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If I read the story again, I will (have ) read it ten times.

hirashin

Sempai
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8 Apr 2004
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Dear native English speakers,
I need your help again.

I think (a) would be all right,but how about (b)?
(a) If I read the story again, I will have read it ten times.
(b) If I read the story again, I will read it ten times.

Thanks in advance.

Hirashin
 
No.
If, in (b), you are considering the second instance of "read" to be pronounced as 「red」, then (b) is definitely grammatically incorrect.
 
Thanks for the help, joadbres. I just wanted to confirm (b) is incorrect.
 
It's worth noting why it's incorrect: "will" goes together with "have" to form a sort of past-tense from the perspective of the future (whatever it is they call that). This is always the case to my knowledge.

After buying this, I will have completed my collection.
Once I get my black belt in Karate, I will have mastered all martial arts.
Once I eat at this restaurant, I will have eaten all kinds of foods.
Once I finish The Deathly Hallows, I will have read all books by J.K. Rowling.
If a flying spaghetti monster pops into existence in my backyard, I will have seen everything.
 
I think (b) is technically correct. But it doesn't really make sense.
Isn't this the same grammatically?
If I eat a potato chip again, I will eat ten potato chips.
Of course even this is not very natural phrasing.
 
Yeah, and for that reason it's even more important to know the difference. :)

Essentially, B is suggesting that you plan on reading it ten times, rather than once, the next time you read it (because "read" looks like the present tense, where this is the meaning). But if you were using a word with a clearer past-tense, it would simply be incorrect.

Incorrect: If I eat a potato chip again, I will ate ten potato chips.
Correct: If I eat a potato chip again, I will have eaten ten potato chips.
 
Thanks for the help, Julimaruchan and mdchachi.
After buying this, I will have completed my collection.
Once I get my black belt in Karate, I will have mastered all martial arts.
Once I eat at this restaurant, I will have eaten all kinds of foods.
Once I finish The Deathly Hallows, I will have read all books by J.K. Rowling.
If a flying spaghetti monster pops into existence in my backyard, I will have seen everything.

How about these?
(a) If/When I buy this, I will have completed my collection.
(b) If/When I get my black belt in Karate, I will have mastered all martial arts.
(c) If/When I eat at this restaurant, I will have eaten all kinds of foods.
(d) If/When I finish The Deathly Hallows, I will have read all books by J.K. Rowling.
(e) Once/When a flying spaghetti monster pops into existence in my backyard, I will have seen everything.
[What's a flying spaghetti monster, by the way?]
 
Yes, all of your alterations are correct.

[What's a flying spaghetti monster, by the way?]
A monster made out of spaghetti which is flying. It's a parody of religion that originated on the Internet about 10 years ago in protest of Creationists attempting to get Creationism taught in schools as an alternative to evolution, which would be illegal since Creationism is a religious view.
 
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