The future static

The Future Static is a relatively rare tense both in fiction (3%) and in technical literature (5.3%).

It is used when the speaker who is mentally in the future represents a verbal process as relatively static. The process denoted by a verb in the Future Static can be concrete or abstract, its length ranging from several instants to practically infinite; continuous or repeated; isolated or simultaneous or sequent; exclusive or inclusive. It can be repre­sented with or without any emphasis laid on its limits.

The Future Static to Refer to Processes of Various Length: 1. "I'll wait a moment, if I may" (K. Mansfield); 2. "I'll stay for a few minutes" (D. Cusack); 3. "We'll sleep for three hours" (E. Hemingway); 4. "I'm going away for a few days." — "I'm sorry," Anthony said. "I'll miss you" (G. Gordon); 5. Day by day for several weeks the bit will goon turning and boring its way down (H. McKay); 6. "My God, doctor, did you ever stay in bed six months?" — "You won't be in bed all the time" (E. Hemingway); 7. "All the time that she is in prison I shall suffer all the pain that she suffers" (W. S. Maugham); 8. Until the U. S. bases are cleared out of Britain the shadow of nuclear war will hang over our country and the world (D. Worker); 9. From father to son our her­itage has come down, and from father to son it shall continue (G. K. Ches­terton); 10. Oil is the name given to the many substances of this kind: "slippery" liquids that will burn (H. McKay).

The Future Static to Represent Verbal Processes with Their Limits Emphasized. In about 54% of its uses the Future Static represents ver­bal processes with emphasis laid on their limits. For example:

1. "Wait. I'll ask Mrs. Sheridan" (K. Mansfield); 2. "Charlie, if you desert me I shall die" (W. S. Maugham); 3. "They'll kill him" (E. Heming­way);¹ 4. "We'll leave you here" (J. Braine); 5. "I'll take your hide off you" (Th. Wolfe); 6. "I'll wash the dishes myself" (A. Cronin).

The Future Static to Refer to Abstract Prbcesses Represented as a Re­latively Static Feature or Relationship (Model II): 1. "You'll adore her. She's really rare" (D. Parker); 2. "You'll never amount to anything as long as you live" (Th. Wolfe); 3. Girls will be girls (P. Wodehouse); 4. "I'll call regularly" (E. Hemingway); 5. Diamonds are the hardest of all materials, and a bit with diamonds will cut through anything (H. McKay); 6. Beasts of the field and forest will die amidst apparent plenty if they are deprived of certain simple and apparently unimport­ant substances (A. Cronin); 7. "The U-boat is fully streamlined. It will do 16 knots submurged, has six bow tubes and carries twelve space torpedoes (G. Jenkins); 8. "They call him Dagwood because he's al­ways hungry, and he'll eat absolutely anything" (N. Davis); 9. "Oh, I've seen the most marvelous material to make curtains for the living room." — "Will it go with the yellow carpet?" (K. Waterhouse); 10 ."You have even burnt yourself as Andre did, but hisburnwill lastfor a life time" (D. du Maurier); 11. Women are perhaps better trained; they think it ill-mannered not to show interest.They will listen while you tell them idiotic stories about servants. They will listen to your reports of the inane sayings of infants. They will hear you through with­out a flicker of a yawn (R. Macaulay); 12. "I'll love you forever, my darling" (A. Maltz); 13. The signboard comes in sight. "New Hope. 10 miles" it will say (W. Faulkner); 14. "She talked as women will talk" (J. Conrad); 15. "Blood will tell" (J. Galsworthy); 16. Although the elemental constitution of petroleum is fairly uniform, the molecular constitution will vary within wide limits (L. Ch. Uren); 17. "I'll write to you every day while you're at the front" (E. Hemingway).

The Future Static to Refer to Concrete Processes Actual at the Mo­ment of Reference: 1. "I'll be all right in a minute", she panted (D. Cu­sack); 2. "We'll drink champaign tomorrow in Udine!" (E. Hemingway); 3. "It'll be quite safe, I assure you. Chilla Ryan will drive it" (D. Cu­sack); 4. "I shall expect you at eleven" (Ch. Dickens); 5. "You'll feel something terrible in the morning" (D. Parker); 6. "I'll remember the flowers next time" (J. Braine); 7. "Shall we stroll and talk as we go?"

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(J. Galsworthy); 8. "Get your business attended to and then return. I shall wait up for you" (O'Henry).

