Хьюингс: "was/were to have + past participle is used for things that were expected but didn't actually happen:
I was to have visited my aunt, but she was taken ill (= the visit didn't happen)".
Предложение Харбина: "The book that I was to have begun reading lay unopened on the desk."
Моя трактовка:
Zlatko_Berrin пишет: ↑26 ноя 2020, 20:49 это означает, что от вас ожидалось. что вы начнете книгу, но на самом деле не начали