Future in the Past
Formula
Examples
Usage
- •Expressing future plans from a past perspective
- •Narrative devices in storytelling
- •Reported speech and indirect discourse
More Examples
Little did she know she was about to change history.
"Was about to" — imminent future from a past viewpoint
He was going to call her, but he lost his nerve.
Plan that was abandoned
We knew it would be difficult, but we tried anyway.
"Would" as future-in-the-past for predictions
Common Mistakes
- ✗❌ "He would come but he changed his mind" — ambiguous in isolation; ✓ "He was going to come but changed his mind" makes the abandoned plan clear.
- ✗❌ Confusing "would" (repeated past habit) with "would" (future-in-the-past): "He would visit every Sunday" (habit) ≠ "He said he would visit" (future from past viewpoint).
- ✗❌ "She was about to leave when the phone rang" is correct; don't use "was about to" for general future plans — use "was going to" instead.
Tips
- ✓"Was/were going to" = planned intention that may or may not have happened.
- ✓"Was/were about to" = something on the verge of happening (often then interrupted).
Advanced Notes
This set of structures is essential for literary narrative, reported speech, and biography writing. "Would" signals a prediction or habitual future-in-the-past and is common in indirect speech backshift ("She said she would call"). "Was going to" implies a conscious plan — often one that was thwarted or abandoned, which creates narrative tension. "Was about to" signals extreme imminence and is typically paired with an interrupting event. "Was due to" and "was supposed to" add the nuance of scheduled or expected obligation. Learners at C2 should select between these precisely rather than defaulting to "would".
Compare With
Other C2 Topics
Cleft Sentences
Used for splitting a clause to emphasise or focus on one key element
Subjunctive Mood
Expresses necessity, demands, or hypotheticals in formal registers
Advanced Passive Voice
Used for distancing, causative, and impersonal reporting in formal contexts
Fronting and Marked Themes
Used for moving elements to sentence-initial position for contrast or thematic emphasis
Information Packaging (Existential There, Extraposition)
Used for controlling where given and new information falls for maximum clarity
Stylistic Devices: Parallelism, Anaphora, Tricolon
Forms memorable rhythm using repeated structures, patterns, or word groups