Sequent Verbal Processes (11% of the total uses): 1. "I'll go down and stand at the foot of the stairs" (Th. Dreiser); 2. "I'll walk you in to the hotel, borrow a torch and come back to her" (J. Galsworthy);

3. "I'll be under water about half an hour. Then I'll come upjfand put in a new film and go down for another ten minutes" (J. Aldridge);

4. "I'll run over and say hullo to her and then I'll roll in and try to get a bit of shut-eye" (D. Cusack); 5. "I'll go for a shave and come back and get you, and then we'll go out and look for some clothes for you" (Th. Dreiser); 6. "We'll change the oil in the cars, grease them, fill them up, then take them around in front and load up the junk" (E. Hemingway); 7. "On Monday you will arrive early at Farnham; You will conceal yourself near Charlington Heath; you will observe these facts for yourself and act as your own judgement advises. Then, having inquired as to the occupants of the Hall, you will come back to me and report" (A. C. Doyle); 8. Directly the weights smash against the sea bottom, the rod will be knocked through and will kick up the clockwork, and the cord will be rewound on the reel. I shall be lugged down to the sea bottom. There I shall stay for half an hour, with the electric light on, looking about me. Then the clockwork will release a spring knife, the cord will be cut and up I shall rush again, like a soda-water bubble" (H. G. Wells).

Simultaneous Verbal Processes (about 5%): 1. "And when you come back," he added, "I'll be ready" (Th. Hardy); 2. "Anthony will go to school for Coloureds. He will live the life of a Coloured man" (G. Gor­don); 3. "She'll know she's got to fight but won't feel that the odds are so great" (D. Cusack); 4. "She'll manage the part. She'll teach Joe a lot" (J. Braine); 5. "We won't fight or be nasty or anything" (D. Parker); 6. Hellhounds that they are, they will sit by and gloat at my agony until I am done to death" (Th. Wolfe).

Modifiers of Time Combined with the Future Static. The Future Static is combined with adverbial modifiers of time in about 32% of its uses: 29% with adverbs and acjyerbial phrases and 3% with time clauses.

Relative frequency of adverbs and adverbial phrases combined with the Future Static (in % of the total use of the tense with adverbs and adverbial phrases):

In half an hour, etc. (7.6); at nine, etc. (6.6); now (6); soon, etc., never (5); then (4.5); tomorrow, tomorrow night, etc. (4); by noon, by Saturday, etc. (3.6); tonight (2.8); for a few minutes, etc (2.5); next week, next time, etc. (2); all day, etc., always, ever (1.8); this evening, etc. (1.7); yet (1.5); after dinner, etc., in the morning, some day, etc., till ten o'clock, etc., today, when ...? (1.1); in future, on Sunday, etc. (.95); how long, later, etc., long, one day, etc. (.76); during every day, etc., just now, etc. (.57); from next (.2).

Some typical examples:

In Half an Hour, etc.: 1. "I'll meet you in half an hour" (E. Caldwell); 2. "I'll follow in a moment" (P. Wodehouse); 3. "You'll be sick of that in no time" (J. Galsworthy).

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At Nine, etc.: 1. "I'll call for you at nine" (K.Mansfield); 2. "I shall expect you at five on Monday" (W. S. Maugham); 3. "A car will take you there at daybreak" (M. Mitchell).

Now: 1. "Perhaps they will attack now" (E. Hemingway); 2. "I don't suppose I shall play much more golf now" (P. Wodehouse); 3. "Now I'll have to go out and buy some tea" (D. Parker).

Soon, Shortly, Presently, etc.: 1. "I will go soon" (W. Faulkner);

2. She glanced at her watch. "The taxi will be here shortly" (D. Cusack);

3. "Your keys, Joe. Front door, this room, wardrobe, bureau, and Heaven knows what these two are for, but I'll remember presently" (J. Braine);

4. "I will immediately get you a cabin" (H. James); 5. "We'll go home straightaway" (J. Braine).

Never: 1. "Ah! I shall never forgive you" (J. Conrad); 2. I shall never trust my judgement in men again" (J. London); 3. "If you like it, I'll never wear anything else" (J. Braine).

Then: 1. "You may come and see her after seven. She'll be off then" (E. Hemingway); 2. "Ask them what cocktails they want and then we'll dine" (W. S. Maugham); 3. "I'll wait a little and then I'll go" (E. Hem­ingway).

Tomorrow, Tomorrow Night, etc.: 1. "I shall call tomorrow" (G. Mer­edith); 2. "He'll go tomorrow morning" (E. Delafield); 3. "I'll see you tomorrow night" (D. Cusack).

By Noon, By Saturday, etc.: 1. "Three antiaircraft batteries will arrive by noon" (A. Maltz); 2. "I shall be back by Saturday" (M. Freeman); 3. "By tomorrow night you'll forget it" (I. Stone); 4. "I'll be with you at latest by ten" (G. Greene); 5. "By then it'll be too late" (F. Norris).

