Episode 9: I Was Going to Tell You

Future in the past — Abraham Lincoln, 1865 (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: “Was/were going to” expresses plans or intentions made in the past that didn’t happen, or describes what someone intended to do from a past perspective.

Form: was/were going to + base verb

Example 1: “I was going to call you, but my phone died.” (intended but didn’t happen)

Example 2: “He said he was going to arrive at 8.” (his past intention, reported now)

Common mistake: Wrong: “I was going to knowing the answer.” Better: “I was going to find out the answer.” (use base verb after “going to”)

The Challenge

Luna found an unsent email in her drafts folder from months ago. “I was planning to send this,” she murmured with regret. Professor Wisdom materialized beside her, his expression thoughtful. “Were you simply planning it, or were you actively going to do it before something changed?” Luna felt the subtle difference—one sounded like a vague idea, the other like a real intention that circumstances prevented. The watch glowed with a somber light, and they found themselves on a spring evening when changed plans would alter history.

The Journey

Abraham Lincoln sat in the White House on the afternoon of April 14, 1865, five days after the Civil War had effectively ended with Lee’s surrender. The weight that had pressed on his shoulders for four years had finally lifted slightly. He looked tired but relieved as he spoke with his wife Mary about their evening plans. “After the play tonight,” he told her, “we were going to take a carriage ride together, just the two of us. We were going to talk about the future, about healing the nation, about finally having peace.”

Lincoln had been planning this moment of relaxation for weeks. The war’s end meant he was finally going to have time for his family, time to rebuild his health, time to focus on reuniting the divided nation with compassion rather than vengeance. He had told his cabinet that morning that he was going to pursue a policy of reconciliation toward the South, that he was going to fight against those who wanted harsh punishment for Confederate states.

His bodyguard, William Crook, later recalled that Lincoln seemed different that day, almost lighthearted in a way he hadn’t been in years. “I was going to take tomorrow off,” Lincoln told Crook with a rare smile. “I was going to rest, maybe read some poetry, spend time with my boys.” These weren’t vague hopes but concrete plans that felt real and near.

Before leaving for Ford’s Theatre that evening, Lincoln paused at his desk where unfinished work lay scattered. He had been going to sign several documents the next morning, was going to meet with his generals to discuss demobilization, was going to begin the difficult work of reconstruction. The smell of spring flowers drifted through the open window, mixing with the scent of lamp oil and paper. Washington was celebrating, and Lincoln was finally going to join in that celebration.

His secretary later found notes on Lincoln’s desk outlining plans for the coming weeks and months. He was going to visit Richmond to see the defeated Confederate capital. He was going to propose generous terms for Southern states rejoining the Union. He was going to argue for voting rights for freed slaves. All of these intentions, written in his careful handwriting, would remain unfulfilled. A single bullet that night changed every plan from definite future to abandoned past intention.

The Deep Dive

“Was/were going to” serves two crucial functions: expressing past intentions that didn’t happen, and reporting what someone planned to do from a past perspective. “I was going to study medicine, but I chose law instead” explains an abandoned plan. “She said she was going to call” reports someone else’s past intention. Both uses position us in the past, looking toward a future that never arrived.

This construction often appears with “but” to explain why plans changed: “I was going to go to the party, but I felt sick.” The contrast between intention and reality is the point—we use this structure specifically to acknowledge that gap. Without the changed circumstance, we’d use Past Simple: “I went to the party” or “I didn’t go to the party” without the “was going to” part.

Don’t confuse “was going to” with Past Continuous “was going.” “I was going home when I saw her” means I was in the process of traveling home. “I was going to go home, but I went to the office instead” means I intended to go home but changed plans. The first describes an action in progress; the second describes an abandoned intention. Also, in formal writing, consider using “was to have done” for very formal contexts, though “was going to” works in most situations.

More Examples

History: “The Titanic was going to arrive in New York on April 17, 1912, but it sank three days before.” (plan prevented by disaster)

Science: “Einstein was going to include that equation, but he decided against it at the last moment.” (changed scientific decision)

Everyday: “We were going to have a picnic, but it started raining.” (weather changed plans)

Formal: “The company was going to expand internationally, but economic conditions prevented it.” (business plan altered)

Informal: “I was going to text you earlier, but I got distracted—sorry!” (explaining missed intention)

Contrast: “I went to the store” (actual action) vs “I was going to go to the store, but it closed early” (prevented intention)

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: I __ (call) you yesterday, but I lost your number.

2. Correct the mistake: “She was going to being a doctor before changing her mind.”

3. Choose and explain: Which shows an unfulfilled past intention?
   a) “I went to Paris last year.”
   b) “I was going to go to Paris last year, but work was too busy.”

4. Rewrite: Show it was planned but didn’t happen: “I didn’t tell you the truth.”

5. Compare: Explain the difference: “What were you doing?” vs “What were you going to do?”

6. Your reflection: Think of a plan you made but didn’t follow through. Write about it using “was/were going to.”

Answer Key:
1. was going to call (intended action that didn’t happen, explained by “but”)
2. She was going to be a doctor (use base verb after “going to”)
3. (b) — “was going to” specifically marks unfulfilled plan, explained by “but” clause
4. I was going to tell you the truth, but… (shows intention existed before decision changed)
5. First asks about action in progress; second asks about planned future action from past view
6. Check: Does “was/were going to + base verb” show past plan that didn’t happen?

The Lesson

Luna looked at her unsent email with deeper understanding. “I wasn’t just planning to send this,” she told Professor Wisdom. “I was going to send it—it was a real intention—but circumstances changed.” The Professor nodded sadly. “Lincoln’s story shows us the weight of ‘was going to.’ He wasn’t dreaming vaguely about the future; he was going to do specific things, had real plans, until everything changed in an instant. Your grammar now captures that heartbreaking gap between what we intend and what actually happens.”