This exercise will give you practice in working with verb tenses: changing the past forms of verbs to the future tense.
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 tense (will plus the present form of the verb). When you are done, compare your new paragraph with the suggested revision at the bottom of this page.
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 the 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 over an hour. I showed her my photograph album and my stamp collection, and she showed me hers. After a thoroughly entertaining visit, I traded addresses with Her Majesty and then kissed her goodbye--on the fingertips of her white gloves, of course.
"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 the 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 over an hour. I will show her my photograph album and my stamp collection, and she will show me hers. After a thoroughly entertaining visit, I will trade addresses with Her Majesty and then kiss her goodbye--on the fingertips of her white gloves, of course.
