Future
in the Past
Future in the past uses
two verb forms: "would" and "was/were going to". The future
in the past expresses a past idea of something you thought would happen in the
future. You can use both verb forms to make statements of what you thought
would or was/were going to happen in the future. Both forms are used to make
predictions about the future. However, the event or action may or may not
actually happen. The two verb forms will give the sentence different meanings.
Future in the Past - Using "Would"
"Would" is
used to indicate talking in the past about what someone promised or offered to
do.
|
Simple past
clause |
Would + verb |
·
I knew Sean would buy everyone dinner.
·
Peter said he would be late.
·
Paul said he would sign the contract and he did.
·
She promised she would call last night.
Future in the Past - Using "was/were going to"
"Was/were going
to" is used to indicate talking in the past about what someone planned to
do.
|
Simple past
clause |
Was/were
going to + verb |
·
Sean said he was going
to buy us dinner.
·
I told you Peter was
going to be late.
·
Paul said he was going
to sign the contract,
but he changed his mind.
·
She promised she was
going to call last night
and she did.
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