4.5 Grammar in Use

A factual account of past events relies on certain grammar. Here we focus on the past tenses, reported speech, and the passive voice — all used throughout this chapter.

1. Past tenses

History is told mostly in the past tense. Three forms appear again and again:

  • Simple past — a completed action: He led his men into battle.
  • Past continuous — an action in progress in the past: The enemy was advancing as the sun rose.
  • Past perfect — an action completed before another past action: By the time reinforcements arrived, Major Sharma had laid down his life.

Practice. Choose the correct form:

  1. When the main attack came, the company (defended / had already defended) the smaller one.
  2. While he (directed / was directing) the fire, a shell struck his position.
  1. had already defended   2. was directing

2. Reported (indirect) speech

The chapter quotes Major Sharma’s actual words (direct speech). To report them, we usually shift the tense back, change pronouns, and drop the quotation marks.

Direct: He said, “I shall not withdraw an inch.” Reported: He said that he would not withdraw an inch. (shall → would; I → he)

Practice. Report: He said, “We are heavily outnumbered.”

He said that they were heavily outnumbered. (are → were; we → they)

3. The passive voice

In the passive voice, the focus moves to the action or its receiver rather than the doer — very common in factual writing, especially for honours and events.

Active: The government awarded him the Param Vir Chakra. Passive: He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra (by the government).

Notice the pattern: object becomes subject + form of “to be” + past participle (+ by …).

Practice. Make passive: “The enemy attacked the small company.”

The small company was attacked (by the enemy).

4. Connectors of time and sequence

To narrate events in order, the account uses time connectors: first, soon, shortly thereafter, by then, just a few minutes later, finally. These keep a long sequence of events clear for the reader.

Quick check For storytelling about the past: use simple past for the main events, past continuous for the background “while” actions, and past perfect for what had happened earlier. Use the passive when the action matters more than the doer.