Download this free B2–C1 grammar worksheet PDF for English learners and teachers. This lesson helps students practise future in the past using was / were going to and would.
Students learn how to talk about something that was still in the future from an earlier past viewpoint. The worksheet focuses on the two main forms was / were going to + base verb and would + base verb, and helps students understand where the two forms overlap and where their meanings are different.
The worksheet teaches was / were going to for earlier plans, intentions and predictions from past evidence. Students practise examples such as We were going to expand the office, but the lease fell through and The road was flooding; it looked as if the bridge was going to close.
Students also practise would + base verb for a neutral future from a past viewpoint, reported will, promises and predictions. The worksheet gives clear examples such as Few people knew the company would become a market leader, He said he would send it that night and She promised she would call before lunch.
The worksheet also covers important B2–C1 nuance. Students learn that after when, after, before and until, a past form is normally used in future time clauses, as in He said he would call when he arrived. They also practise indirect questions such as She asked when he would arrive and She asked whether I was going to submit a revised proposal.
The PDF includes a grammar focus section, future-in-the-past exercises, choose-the-correct-form practice, sentence matching, mistake correction, mini-dialogues, sentence rewriting, meaning-and-use practice, speaking practice, writing practice, vocabulary and grammar sentence practice, an error-checking challenge, useful reminders and a full answer key.
This worksheet can be used in one-to-one lessons, group classes, online English lessons, adult ESL lessons, EFL classes, exam preparation, business English lessons, homework or independent grammar practice.
Level: B2–C1
Grammar point: Future in the past — was going to and would
Focus: grammar accuracy, earlier plans, reported future, promises, predictions, indirect questions, future time clauses, speaking and writing
Format: Free grammar worksheet PDF with answer key
This free worksheet includes:
- a clear explanation of future in the past
- practice with was / were going to + base verb
- practice with would + base verb
- practice with earlier plans and intentions
- practice with cancelled or changed plans
- practice with predictions from past evidence
- practice with reported will
- practice with promises using would
- practice with negative forms such as wasn’t / weren’t going to and wouldn’t
- practice with future time clauses after when
- practice with indirect questions using whether
- practice distinguishing future-in-the-past would from other uses of would
- choose-the-correct-form practice
- sentence-to-reason matching
- mistake correction
- mini-dialogues
- sentence rewriting
- meaning-and-use practice
- speaking practice
- writing practice
- vocabulary and grammar sentence practice
- an error-checking challenge
- useful reminder table
- full answer key for teachers and students
The worksheet focuses especially on common B2–C1 mistakes such as We was going to, would to call, wasn’t going accept, would sent, when the director would arrive, whether were we going to, was going rain and wouldn’t affected. The main classroom point is simple: use was / were going to for earlier plans, intentions or evidence-based predictions, use would for a later event viewed or reported from a past viewpoint, and use a past form after when in future time clauses.
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