LESSON 26 - Daily routine, future in the past
Lesson 26: Future in the Past 2
Format: Individual online lesson
Level: B1
Duration: 60–75 minutes
Topics: Body parts • Daily routine
Grammar: was/were going to • would
Main skills: Speaking, reading, grammar, vocabulary
1. Warm-up — “What was going to happen?” 🕐
What were you going to do yesterday evening?
What were you going to have for dinner?
Were you going to go anywhere last weekend?
What were you going to do this morning?
When you were a child, what did you think you would do as an adult?
Did you ever have plans that suddenly changed?
2. Vocabulary: Body Parts
Quick challenge
Ask the student to complete:
You use your ______ to smell.
You bend your ______ when you sit down.
You wear a watch around your ______.
Your ______ connects your head and body.
You can clap your hands using your ______.
Your shoes cover your feet and ______.
If you carry a heavy bag, your ______ may hurt.
You can touch your nose with your ______.
3. Grammar Presentation: Future in the Past
What does “Future in the Past” mean?
Imagine:
Monday → Tuesday → Wednesday
On Monday, Tuesday was the future.
On Monday, I was going to visit the doctor on Tuesday.
But now we are talking about Monday from the past.
A. WAS/WERE GOING TO
We use:
was/were + going to + verb
to talk about a past plan or intention.
Examples:
I was going to call my doctor.
She was going to have a shower.
We were going to go for a walk.
They were going to play football.
Very often, the plan didn't happen.
I was going to go running, but my knee started hurting.
She was going to cook dinner, but she hurt her finger.
Form
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| I | was going to |
| he/she/it | was going to |
| you/we/they | were going to |
Negative
I wasn't going to go out.
They weren't going to stay long.
Questions
Were you going to see the doctor?
Was she going to exercise?
4. WOULD — Future in the Past
We can also use would to talk about something that was expected to happen in the future from a past perspective.
I knew that I would feel better after some rest.
She thought her headache would disappear.
He didn't know that his day would become so difficult.
Compare:
Past plan
I was going to call my friend.
Future expectation
I thought my friend would call me.
Important difference
BE GOING TO → a plan/intention
I was going to go to the gym.
WOULD → something expected/predicted from the past
I thought the exercise would help me.
5. Controlled Practice
Exercise 1 — Complete the sentences
Use was/were going to.
I __________ (go) for a walk, but it started raining.
She __________ (make) breakfast, but she hurt her hand.
We __________ (visit) our grandparents.
He __________ (take) a shower before work.
They __________ (play) tennis, but John's ankle hurt.
I __________ (call) the doctor.
My sister __________ (buy) new shoes.
You __________ (stay) at home, weren't you?
6. “Plans That Changed” 🔄
using was/were going to... but...
Example:
go running / hurt knee
I was going to go running, but I hurt my knee.
Now:
go to work / wake up with a headache
cook dinner / cut your finger
play basketball / hurt your ankle
go swimming / have a problem with your shoulder
clean the house / feel exhausted
go shopping / have a terrible backache
meet a friend / fall asleep
exercise / have no energy
7. Reading: “The Day Everything Changed”
Read the text
The Day Everything Changed
Last Saturday, Mark woke up at 7:30. He normally got up early at the weekend because he liked to go running before breakfast.
That morning, he had lots of plans. He was going to go running, then he was going to take a long shower and have a big breakfast. After that, he was going to meet his friend Daniel in town. They wanted to have lunch together and go shopping.
Mark got out of bed and went to the bathroom. But when he looked in the mirror, he noticed that his left eye was red and swollen. His neck also hurt, and he had a terrible headache.
He thought, “Maybe it will be better after breakfast.”
He went into the kitchen, but when he tried to pick up a cup, he accidentally dropped it. His hand hurt.
Mark decided that running probably wasn't a good idea. He was going to call Daniel and cancel their plans.
However, before he could make the call, Daniel called him.
“I've got some bad news,” Daniel said. “I hurt my ankle yesterday. I don't think I can walk very far today.”
