The Future in the Past has
two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to."
Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often
express two different meanings.
FORM Would [would + VERB]
Examples:
I knew they would help
him.
I knew they would not do
it.
I knew you would
come to the party!
I knew you would
not say good-bye
FORM Was/Were Going To
[was/were + going to + VERB]
Examples:
I knew you were going to go
to the party.
I knew you were not going to go
to the party.
USE 1 Future in Past
Future in the Past is used
to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the
future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past
follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future: "Would" is used to
volunteer or make a spontaneous decision
Examples:
I’ll do it! / I’ll have a coke
I said I would
do it / I said I would have a
coke
or promise
Examples:
Promise I won’t tell
I promised I wouldn’t tell
and "was going
to" is used for plans and intentions
Examples:
I’m going to talk to her tomorrow
I said I was
going to talk to her the following day.
However, in the Future in
the Past, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.
Examples:
Tomorrow it’ll rain – but They said the
following day was going to rain /
They said the following day would rain.
More examples:
I told you he was going to come
to the party. plan or intention
I knew Julie would make
dinner. voluntary
action/spontaneous decision
Jane said Sam was going to bring
his sister with him, but he came alone. PLAN OR
INTENTION
I had a feeling that the vacation was
going to be a disaster. prediction
He promised he would send
a postcard from Egypt. promise
REMEMBER
No Future in Time Clauses
Like all future forms,[1] the Future
in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as
soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use
Simple Past.
Examples:
I already told Mark that when he would
arrive, we would go out for dinner. Not Correct
I already told Mark that when he arrived,
we would go out for dinner. Correct
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
I knew John would finish
the work by 5:00 PM. Active
I knew the work would be finished
by 5:00 PM. Passive
I thought Sally was going to make
a beautiful dinner. Active
I thought a beautiful dinner was
going to be made by Sally. Passive
Find the sentences which
can remind you of the theory! And practice saying them out loud.