Tonight: 1. "I'll do double home-work tonight" (A. Cronin); 2. "We'll go to the show tonight" (Th. Dreiser); 3. "We'll stay at the inn tonight" (A. C. Doyle).

For a Few Minutes, etc.: 1. "I'll stay here for a few minutes" (D. Cu­sack); 2. "I shall love you forever" (D. Cusack); 3. "You'll be lame for life" (Th. Wolfe).

Next Week, etc.: 1. I shall have to go home next week" (Th. Dreiser); 2. «I '11 be twelve next month" (Th. Wolfe); 3. A Mayor will be on duty next Monday (D. Worker).

All Day, etc: 1. "I shall be gone all day" (F. Norris); 2. "I shall have to dance with him myself the whole evening" (E. Delafield); 3. "I'll remember this all life" (D. Parker).

Always, Ever: 1. "We'll always treat you fine in public" (S. Lewis); 2. "I won't ever do it again" (J. Braine); 3. "Will you ever think of your­self, Mary Brodie?" (A. Cronin).

This Evening, etc.: 1. "I'll come round this evening* (J. Galsworthy); 2. "Will you take me for a walk this afternoon?" (G. Greene); 3. "The flowers will be strong this coming year" (W. Faulkner).

Yet: 1. "I'll get out of this in some way yet" (Th. Dreiser); 2. "They will beat us all yet" (I. Shaw); 3. "But cheer up, Martin, my boy, you'll write yet" (J. London).

After Dinner, etc.: 1. "I hope you will come into the saloon after dinner" (K. Mansfield); 2. "She'll be all right after awhile "(E. Heming-

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way); 3. I often wonder if the world will be any better after this war

(G. Gordon).

In the Morning, In July, etc.: 1. "I'll come in themorning" (G. Greene); 2. "He'll be here in July" (J. Galsworthy); 3. In the spring the plum-tree will bend under her great load of fruit and blossoms (Th. Wolfe).

Some Day, etc.: 1. "What you probably need is a damn good spank­ing. Perhaps I'll give you one some day" (G. Gordon); 2. "Some day, perhaps, I shall come to life again" (J. Galsworthy); 3. "We'll talk about it some other time" (Th. Wolfe).

Till One O'clock, etc.: 1. "Nurse won't be back till one o'clock" (A. Ben­nett), 2. "We'll save it till then" (E. Hemingway); 3. "That means we won't see him till next June" (G. Gordon).

Today: 1. "Today I won't be a fool," she said to herself (D. Cusack);

2. "I'll get a license today," he answered (Th. Dreiser); 3. Will you say today that you will become a regular reader of the Daily Worker? (D. Worker).

When ...? How long ...?: 1. "When will she go?" (D. Cusack); 2. "When will you sing here?" (E. Hemingway); 3. "How long do you suppose this will go on?" (G. Greene).

In Future, On Sunday, etc.: 1. "I'll stop going to him in future (A. Cro­nin); 2. "Well, we'll go out Sunday and see Lincoln Park" (Th. Dreiser);

3. "But we'll meet on Monday (E. Delafield).

Later, Long, One Day, etc.: 1. "I'll explain later" (G. Gordon); 2. "I won't be long" (D. Cusack); 3. "One day something will happen" (G. Greene); 4. "We'll have a spot of dinner one night and maybe go to a show" (D. Cusack).

Every Day, etc.: See Example 17 on page 89.

Time-clause Modifiers. The Future Static is frequently modified by: a before-dause (32.3%), а даЛеп-clause (30.8%), an as-soon-as-clause (11.2%), a ri7/-clause (9.6%), an a//er-clause (6.5%). Exam­ples:

1. "We'll have rain before the week is out" (F. Norris); 2. "I'll see you before I go" (G. Greene); 3. "I'll get a transfer when I finish my tour" (G. Greene); 4. "And when he comes round the corner I'll just get up and go over and say 'Hello!'" (D. Cusack); 5. "I'll come round as soon as I am free" (D. Cusack); 6. "You will write as soon as you get there? Please!" (Th. Wolfe); 7. "You will have to wait until you hear from me" (Th. Dreiser); 8. "I'll wait till the mares are here" (J. Gals­worthy); 9. "I'm afraid something will happen while I'm asleep" (Th. Drei­ser); 10. "You'll have to stay here while I do the rounds in the other wards," the night sister said (D. Cusack); 11. "You'll be here after I'm gone" (J. Braine); 12. "I'll get in touch with you immediately after I see him on Tuesday" (Th. Dreiser).