Mark laughed.
“Well, I was going to cancel our plans anyway. I think we both need a quiet day!”
They decided to stay at home and watch a film online.
At lunchtime, Mark felt better. He thought his headache would disappear completely after a few hours of rest.
By the evening, both friends were feeling much better. Their original plans hadn't worked out, but they had actually had a relaxing and enjoyable day.
8. Reading Comprehension
Answer the questions
What did Mark normally do at weekends?
What was he going to do before breakfast?
Who was he going to meet?
What was wrong with Mark?
What happened when he picked up his cup?
Why did Mark want to call Daniel?
What happened to Daniel?
What did they decide to do?
What did Mark think would happen to his headache?
Did their original plans happen?
True or False?
Mark usually slept until 11 at weekends.
He was going to go running.
Mark hurt his ankle.
Daniel couldn't walk very far.
The friends went shopping.
Mark expected his headache to disappear.
9. Find the Grammar 🔎
Find:
5 examples of “was/were going to”
Find examples of would
his headache would disappear
Why do we use “going to” in these sentences?
Why do we use “would”?
10. Speaking: “My Day That Didn't Go to Plan”
Imagine you are telling a friend about yesterday.
Yesterday, I was going to...
First, I was going to...
Then I was going to...
After that, I was going to...
But suddenly...
So instead, I...
I thought that... would...
Example
Yesterday, I was going to get up early and go running. Then I was going to have breakfast and go shopping. But suddenly, I had a terrible headache. So instead, I stayed at home. I thought I would feel better after a few hours.
Now let the student create their own story.
11. Speaking Questions 💬
These are designed to move beyond simple grammar practice.
Daily routine
What part of your daily routine would you happily remove?
What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Are you a morning person or an evening person?
Which part of your day usually gives you the most energy?
What do you normally do when you have a completely free day?
If you could change one thing about your daily routine, what would it be?
What were you going to do today before this lesson?
What were you going to do at the weekend?
Body & health
Which part of your body gets tired most easily?
What do you do when you have a headache?
Have you ever hurt yourself while doing something simple?
Have you ever planned to exercise but changed your mind?
What sport would you like to try?
What physical activity do you enjoy?
Do you think people pay enough attention to their health?
What's one healthy habit you would like to develop?
More creative questions
If your body could send you a message every morning, what would it say?
If you woke up tomorrow with unlimited energy, what would you do?
If you could change one part of your daily routine forever, what would you change?
Imagine you were going to have the perfect day tomorrow. What would you do?
What were you going to become when you were a child?
When you were 15, what did you think you would be doing at your current age?
What did you think your life would be like five years ago?
Have you ever been completely wrong about what would happen?
12. Grammar Challenge: Past Predictions
Complete with would.
I thought the headache ______ disappear.
She knew she ______ feel better after some sleep.
We didn't think the exercise ______ be difficult.
He thought his knee ______ stop hurting.
I knew my daily routine ______ change.
They thought the doctor ______ help them.
Then ask the student to make three sentences about their own past expectations.
For example:
When I was 18, I thought I would live in another country.
I thought my job would be very different.
I didn't think I would use English so much.
13. Error Correction
During the speaking activity, listen for these common mistakes:
❌ I was going to went running.
✅ I was going to go running.
❌ I were going to call him.
✅ I was going to call him.
❌ They was going to play.
✅ They were going to play.
❌ I thought I will feel better.
✅ I thought I would feel better.
❌ She would to call me.
✅ She would call me.
Homework 📝
A. Writing
Write 120–150 words about:
“A Day When My Plans Changed”
Use:
at least 5 examples of was/were going to
at least 2 examples of would
at least 6 body-part words
vocabulary connected with your daily routine
B. Speaking
Prepare a 2-minute answer:
“What did you think your life would be like five years ago?”
Include at least 5 sentences with would.
C. Personal vocabulary
Choose 8 body parts and write one sentence about each.
Example:
My shoulders often feel tired after a long day at the computer.