passive Voice in Future Perfect Tense
The structure of a passive sentence in the future perfect tense is:
Subject + will have been + past participle of the verb
For example:
- Active: “The company will have completed the project by next month.”
- Passive: “The project will have been completed by the company by next month.”
When to Use Passive Voice in IELTS
- To Focus on the Completion of Future Actions: Use the passive voice when you want to emphasize the completion of an action in the future, rather than who will perform it.
- E.g., “By 2025, a new school will have been built in the community.”
- When the Doer is Unknown or Unimportant: If the person or entity performing the action is not important or is unknown, the passive voice is a good choice.
- E.g., “By the end of the decade, the new species will have been thoroughly researched.”
- To Describe Future Achievements or Milestones: It’s useful for discussing future achievements or milestones, especially in formal or academic contexts.
- E.g., “By next year, the manuscript will have been completed.”
- To Vary Sentence Structure: Using a variety of sentence structures, including the future perfect passive, can make your speech or writing more engaging and sophisticated.
- E.g., “We will finish our analysis tomorrow. By then, all data will have been processed.”
Tips for Using Passive Voice in IELTS
- Practice Regularly: Familiarize yourself with the structure and use it in various contexts to become comfortable with it.
- Balance Your Usage: While it’s important to demonstrate your ability to use complex structures, use them appropriately and ensure clarity in your communication.
- Contextual Learning: Learn and practice this structure in context. It’s easier to remember and use correctly when you understand how and when it’s typically used.
- Seek Feedback: Get feedback from a proficient English speaker or teacher, especially on whether you’re using this structure naturally.
- Listen and Read Actively: Pay attention to how native speakers and writers use the future perfect passive, particularly in academic and formal contexts.