Things didn't go as they had been expected.

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by LewisJian

Is it correct? Or could/can[will] you say, "Things didn't go as they were expected."

Hi LewisJian,

'will' doesn't sound natural here because it pointedly refers to a real singular event, as if you were asking a friend what they would say.

Since we're dealing with a more general situation, what could/can you say in this situation, 'can/could' sound better.

"Things didn't go as they had been expected" is of course, perfectly correct.

The alternative,

"Things didn't go as they were expected" is also possible but to me it sounds better with the addition of, "to go".

"Things didn't go as they were expected to go".