If I'm talking about the past where I was sure exactly that I will do something, can I use two tenses - past and future in one sentence?
For example:
I knew I will go through it all.
Thank you!
-
1You might google for "future in the past", Tanya. (0: – CowperKettle Nov 1 '15 at 15:47
-
I found a related question at ELL: "Can “revolution that would transform” be rewritten as “revolution that transformed”?" – CowperKettle Nov 1 '15 at 16:06
-
1I don't think you can logically know in the past what you will do in the future, only what you might or would do. Because it hasn't happened yet. – user3169 Nov 1 '15 at 17:28
Add a comment
|
According to the rule of the sequence of tenses there should be 'would' instead of 'will'.
The sentence is not correct grammatically. You should use would which is the past of will. You use would If you refer to future time from the point view of the past. So the correct sentence is:
I knew I would go through it all.
-
And if I want to say in the poem: Sometimes it's hard to believe that you will ever achieve your goal. Is it right or here I also should use 'would'? – Tatiana Nov 2 '15 at 20:44
-
1Tatyana, you can use never in sentences in he present, past, or future. So you are right. – Khan Nov 3 '15 at 1:21
-
So I should say: Sometimes it's hard to believe that you would ever achieve your goal ? Not will? – Tatiana Nov 3 '15 at 9:46
-
"You will ever achieve" is fine, and sounds more poetic since it is looking from the present to the future. – Peter Dec 28 '15 at 12:26
From the perspective of looking back in time
I knew I would go through it all
In the present
I know I will go through it all
However, your original sentence
I knew I will go through it all
sounds like you are trying to say
At the time, I thought to myself, "I will go through it all!"
but your original sentence is not quite correct
I knew I would have to go through it all
would be better.
