Rewriting a Paragraph in Future Tense

Verbs are easy to transform and combine, and tenses shift to reflect different meanings to describe when things have happened or will happen. Practice converting verb conjugations increase skill with English and makes it easier to proofread for errors in verb agreement. This exercise will give you practice in working with verb tenses—in this case, changing the past forms of verbs to the future.

Instructions

The following paragraph is a fanciful account of a student's visit to Buckingham Palace to visit the Queen of England. Rewrite the paragraph as if these imaginary incidents from the past will instead occur sometime in the future. In other words, change the form of each main verb from the past tense to the future (in most cases, will plus the present form of the verb).

When you're done, compare your new paragraph with the suggested revision on page two.

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Proofreading for Errors in Verb Tense

By Richard Nordquist

Example

Original: I traveled to London to visit the Queen of England.

Recast: I will travel to London to visit the Queen of England.

Visiting Her Majesty

I traveled to London to visit the Queen of England. Being a clever fellow, I disguised myself as a prince and walked into Buckingham Palace as if I owned it. After receiving directions from a chambermaid, I stepped into the Queen's bedroom and surprised Her Royal Highness with a hearty slap on the back. Then, of course, I tipped my hat, bowed, and delivered the usual compliments. After uncorking a bottle of champagne, we exchanged pleasantries and talked about our families for more than an hour. I showed her my photograph album and my stamp collection, and she showed me her historic collection of jewels. After a thoroughly entertaining visit, I traded email addresses with Her Majesty and then kissed her goodbye—on the fingertips of her white gloves, of course.

Answer Key

The following paragraph offers sample answers (in bold) to the exercise to compare revisions and style choices when recasting into the future tense.

"Visiting Her Majesty" Recast in the Future Tense

I will travel to London to visit the Queen of England. Being a clever fellow, I will disguise myself as a prince and walk into Buckingham Palace as if I owned it. After receiving directions from a chambermaid, I will step into the Queen's bedroom and surprise Her Royal Highness with a hearty slap on the back. Then, of course, I will tip my hat, bow, and deliver the usual compliments. After uncorking a bottle of champagne, we will exchange pleasantries and talk about our families for more than an hour. I will show her my photograph album and my stamp collection, and she will show me her historic collection of jewels. After a thoroughly entertaining visit, I will trade email addresses with Her Majesty and then kiss her goodbye—on the fingertips of her white gloves, of course.