The highways that were supposed to take 13 years: the future in the past: was going to, was due to, would

Q: What is the future in the past?

The future in the past is the future as seen from a past moment : what people planned, scheduled or expected then. We were going to stop in Denver. The road was due to open in the spring. People thought the system would be finished by 1969. Often the plan changed. The B2 lesson The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai teaches it with America's interstate highways.

Q: How do you form the future in the past?

Four patterns take the base form: was / were going to for a plan, was / were due to for a schedule, was / were about to for something very near and would after a past verb like thought . Only was or were changes with the person: I was going to , we were going to . Negatives: wasn't due to , wouldn't . The scheme in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai lists all four.

Q: What are some examples of the future in the past?

Four from The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai: We were going to have lunch in Denver, but we sat in a traffic jam. We were due to reach the canyon by six. I was about to call Leona when Harper saw the canyon. In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969. Every one looks ahead from a point in the past.

Q: What's the difference between “was going to” and “was supposed to”?

Was going to gives the subject's own plan or intention : We were going to stop in Denver, but we didn't. Was supposed to gives what a rule, a schedule or other people expected: The highways were supposed to take 13 years. Both often hint that it didn't happen. On edio.ai, was supposed to comes in B1.1, and The highways that were supposed to take 13 years adds was going to , was due to , was about to and would .

Q: Is it “they thought it will be finished” or “would be finished”?

It's would be finished . When the thinking happened in the past, will moves back to would : In 1956, they thought it would be finished by 1969. The same goes after said , knew , hoped and expected . And would takes no to : would be finished , not would to be finished . A table in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai turns will into would sentence by sentence.

Q: When was the interstate highway system finished?

There's no single finish day. By 1961, officials were talking about 1972. The road through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, the last big missing piece of I-70, opened on October 14, 1992; it's often called the last major piece of the original system. But I-105 in Los Angeles opened in 1993, and 7.6 miles were still not open at the end of 1997. The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai sorts the known from the debated.

Q: How do I teach the future in the past to B2 students?

Start from plans that changed , the students' own and a famous one, and draw a timeline with three points: when the plan was made, the planned date and now. Then add one form at a time, each with its job. The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai moves from Isaiah's explainer and a drive through a Colorado canyon to the scheme, five drills and a chat about a new plan.

Q: What's a good game for practicing the future in the past?

Play “What happened to the plan?” : each student writes a plan on a card, such as a picnic on Saturday , and the next student adds what went wrong. The owner then tells the whole story: We were going to have a picnic, but it rained. I was about to leave when my phone rang. The boxes in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai ask what students thought their life would be like now.

Q: What's good homework for the future in the past?

Good homework names the form in each gap , so students build it rather than guess it: The bus ___ (be due to / leave) at seven, but the driver was late. Add a table for every person and a short text to complete. All ten homework tasks in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai check themselves, among them Harper's road-trip post and Isaiah's answer to a retired highway worker.

This B2 ESL lesson plan teaches the future in the past through the interstate highways, planned in 1956 to take about 13 years, and Colorado's Glenwood Canyon.

Grammar: Was going to, was due to and was about to + base form, and would after thought (People thought the system would be finished by 1969.), with was supposed to, negatives and questions.
Topic: How a national road plan slipped by decades and how a highway fit into a narrow canyon, with words such as viaduct, detour and interchange.
Activities: An explainer to read, a road trip and a reader's memo to hear, self-checking drills, a chat about a new plan and boxes to open.

What's inside

Chapter 1Warm-up: are we there yet?
- PictureUnlock
- Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
- Study the words: on the roadVocabularyTry it
- Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock
Chapter 2Let's read: thirteen years, give or take
- Look at the photo: building a highwayPictureUnlock
- Read Isaiah's explainer on The Why DeskArticleUnlock
- Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
- Match the pairs: years and eventsMatchUnlock
Chapter 3Let's listen: late, but worth it?
- Listen to Isaiah and Harper in Glenwood CanyonListeningTry it
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Listen to the Reader's Rebuttal: Cecil's voice memoListeningUnlock
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 4Grammar: we were going to stop in Denver
- Study the scheme: the future in the pastGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: use the words in bracketsFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the table: change will to wouldFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: which sentence is correct?QuizUnlock
- Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
Chapter 5Let's talk: was the wait worth it?
- Choose the right replies: a new plan with GinnyChatTry it
- Sort the arguments into the correct columns: was the wait worth it?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Open a box and answer: plans that changedOpen the boxUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: words and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
- Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: plans that changedFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: every personFill in the tableUnlock
- Put the words in the correct order: new sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct option: Harper's road-trip postChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: Isaiah answers CecilDrag and dropUnlock

