Learning Material

There are 9 parts of speech or word classes in English language:
– nouns
– pronouns
– determiners
– verbs
– prepositions
– adjectives
– adverbs
– conjunctions
– interjections

Past future refers to patterns of sentences that combine future and past context.

There are four types of past future tenses:
– Past Future Simple
– Past Future Continuous
– Past Future Perfect
– Past Future Perfect Continuous

We use Past Future Simple for something that would happen in the future when it was said in the past:
– voluntary actions/willingness to do something
– promises/commitment
– plans

Julie told me she would make dinner.
– The action of Julie telling the speaker happened in the past.
– The action of making dinner was Julie’s promise.
– The action of making dinner was a future action when viewed from the time Julie told the speaker.

Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him to the party
– The action of Jane saying something about Sam to the speaker happened in the past.
– The action of Sam bringing his sister was Sam’s plan.
– The action of Sam bringing his sister was a future action when viewed from the time Jane told the speaker.

Positive Sentence
(+) Subject + would + base form
(+) Subject + was/were + going to + base form

Negative Sentence
(-) Subject + would not + base form
(-) Subject + was/were not + going to + base form

Yes/No Question
(?) Would + Subject + base form
(?) Was/Were + Subject + going to + base form

 

We use ‘would’ for:
– predictions based on opinions/without evidence
I thought they would win, but it was a draw
– promises/commitment
He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt.
– voluntary actions
Julie told me she would make dinner.

We use ‘was/were going to’ for:
– predictions based on facts/evidence
I thought that the authorities were going to investigate all allegations of fraud.
– planned actions
They said that they were going to visit Lombok.

We use Past Future Continuous for imaginary/unreal scenarios.
Past Future Continuous is a modification from conditional sentences type 2.

Conditional Sentence Type 2
If I were you, I would take the job.

Past Future Continuous
If I were in Hawaii, I would be lying on the beach.

If my grandfather were here, he would be talking about the war.
The fact: my grandfather is not here, talking about war does not happen

I would be skiing right now if my leg weren’t broken.
The fact: my leg is broken, skiing does not happen

Positive Sentence
(+) Subject + would + be + -ing Form

Negative Sentence
(-) Subject + would + not + be + -ing Form

Yes/No Question
(?) Would + Subject + be + -ing Form

We use Past Future Perfect to express something:
– that did not happen,
– that might have happened, or
– could have been done but was not done in the past.

We use Past Future Perfect in conditional sentences type 3.
If you had told me earlier, I would have waited for you.
The fact: you did not tell me earlier, I did not wait for you.

Something that should have happened but has not happened yet:
I should have received my card by now.

Something that could have been done in the past, but was not:
I could have told her the bad news, but I decided to let Jane do it.

Something that might have happened:
He might have left the company because of his health condition.

 

 

Positive Sentence
(+) Subject + would + have + past participle
(+) Subject + should + have + past participle
(+) Subject + could + have + past participle
(+) Subject + might + have + past participle
(+) Subject + may + have + past participle
(+) Subject + must + have + past participle

Negative Sentence
(+) Subject + would not + have + past participle
(+) Subject + should not + have + past participle
(+) Subject + could not + have + past participle
(+) Subject + might not + have + past participle
(+) Subject + may not + have + past participle
(+) Subject + must not + have + past participle

Yes/No Question
(?) Would + Subject + have + past participle
(?) Should + Subject + have + past participle
(?) Could + Subject + have + past participle
(?) Might + Subject + have + past participle
(?) May + Subject + have + past participle
(?) Must + Subject + have + past participle

We use Past Future Perfect Continuous for situations that would have been happening in the past if certain conditions were the opposite of what was happening.

Past Future Perfect Continuous is a modification of conditional sentences type 3.

If I had not been sick yesterday, I would have been enjoying that movie last night.
The fact: I was sick yesterday, I was not enjoying that movie last night

If his loan had been approved, he would have been setting up his company last month.
The fact: his loan was not approved, he was not setting up his company last month.

Positive Sentence
(+) Subject + would+ have + been + -ing Form

Negative Sentence
(-) Subject + would+ not + have + been + -ing Form

Yes/No Question
(?) Would + Subject + have + been + -ing Form

Multiple-Choice Quiz

1. The correct sentence is:

2. The correct sentence is:

3. The correct sentence is:

4. The correct sentence is:

5. The correct sentence is:

6. The correct sentence is:

7. The correct sentence is:

8. The correct sentence is:

9. The correct sentence is:

10. The correct sentence is:

11. The correct sentence is:

12. The correct sentence is:

13. The correct sentence is:

14. The correct sentence is:

15. The correct sentence is:

16. The correct sentence is:

17. The correct sentence is:

18. The correct sentence is:

19. The correct sentence is:

20. The correct sentence is:

error: