Usage of Future Tense in the Past Tense
In this post, we will discuss about how to use the future tense in the past tense. Often we are in a condition to express our ideas of future times in the past times. For example, read this sentence. We could not have gotten the independence without a hard freedom struggle. In this sentence, independence achievement was a future dream in the past, understood. We can also use Might Have instead of Could Have, both will give the same meaning. In the example sentence above, the action already has finished, so it is a completed action. In normal sense, completed actions are revealed in the past tense or past perfect tense. So in the past perfect tense sense, we can use could have, might have, would have, should have, must have, need have, ought to have etc., to express future in the past tense expressions.
Future in the Past Tense
1. We should have married.
2. The past lovers would not have met if the train reached exactly announced time.
3. You must not have left your college education for your cinema dreams.
4. They need not have joined the party.
In the above examples, we did use past perfect tenses. We can use future in the past, both in positive sentences and in negative sentences too. You can frame any question using these sentences.
So to express future in the past, we can use COULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE, MUST HAVE, NEED HAVE, OUGHT TO HAVE and WOULD HAVE KEPT.
In the next lesson, we will reviese about all the tenses we have learnt yet. Okay. Come on.
Tags: past present and future verbs, verbs past present future, past present future verbs, verbs present past and future, verbs past present and future, present past and future tense verbs
To go to the prior lesson, please visit the following link:
Home Website:
Comments