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

exit
toll
viaduct
rest area
convoy
detour
interchange
wildlife
traffic jam

Grammar: the future in the past

The future in the past looks forward from a moment that is now over: what people planned, scheduled or expected then. A national plan that said 13 years and took decades is full of it. Learners match each form to a kind of future: a plan, a timetable, something very near or a belief. Often they also say how the plan changed.

The future in the past

Talk about the future as people saw it at a time in the past: plans, timetables, things that almost happened and what people thought would happen. Often the plan changed.

Looking forward from the past

Picture three points: 1956, when the plan was made; 1969, the planned finish; and now. The speaker stands at the first point and looks ahead: They thought it would be finished by 1969. From now, we know the plan changed.

1956: they made the plan
they thought it would be finished…
1969: the planned finish
now: we look back

Going to, due to, about to and supposed to

Was going to gives a plan, often one that didn't happen: We were going to stop in Denver. Was due to gives a time on a schedule; was about to, something very near. Was supposed to adds what others planned: The highways were supposed to take 13 years.

Form	Use it for	Example
was / were going to + base form	a plan or an intention; often it didn't happen	We were going to stop in Denver, but we didn't.
was / were due to + base form	a time on a schedule or a timetable	We were due to reach the canyon by six.
was / were about to + base form	something very near, often stopped by something else	I was about to call Leona when we saw the canyon.
would + base form	what people thought, said or expected about the future	People thought the system would be finished by 1969.
was / were supposed to + base form (from B1.1)	what was planned or expected, often by other people	The highways were supposed to take 13 years.

Was or were, negatives and questions

Was goes with I, he, she and it; were with you, we and they. Negatives add not: The bridge wasn't due to open until spring. Questions move was or were to the front: Were you going to stop?

was or were? Every person

Subject	be going to	be due to	be about to
I	I was going to leave	I was due to leave	I was about to leave
you	you were going to leave	you were due to leave	you were about to leave
he	he was going to leave	he was due to leave	he was about to leave
she	she was going to leave	she was due to leave	she was about to leave
it	it was going to leave	it was due to leave	it was about to leave
we	we were going to leave	we were due to leave	we were about to leave
they	they were going to leave	they were due to leave	they were about to leave

Negatives and questions

Form	Negative	Question
going to	We weren't going to stop again.	Were you going to stop?
due to	The bridge wasn't due to open until spring.	When was the bridge due to open?
about to	Careful: “I wasn't about to…” usually means “I didn't want to…”.	Were you about to call me?
would	They thought it wouldn't take long.	Did they think it would take long?

Would after a past verb

After thought, said, knew, hoped or expected, will becomes would when that future is over: In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969, not will be finished. Would is the same for every person, and its negative is wouldn't.

would after a past verb

After thought, said, knew, hoped or expected, use would, not will, when that future is over now: In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969 (not: will be finished). Would is the same for every person: I / you / he / she / it / we / they would. The negative is wouldn't (would not).

Always to + base form

After going, due and about comes to + base form: was going to finish, not to finished; was due to open, not due open; was about to leave, not about leaving. Would takes no to: would be finished.

Always to + base form

After going, due and about, use to + base form: was going to finish (not: to finished), was due to open (not: due open), was about to leave (not: about leaving). The passive works too: it would be finished, it was going to be built. And don't mix it up with due to + noun (= because of): The delay was due to the snow.

Common mistakes

They were going to finished the road by 1969.
They were going to finish the road by 1969.
going to + base form
The work was due finish in 1969.
The work was due to finish in 1969.
due to + base form
They thought it would to be finished by 1969.
They thought it would be finished by 1969.
would + base form, no to
In 1956, they thought it will be finished by 1969.
In 1956, they thought it would be finished by 1969.
after a past verb: would

On I-70 in Colorado

We were going to have lunch in Denver, but we sat in a traffic jam.
We were due to reach the canyon by six.
I was about to call Leona when Harper saw the canyon.
In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969.
The federal government was going to pay 90 percent of the cost.
Were you going to tell me about the detour?

