THE future Continuous in the past

(THE FUTURE PROGRESSIVE IN THE PAST)

FORMATION

The forms of the future continuous in the past are built by means of the auxiliary verb be in the future indefinite in the past (would be) and participle I of the notional verb.

Affirmative	Interrogative
I’d be reading He, she, it’d be reading We’d be reading You’d be reading They’d be reading	Would I be reading? Would he, she, it be reading? Would we be reading? Would you be reading? Would they be reading?

 

 

Negative	Negative-Interrogative
I wouldn’t be reading He, she, it wouldn’t be reading We wouldn’t be reading You wouldn’t be reading They wouldn’t be reading	Wouldn’t I be reading? Wouldn’t he, she, it be reading? Wouldn’t we be reading? Wouldn’t you be reading? Wouldn’t they be reading?

THE USE OF THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS IN THE PAST

It is used to denote actions in progress at a definite moment that is future from the point of view of the past:

She thought that an hour later she would be answering their questions.

THE FUTURE PERFECT IN THE PAST

(THE FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE IN THE PAST)

FORMATION

The forms of the Future Perfect in the Past are built by means of the auxiliary verb have in the Future Indefinite in the Past (would have) and participle II of the notional verb.

Affirmative	Interrogative
I’d have spoken He, she, it’d have spoken We’d have spoken You’d have spoken They’d have spoken	Would I have spoken? Would he, she, it have spoken? Would we have spoken? Would you have spoken? Would they have spoken?
Negative	Negative-Interrogative
I wouldn’t have spoken He, she, it wouldn’t have spoken We wouldn’t have spoken You wouldn’t have spoken They wouldn’t have spoken	Wouldn’t I have spoken? Wouldn’t he, she, it have spoken? Wouldn’t we have spoken? Wouldn’t you have spoken? Wouldn’t they have spoken?

THE USE OF THE FUTURE PERFECT IN THE PAST

It is used to denote actions completed before a certain moment which is future from the point of view of the past:

He was sure he would have achieved his goal before the end of the year.

THE FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS IN THE PAST

(THE FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE IN THE PAST)

FORMATION

The forms of the Future Perfect Continuous in the Past are built by means of the auxiliary verb be in the Future Perfect in the Past form (would have been) and participle I of the notional verb.

 

 

Affirmative	Interrogative
I’d have been working He, she, it’d have been working We’d have been working You’d have been working They’d have been working	Would I have been working? Would he, she, it have been working? Would we have been working? Would you have been working? Would the have been working?
Negative	Negative-Interrogative
I wouldn’t have been working He, she, it wouldn’t have been working We wouldn’t have been working You wouldn’t have been working They wouldn’t have been working	Wouldn’t I have been working? Wouldn’t he, she, it have been working? Wouldn’t we have been working? Wouldn’t you have been working? Wouldn’t they have been working?

THE USE OF THE FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS IN THE PAST

It is used to denote an action in progress before a certain moment that is future from the point of view of the past:

She said she would have been playing the piano for an hour before we came.

SEQUENCE OF TENSES

The sequence of tenses is a dependence of the tense of the verb in a subordinate clause on that of the verb in the principal clause. If the verb in the principal clause is used in one of the past tenses, a past tense or future in the past is used in the subordinate clause.

The sequence of tenses is generally observed in object, subject, and predicative clauses. It is not observed if the object clause expresses something ‘timeless^’ or a general truth:

He said he knew the fact (object clause).

What he knew was not important (subject clause).

The question was where we could find water (predicative clause).

But: We knew that winter is usually severe in the North.

If the action expressed in the subordinate clause is simultaneous with the past action expressed in the principal clause, the Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous is used in the subordinate clause:

They thought they had enough time.

If the action expressed in the subordinate clause is prior to the past action expressed in the principal clause, the Past Perfect is used in the subordinate clause:

They thought they had done everything.

If the action expressed in the subordinate clause was in progress before the past action expressed in the principal clause the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous is used in the subordinate clause:

He realized he had seen too much of it.

He was sure he had been walking in the right direction.

If the action expressed in the subordinate clause is future in relation to the past action of the principal clause, the Future in the Past tenses are used:

He saw what would happen next.

John knew he would be still trying to solve the problem when they came.

He realized he wouldn't have solved it until evening.

The sequence of tenses is observed in the reported speech if the action expressed in the principal clause refers to the past.

TENSE CHANGES

Present Indefinite	—	Past Indefinite
“I want this book”.	—	He said he wanted that book.
Present Continuous	—	Past Continuous
“I am waiting for you.”	—	She said she was waiting for me.
Present Perfect	—	Past Perfect
“I've come to meet you.”	—	He said he had come to meet me.
Present Perfect Continuous	—	Past Perfect Continuous
“I've been reading since morning.”	—	He said he had been reading since morning.
Past Simple	—	Past Perfect
“I talked to you sister.”	—	He said he had talked to my sister
Past Continuous	—	Past Perfect Continuous
“I was trying to help.”	—	He said he had been trying to help.
Future Indefinite	—	Future Indefinite in the Past
“I'll help you.”	—	He said he would help me.
Future Continuous	—	Future Continuous in the Past
“I’ll be talking to him at two tomorrow.”	—	She said she would be talking to him the next day at two.
Future Perfect	—	Future Perfect in the Past
“The work will have been done by 5”.	—	He said the work would have been done by 5.

Words related to time and place are also changed:

here	—	there
“I’ll wait for you here. ”	—	He said he would wait for me there.
ago	—	before
“I met her two years ago. ”	—	He said he had met her two years before.
before	—	earlier
“I’ve never been there before. ”	—	He said he had never been there earlier.
last week (month, year)	—	the week (month, year) before
“I saw her last week. ”	—	He said he had seen her the week before.
next week (month, year)	—	the next week (month, year), the week (month, year) after, the following week (month, year).
“We will meet next week. ”	—	He said we would meet the next week /the week after I the following week.
now	—	then / that day / at the moment
“I am watching TV now. ”	—	He said he was watching TV at that moment.
this	—	that, the
“ This book is interesting.”	—	He said that book was interesting. He said the book was interesting.
these	—	those, the
“I like these strawberries.”	—	She said she liked those (the) straw­berries.
that	—	that, the
“I’ve read that story of hers.” “ That story is nice.”	—	He said he had read that story of hers. He said the story was nice.
this morning (evening, etc.)	—	that morning (evening, etc.)
“The morning we’ll get out of town.”	—	He said they would get out of town that morning.
today	—	that day
“There is nothing to do today. ”	—	He said there was nothing to do that day.
tomorrow	—	the next day, the following day.
“We’ll leave tomorrow. ”	—	She said they would leave the next day/ the following day.
tonight	—	that night
“We’re going to the theatre tonight. ”	—	She said they were going to the theatre that night.
yesterday	—	the day before / the previous day
“I met him yesterday. ”	—	She said she had met him the day before / the previous day.

Sequence of tenses doesn’t concern sentences with the Subjunctive Mood in the reported speech:

“If I could I would help you.” — She said she would help me if she could.

“You look as if you were frightened.” – She said that I looked as if I were frightened.

Note: Sequence of tenses doesn’t concern attributive relative clauses and adverbial clauses:

He looked at the house that will still be here long after his death.

I wanted to have a rest yesterday because I have a hard day today.