在上高中时，老师说：

过去将来：“发生在did的将来”（要找一个did作为参照物）

例句：I told you that I would come back.

现在我在上新*方的新概念二册，老师对“一般过去将来”的说法是：

形式： would do; was/ were going to do

用法： 过去的将来

所以，我的问题是：

1、以高中的说法，我的理解是：句子必须有个“一般过去时”，然后一件事情发生在这个“一般过去时”的动作之后，此件事情使用“一般过去将来”。但是，当我学到新概念二的第七课的一句话：A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds.

我不明白：为什么had told是过去完成时，并不是高中的“要找一个did作为参照物”，却能使用“一般过去将来”？

以下的课文是句子出处：

Lesson 7 Too late 为时太晚

The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamond from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!

2、以新*方老师的说法，我的理解是：句子只需有“一般过去时”、”过去进行时”、“过去完成时”、“过去完成进行时”（即：只要时间是过去，不管哪种状态，我知道所谓的“时态”分成时间和状态排列组合成16种时态），然后一件事情发生在“上述四个时态”的动作之后，此件事情使用“一般过去将来”（备注：其实目前为止，我最深刻的是“一般过去将来”与“一般过去时”和“过去完成时”两种时态搭配使用在间接引语中，虚拟语气除外）。

所以，综上所述，新*方老师的定义：“用法： 过去的将来”，我该怎样十分清晰地理解这个“过去”，具体到这个“过去”是指哪种时态？