More lessons on this grammar: Future tenses lessons and exercises

Try the future in the past exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

19 auto-checked exercises
6 games
1 article
1 grammar scheme
1 set of word cards
2 audio clips
2 pictures
2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

talk about plans that changed: We were going to have lunch in Denver, but we sat in a traffic jam.
say what was on a schedule with was due to: We were due to reach the canyon by six.
say something almost happened: I was about to call Leona when Harper saw the canyon.
report past expectations with would, not will: In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969.
ask about past plans: Were you going to tell me about the detour? When was the bridge due to open?

Lesson 12 closes Moving people, unit 3 of English B2.1 · How the World Works. It goes beyond the was supposed to of B1.1 lesson 14 and the future forms of B1.1 lessons 10 and 11. Lesson 13 opens Wildlife comebacks with reporting verbs. A plan for 13 years that took decades is a natural home for was going to and would.

Students spin a wheel of questions about road trips, delays and big projects, then learn twelve words, from plan and delay to viaduct and interchange, with pictures and audio. Isaiah's explainer follows the numbers from 1956 to 1992, with true-or-false statements, a quiz and years to match with events. On a drive through Glenwood Canyon, Isaiah and Harper argue whether the wait was worth it, and Cecil, a retired highway worker from Colorado, answers in a voice memo; both are AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, among them a table that turns will into would. In the speaking chapter, students answer Ginny's messages about a road trip that needs a new plan, sort arguments about the wait and open boxes about plans that changed.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, word gaps and a memory game, then forms to choose, gaps about plans that changed, a table for every person, sentences to order, Harper's road-trip post and Isaiah's answer to Cecil.

Grammar:: future in the past · was going to · was due to · was about to · would for the future in the past
Topic:: the interstate highways · the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 · Glenwood Canyon · Colorado · I-70 · road trips · big projects and delays · The Why Desk

Teaching tips

Draw the scheme's timeline on the board: 1956, 1969 and now. Students stand at 1956 and say what people expected, then step to now and say what really happened: They thought it would take 13 years.
Ask about a plan that fell through before the reading: a trip, a party, a class. Students tell it with was going to, then read to find out how the 1956 plan changed.
Play the road trip twice: first for the plan and what really happened (lunch, six o'clock, the hotel), then for each was going to, was due to, was about to and would.
Check due to in both meanings: The road was due to open in May (a schedule) against The delay was due to the snow (because of). Students write one sentence of each about a trip.

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The whole course: English B2.1 · How the World Works

32 lessons for adults at B2 in American English, each answering one question about how the world works. The team of The Why Desk, a small online magazine in Pittsburgh, takes on one question a week, from the day a computer beat the world chess champion to eight people sealed inside Biosphere 2. Learners tell stories with narrative tenses, speculate about the past and the future, and report what experts claim. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

Unit 1 AI and the future of work
narrative tenses, by and until, be bound to and be likely to, the future perfect
Unit 2 Health breakthroughs
the third conditional, the past perfect and past continuous passive, have something done, the passive with two objects
Unit 3 Moving people
the past perfect continuous, the passive infinitive and -ing form, it's worth and there's no point, the future in the past
1. Lesson 9Six years to the golden spikeThe past perfect continuous vs the past perfect simple
2. Lesson 10Riding a pod with no driverThe passive infinitive and the passive -ing form
3. Lesson 11The town that painted bike lanes firstIt's worth, there's no point and it's no use + -ing
4. Lesson 12 · you're hereThe highways that were supposed to take 13 yearsThe future in the past
Unit 4 Wildlife comebacks
reporting verbs with a that clause, with an object and infinitive and with -ing, verbs of perception
Unit 5 Pop culture goes global
comment adverbs, wish and if only for the present and the past, have someone do and get someone to do
Unit 6 Money and smart choices
-ever words and no matter, should have and could have, prepositions for numbers and change, it's time and would rather
Unit 7 Language and communication
must have, might have and can't have, verb prefixes and suffixes, past modals in continuous and passive forms, agreement with quantities
Unit 8 Exploring the extremes
dimension nouns, the future continuous and future perfect continuous, compound adjectives, only, even and just

Questions about this lesson

What is the future in the past?

The future in the past is the future as seen from a past moment: what people planned, scheduled or expected then. We were going to stop in Denver. The road was due to open in the spring. People thought the system would be finished by 1969. Often the plan changed. The B2 lesson The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai teaches it with America's interstate highways.

How do you form the future in the past?

Four patterns take the base form: was / were going to for a plan, was / were due to for a schedule, was / were about to for something very near and would after a past verb like thought. Only was or were changes with the person: I was going to, we were going to. Negatives: wasn't due to, wouldn't. The scheme in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai lists all four.

What are some examples of the future in the past?

Four from The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai: We were going to have lunch in Denver, but we sat in a traffic jam. We were due to reach the canyon by six. I was about to call Leona when Harper saw the canyon. In 1956, people thought the system would be finished by 1969. Every one looks ahead from a point in the past.

What's the difference between “was going to” and “was supposed to”?

Was going to gives the subject's own plan or intention: We were going to stop in Denver, but we didn't. Was supposed to gives what a rule, a schedule or other people expected: The highways were supposed to take 13 years. Both often hint that it didn't happen. On edio.ai, was supposed to comes in B1.1, and The highways that were supposed to take 13 years adds was going to, was due to, was about to and would.

Is it “they thought it will be finished” or “would be finished”?

It's would be finished. When the thinking happened in the past, will moves back to would: In 1956, they thought it would be finished by 1969. The same goes after said, knew, hoped and expected. And would takes no to: would be finished, not would to be finished. A table in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai turns will into would sentence by sentence.

How long was the interstate highway system supposed to take?

About 13 years. On Friday, June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act for 41,000 miles of interstates, with $25 billion in federal money for the budget years 1957 through 1969. Congress wanted every state to finish at the same time, and the federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost. The schedule slipped within a few years. The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai follows the numbers.

When was the interstate highway system finished?

There's no single finish day. By 1961, officials were talking about 1972. The road through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, the last big missing piece of I-70, opened on October 14, 1992; it's often called the last major piece of the original system. But I-105 in Los Angeles opened in 1993, and 7.6 miles were still not open at the end of 1997. The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai sorts the known from the debated.

How do I teach the future in the past to B2 students?

Start from plans that changed, the students' own and a famous one, and draw a timeline with three points: when the plan was made, the planned date and now. Then add one form at a time, each with its job. The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai moves from Isaiah's explainer and a drive through a Colorado canyon to the scheme, five drills and a chat about a new plan.

What's a good game for practicing the future in the past?

Play “What happened to the plan?”: each student writes a plan on a card, such as a picnic on Saturday, and the next student adds what went wrong. The owner then tells the whole story: We were going to have a picnic, but it rained. I was about to leave when my phone rang. The boxes in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai ask what students thought their life would be like now.

What's good homework for the future in the past?

Good homework names the form in each gap, so students build it rather than guess it: The bus ___ (be due to / leave) at seven, but the driver was late. Add a table for every person and a short text to complete. All ten homework tasks in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai check themselves, among them Harper's road-trip post and Isaiah's answer to a retired highway worker.

How do you practice the future in the past one-to-one?

Compare last week's plans with what really happened: the teacher asks What were you going to do on Saturday? and When was your package due to arrive?, and the student answers, then asks back. The chat in The highways that were supposed to take 13 years on edio.ai works without a partner: Ginny's road trip needs a new plan, and the student picks replies like I was about to book it when you texted me!

Are there interactive exercises for the future in the past?

Yes. Without an account, this page plays three parts of The highways that were supposed to take 13 years, a B2 lesson on edio.ai: Isaiah and Harper's drive through Glenwood Canyon, a gap-fill that names each form in brackets and Ginny's chat about a changed road trip. An account unlocks the rest.

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About this lesson

What's inside

Vocabulary

Grammar: the future in the past

Looking forward from the past

Going to, due to, about to and supposed to

Was or were, negatives and questions

was or were? Every person

Negatives and questions

Would after a past verb

Always to + base form

Common mistakes

On I-70 in Colorado

Try the future in the past exercises

What's in the lesson

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

Teaching tips

Teach the whole lesson in edio

Start a free trial

Open the lesson

Teach it live or as homework

The whole course: English B2.1 · How the World Works

Unit 1 AI and the future of work

Unit 2 Health breakthroughs

Unit 3 Moving people

Unit 4 Wildlife comebacks

Unit 5 Pop culture goes global

Unit 6 Money and smart choices

Unit 7 Language and communication

Unit 8 Exploring the extremes

Questions about this lesson

Teach this lesson with your students