Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana Lengua inglesa II

DTM

GRAMMAR: FUTURE IN THE PAST

(THEORY)

1. WAS / WERE GOING TO + INFINITVE

To express the intention to do something in the past which was not

done.

Ex. “I really was going to tell you the truth, but I wasn’t able to do
it”.

2. WAS / WERE ABOUT TO + INFINITIVE

To express the idea that someone was at the point of doing

something but, for some reason, it was not possible to do it or just was
not done.

Ex. “Peter was about to enter the building when he was attacked by a
thief”.

Both constructions are used with verbs of speech like say and promise,
and with cognitive verbs such as know and think. In these cases, it is not clear
whether the action happened or not.

Exs. “She said she was going to study harder next time”.

“Susan thought that her friend was about to try it once more”.

3. WOULD + INFINITIVE / WOULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

⎯ Would + infinitive: To make reference to a future event in the

past that could happen or not when ideas, thoughts,
Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana Lengua inglesa II
DTM

expectations, etc. are reported with verbs like say, know,

promise and think.

Exs.
“I knew Karen would give us another excuse”. (That was
the case).
“You said to me that you would come, but I saw you
nowhere”. (It didn’t happen).

⎯ Would have + Past Participle: To make reference to an event

that never happened in the past.

Ex. “Andrew would have come, but he didn’t know you would
be here”.

4. WAS / WERE SUPPOSED TO + INFINITIVE

To refer to something that was expected to happen in the past, but it

never took place.

Ex. “After all the effort we made, our project was supposed to get
more recognition”.