A Understanding the Future Passive
The future passive is used when the receiver of an action is more important than the person or organization performing it. Instead of emphasizing who will do something, the future passive emphasizes what will happen or what will be affected. This structure is especially common in academic writing, scientific reports, business communication, government publications, and formal announcements, where the focus is placed on the result rather than the agent.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The government will introduce a new policy. | A new policy will be introduced by the government. |
| Researchers will publish the findings. | The findings will be published by the researchers. |
| The company will launch the new product. | The new product will be launched by the company. |
Tip: Choose the future passive when the action or the result is more important than the person performing the action. In formal writing, the agent (the person or organization doing the action) is often omitted because it is already known, unimportant, or obvious.
✓ The final report will be submitted tomorrow.
✓ Several new regulations will be introduced next year.
✓ The results will be published next month.
✗ The final report will submitted tomorrow.
✗ Several new regulations will introduced next year.
✗ The results will be publish next month.
B When the Future Passive Is Used
The future passive is used when the result of an action is more important than the person or organization responsible for it. It is especially useful when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or already understood from the context. For this reason, the future passive is common in official announcements, research papers, government publications, news reports, and business communication.
- The new immigration policy will be announced next month.
- Additional funding will be provided to public schools.
- The final decision will be released after the public consultation.
- The research findings will be published in an international journal.
- All participants will be informed of the study results.
- The samples will be analyzed using advanced laboratory equipment.
Tip: Ask yourself:
"Is the person performing the action important?"
If the answer is no, the future passive is often the better choice. Many formal documents omit the agent because the reader is more interested in what will happen than who will do it.
✓ The final report will be submitted next week.
✓ New safety standards will be implemented across the province.
✓ The successful applicants will be contacted by email.
✗ The final report will submitted next week.
✗ New safety standards will implemented across the province.
✗ The successful applicants will be contact by email.
C Academic & Professional Communication
The future passive is widely used in academic, professional, and formal communication because it emphasizes processes, results, and future actions rather than the people performing them. In many professional situations, the agent is either obvious or unnecessary. As a result, passive constructions create a more objective, formal, and impersonal style.
- All applications will be reviewed within five business days.
- Successful candidates will be notified by email.
- The final contract will be signed after both parties approve the terms.
- The collected data will be analyzed using statistical software.
- The findings will be presented at an international conference.
- Additional experiments will be conducted before the final report is published.
- New safety regulations will be implemented across the province.
- Financial assistance will be provided to eligible applicants.
- The updated guidelines will be released later this year.
Tip: Professional and academic writing often sounds more objective when the future passive is used. Instead of emphasizing who will perform the action, the writer emphasizes what will happen, what will be completed, or what will be affected. This style is common in reports, proposals, research papers, official announcements, and policy documents.
✓ The final report will be submitted by Friday.
✓ The recommendations will be considered during the review process.
✓ The new policy will be implemented next January.
✗ The final report will submitted by Friday.
✗ The recommendations will be consider during the review process.
✗ The new policy will implemented next January.
D Future Passive with Formal Predictions
The future passive is frequently used to make formal predictions about future events, particularly when the emphasis is placed on what will happen rather than who will perform the action. This structure is common in government forecasts, business reports, scientific publications, news reports, and policy documents. It allows writers and speakers to present predictions in a more objective and professional manner.
- New environmental regulations will be introduced over the next decade.
- Additional public transportation routes will be developed in major cities.
- Financial assistance will be provided to eligible families.
- More automated systems will be installed in manufacturing facilities.
- Several international offices will be opened by the end of the year.
- The company's digital platform will be expanded next spring.
- More effective vaccines will be developed in the coming years.
- Advanced renewable technologies will be adopted worldwide.
- Additional clinical trials will be conducted before approval is granted.
Tip: The future passive creates a neutral and objective tone. Instead of predicting who will perform an action, it predicts what will happen. This style is especially effective in formal reports, forecasts, academic writing, and professional presentations.
✓ New safety standards will be implemented next year.
✓ Additional funding will be allocated to healthcare.
✓ The findings will be published after peer review.
✗ New safety standards will implemented next year.
✗ Additional funding will allocated to healthcare.
✗ The findings will publish after peer review.
E Making Predictions
The future passive is frequently used when making predictions about future events in which the result is more important than the person or organization performing the action. Instead of predicting who will do something, the future passive predicts what will happen, what will be introduced, what will be discovered, or what will be affected. For this reason, the future passive is commonly used in scientific forecasts, economic reports, government planning, business analyses, and news reporting.
- It is expected that additional funding will be provided next year.
- It is likely that new environmental policies will be introduced before 2030.
- Researchers predict that more effective treatments will be developed within the next decade.
- Experts believe that stricter regulations will be implemented across the industry.
- It is unlikely that the proposal will be approved this year.
- By 2035, autonomous public transportation systems will be adopted in many large cities.
- Within the next five years, additional clinical trials will be conducted worldwide.
- Before the end of the decade, several renewable energy projects will be completed.
Tip: When making formal predictions, combine a prediction expression with the future passive. This allows you to predict future outcomes without emphasizing who will perform the action. This style is common in academic articles, business forecasts, scientific reports, and government publications.
✓ It is expected that the results will be published next month.
✓ Experts believe that new technologies will be adopted worldwide.
✓ It is unlikely that the proposal will be accepted without revision.
✗ It is expected that the results will published next month.
✗ Experts believe that new technologies will adopted worldwide.
✗ It is unlikely that the proposal will accept without revision.
F Choosing Between the Active and Passive Future
Both the active and passive future describe future events, but they emphasize different information. The active voice focuses on who will perform the action. The passive voice focuses on what will happen or who will receive the action. Choosing the correct voice depends on what you want your reader or listener to pay attention to.
Passive = What will happen?
| Active Future | Future Passive |
|---|---|
| The government will introduce new regulations. The government is the focus. | New regulations will be introduced. The regulations are the focus. |
| Researchers will publish the results. The researchers are emphasized. | The results will be published. The results are emphasized. |
| The company will launch a new product. The company is important. | A new product will be launched. The product is important. |
- Is the person or organization important? → Use the Active Voice.
- Is the action, process, or result more important? → Use the Passive Voice.
- Is the agent unknown, obvious, or unimportant? → The Passive Voice is usually the better choice.
Tip: Professional and academic writers usually choose the future passive when they want to present information in an objective and formal way. The emphasis is placed on the outcome, procedure, or result, rather than the person carrying out the action. Ask yourself one simple question:
"Do I want readers to notice who will do the action, or what will happen?"
If the person is important, use the active voice. If the result is important, use the future passive.
✓ The committee will announce the winners tomorrow.
✓ The winners will be announced tomorrow.
✓ Scientists will develop a new vaccine.
✓ A new vaccine will be developed.
✗ The winners will announced tomorrow.
✗ A new vaccine will developed.
✗ The results will be publish next month.