Have a go — no notes, and it's fine to get this wrong first.
You already half-know this pattern from everyday speech. Complete it:
"Sorry I'm late — I call you earlier, but my phone died before I got the chance."
Think of a plan of yours that changed recently — a trip, a purchase, an evening out. Say one sentence about what you were going to do, and one about what actually happened instead.
Priya: So — how's the move going? Weren't you supposed to be in the new flat by now?
Sam: Don't get me started. We were going to sign the contract last month, but the landlord pulled out at the last minute. Back to square one.
Notice what Sam says. He doesn't just say "we didn't sign it." He says "we were going to sign it." Why might English have a special form for a plan that changed, instead of just the simple past? Say your idea out loud before you check.
For an intention that existed at a point in the past — especially one that changed, or something that came within a second of happening.
Three plans, seen from the moment they were made:
Look at what follows each one — does the plan actually happen? What tiny word usually shows up next, revealing that something got in the way? Say your idea before you check.
The plan is named and, at the same time, marked as unfinished business — the reader expects a twist.
1. Liam had every intention of fixing the leaking tap himself.
Tell the story: "Liam the tap himself, but he couldn't find the right tool."
2. Anna had her hand on the door handle, ready to leave for the airport.
Tell the story: "Anna the house when the taxi finally arrived."
3. The talks were extremely close to breaking down entirely.
Tell the story (use "on the point of..."): "The talks when a last-minute compromise saved them."
Say two or three sentences about a plan someone you know had recently — a holiday, a house move, a new job — that fell through or almost didn't. Use "was/were going to," "about to," or "on the point of."
For telling a story and looking forward from a point in the past — revealing what, at that moment, still lay ahead.
In the first two sentences, does the speaker know all this at the moment the story is set, or only now, looking back? And in the third — did what was expected actually happen? Say your idea before you check.
1. In 1998 the company had just three employees working out of a garage.
Continue the story: "Nobody imagined that within a decade it over a thousand people."
2. The couple met by accident on a delayed train.
Continue the story: "They two years later."
3. The bridge was officially planned to open in May.
Continue the story (use "was to..."): "The bridge in May, but flooding delayed the project for almost a year."
Think about a moment early in your own life — starting a job, meeting someone, moving somewhere new. Say two sentences about what, at that moment, you had no idea was coming, using "would" or "was/were to."
For formal orders, rules and arrangements — not your own plan, but something decided by someone in authority: a notice, a schedule, a policy.
Could you replace "are to" with "must" in each sentence without really changing the meaning? What kind of writing do these lines sound like they come from? Say your idea before you check.
The same structure moves easily into the past, for reporting an arrangement that existed at the time:
"According to the original schedule, the delegation was to arrive at nine, but their flight was delayed by fog."
"Under the old rules, all applications were to be submitted in writing."
1. Guests must vacate their rooms by eleven, according to hotel policy.
Rewrite it as a formal notice: "Guests vacate their rooms by eleven."
2. The plan was for the ambassador to open the exhibition at noon.
Report the plan (use "was to be..."): "According to the plan, the exhibition by the ambassador at noon."
3. Employees must not remove files from the office, according to company policy.
Rewrite it formally: "According to company policy, employees remove files from the office."
Think of a place with strict rules — an exam room, an airport, a hospital ward. Say three rules using "is/are to" or "is/are not to," as if reading from an official notice.
Time to use today's patterns in one real story. You do the talking.
Think of a turning point in your own life — a plan that changed, a decision, a move, a job. (If nothing comes to mind, invent one.)
Tell the story out loud for one minute. Try to cover:
Write a short retelling (3–5 sentences) of the same story. Use at least two of today's three patterns — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.
Real storytelling doesn't tell you which form to reach for. Here everything is mixed — you decide.
Each sentence has one grammar mistake. Rewrite the whole sentence correctly.
1. "I were going to phone you yesterday, but I lost my phone."
2. "She was about to called him when he walked through the door."
3. "The company was on the point to close when new investors stepped in."
4. "Visitors is to remain in the lobby until they are called."
5. As a teenager, she had no idea that the hobby she loved ___ into a full-time career.
6. According to the notice on the door, all deliveries ___ at the side entrance, not the front.
7. I ___ leave the house when I realised I'd left the oven on.
One-minute challenge: imagine you're writing the opening paragraph of your own biography. Say three sentences mixing at least two of today's patterns — a plan that changed, something you didn't know was coming, and, if you like, an official rule or arrangement from that time in your life.
1. A form from before today — complete it: "By the time the taxi arrived, Sam everything."
2. Say it out loud: what's the difference between "will" and "going to" when you're talking about the future from right now (not looking back from the past)? Give one example of each.
3. Tom fully intended to renew his passport before the trip. Tell the story: "Tom his passport before the trip, but he ran out of time."
4. In 2005, two students shared a flat and barely had enough money for rent. Continue the story: "Neither of them suspected that they a company together within five years."
5. The safety leaflet states that all passengers must fasten seatbelts during landing. Report it formally: "According to the safety leaflet, all passengers seatbelts during landing."
Which of today's three patterns do you think you'll reach for first in real conversation — plans that changed, the storyteller's "would"/"was to," or formal instructions? Say why.
At the start we said: three ways to talk about the future as it looked from the past. Tick what's true: