Future in the past: advanced features

1. Which of the phrases in the box can be used to replace the underlined phrases in the
sentences? Do you need to make any other changes?

was/were about to was/were meant to

was/were due to was/were thinking of

1. I was going to call you last night but then I realised it was too late.

2. You weren't supposed to nd out about the party until next week. It was going to be a
surprise!

3. I was told the train would be leaving at 10.30 but it was over half an hour late.

4. We were going to invite Clara to the cinema but she’s already seen the lm.

5. I had no idea that she was going to make such a terrible mistake.

6. He didn’t know it at the time but he would become world-famous.

2. Look at the examples and answer the questions.

1. Ella was to have got married last June.

Did Ella get married last June?

2. They were to have nished the report by Tuesday.

Does this mean the same as ‘They didn’t manage to nish the report by Tuesday’.?

3. The opera house was to close within the year.

Does this mean the same as ‘The opera house would close within the year’?

4. 3,000 tickets were to be sold for the concert.

Did people expect that 3,000 tickets would be sold?

3. Complete the sentences using was/were to and the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1. They __________________ (leave) this morning but the ight’s been cancelled.

2. She __________________ (become) an opera singer but she became a pop star instead.

3. The band __________________ (perform) in three concerts but this may change as not all
the tickets have been sold yet.

4. Employees __________________ (inform) about the company’s decision by letter but

they’ve heard nothing yet.

5. We __________________ (sign) the contract this afternoon but there’s been a delay.

6. The manager of the band __________________ ( re) but they decided to give him another
chance.

fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
 4. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the rst sentence,
using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and
six words, including the word given.

1. He was to nish the project by today.

SUPPOSED
The project __________________ by today.

2. The album was to be released this week.

DUE
The band __________________ their new album this week.

3. They were to tell us today if we’d won the competition.

BEEN
We __________________ today if we'd won the competition.

4. I was going to ask you for some advice.

THINKING

I __________________ your advice.

5. It was almost closing time but the shop assistant let us into the shop.

ABOUT
The shop __________________ but the shop assistant let us in.

6. We were going to invite Sarah but we knew shed be away.

WOULD
We __________________ but we knew she’d be away.

LANGUAGE TIP

Was/Were to is often used in formal writing instead of would.

He was to become a world famous opera singer by the time he was thirty.

Grammar reference

We often talk about the past and events or intentions which were in the future at that time.

1. We use the past continuous to talk about future events from a past perspective.

The lecture was starting in fteen minutes, so l didn’t have time for lunch.

I was aiming to complete the report before I went on holiday.
fi
fi
fi
2. We use be going to + in nitive to talk about unful lled intentions in the past.

I was going to call you but my phone ran out of battery.

3. We use would
• to refer to future events that did actually happen.

The business would become one of the most successful in the city.

• to make predictions about the future from a past perspective.


I knew there would be a lot of questions to be answered.

4. We use was/were about to to refer to future events that did not actually happen. In this case it
is usually followed by the past participle.

The company was to have opened three further shops by December. (but something went
wrong)

5. We also use was/were to to refer to future events that did happen. In this case it is usually
followed by the in nitive.
Adele was to become a best-selling artist by the age of twenty-two.

Exercise

Use one word to complete the future in the past sentences.

1. We _____ aiming to complete the project by 2019 but our plans were far too ambitious.

2. No one predicted that our classmate Simon _____ to go on to become a famous surgeon.

3. The small restaurant business my grandfather started in the 1960s _____ become world
famous before we sold it in 2020.

4. The government was to _____ eliminated the tax on solar energy by this time last year but
they changed their minds.

5. They said the weather was _____ to get better today but it’s still cloudy and cold.

6. She knew he _____ be upset when he found out about her travel plans.

Advanced features

1. We use was/were about to + in nitive and was/were thinking of + -ing to describe future
actions which were interrupted.

I was about to call you when you called me!

I was thinking of calling you when you called me!

2. Other ways we use to refer to unful lled intentions / events that did not happen include was/
were due to, was/were meant to, was/were supposed to.

Her plane was due to leave at 11.00 but there was a very long delay and they didn’t take o till
after 12.00.
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
ff
 The children were meant to go back to school this week but the weather is so bad we’ve been
told to keep them at home.
The meeting was supposed to start at 3.30 but the client arrived over an hour late.

Exercise

Rewrite the sentences using the word in bold and making any other necessary changes.

1. I was thinking of going for a walk when it started to rain. ABOUT

2. Weren’t you meant to leave for Australia on the twentieth? DUE

3. She was about to step out in front of the oncoming tra c when someone pulled her back
on to the pavement. GOING

4. The students should have received their exam results today. SUPPOSED

5. According to the timetable the train was due to leave at 19.10 but we’re still in the station.
WOULD

6. Katy wasn’t to be told anything about the surprise party. KNOW

ffi