When using the Future in the Past, one point in the past time is shown to occur before another point in the past time. It is important to understand that from the perspective of the present time BOTH points occurred in the past.

Think of it this way. Imagine that it is now 10:00 AM. With your magic telescope you can see back into the past. Clearly, 9:20 AM and 9:30 AM are both in the past. But from Paolo's point of view, 9:30 AM is the future. With your magic telescope you have just witnessed the future in the past!
You might say, "9:30 AM was the future, but not anymore."

Unless you're a contemporary of these cavemen, both events depicted here occurred in the past. For our caveman, however, the invention of the wheel was still in the future.

Let's have a look at some examples. To do that we need to go back to the past and look at the future. Here we go.

Type 1: He was sure that she would never forgive him. He was right. She kept the grudge forever.
Type 2: I was going to tell her before she found out. However, "Little Miss Goody Two Shoes" got to her first.
Type 3: I saw Sue last week. She said that she was staying at her parents' house for the Thanksgiving holiday.

OK. So, what's going on in the examples above?
Let's take them one type at a time and look at some more examples.

Type 1:
1. Len was sure that the LA Chargers would win at home, but they lost.
2. The palmist looked at my hand and said that I would have three loves.
3. MacArthur vowed to the Filipino people that he would return.
4. On her wedding day, she pledged she would have her husband for better or for worse.

Look carefully at each of the four sentences. What do you think they have in common? How is would being used?
Hint: Sentences 1 and 2 have the same purpose. Sentences 3 and 4, however, express something different.

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REMEMBER: No Future in Time Clauses!
Like all future forms, 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.
*Incorrect: I already told Abel that when he would arrive, we would go out to drink at a local bar.

Both the active and passive voices can be used.
Active: I knew Sabina would finish the project by 4:00 PM.
Passive: I knew the project would be finished by 4:00 PM.

Alright. We have Type 1 down. Now, let's take a look at Type 2.

Type 2:
1. I was going to ask her out, but then I saw her with another man.
2. We were going to do a Zoom meeting, but she got confused about the time.
3. She told me that she was going to study that night, so we couldn't go out.
4. You look surprised. I told you that Karen was going to come to the party.

There is a subtle difference between the first two sentences and the last two sentences. Look over the sentences carefully for the nuanced differences.

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OK. We have only Type 3 to address now. Let's move on.

Type 3:
1. Carl and Elaine were getting married that morning.
2. I saw her just yesterday. She said she was seeing someone new.
3. She was taking an exam that day, so she was nervous.
4. My brother was still preparing dinner as my date arrived at the door.

These sentences all look similar, don't they? Can you figure out what each is suggesting?
Hint: Do you see any relationships between any of the people?

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That was a lot of stuff that we covered. Let's make sure we understand how to use Future in the Past.

REVIEW
1. Having graduated from high school, I thought I would study dentistry.
2. My parents told me I was going to start kindergarten after my 5^th birthday.
3. I told Eleanor that I was not planning on marrying anyone - period.

These sentences represent the three ways to express the Future in the Past.

Explain what each sentence suggests. For example, is there a sentence that indicates a personal arrangement? Perhaps, there is a sentence which expresses an evidenced-based prediction in the past. What about a promise in the past that never came to fruition?

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