Being able to describe a sequence of events is a key requirement in academic writing; it could be describing an experiment; giving the background to a topic; relating an incident. It requires the competent use of discourse markers that signpost the sequence either chronologically or in some other order and the proper sequencing of the tenses of verbs. The narrative in academic papers should normally be impersonal. For example:
In 1991 the EEC first agreed a set of regulations to govern organic farming in the Member States. Those regulations came into force a year later. As soon as the regulatory framework was agreed, many farmers across Europe began the process of conversion from conventional farming to organic farming methods. Subsequently a complete framework to control the production of crops and livestock as well as the importing and processing of foods that would be officially designated ‘organic’ was developed. Now consumers buying products bearing the EC ‘organic’ logo can be assured that the farmer or processor has been through the appropriate inspections and satisfied the requirements of the regulatory scheme.
Note here how adverbial phrases of time guide the reader through the sequence of events and how the tenses of the verb move from past to present and present perfect as the background is brought up to date. The passive voice is used. Use the passive voice when:
it is not important to know who carried out the activity,
the perpetrator is an organization rather than a named individual
it is important to maintain a detached, impersonal point of view.
Exercise for practice in narrative techniques:
Use the key dates and notes to write a brief history of how biotechnological research developed. Ask students to think about how they will combine time references with sequencers; when to use passive voice:
8000 BC. - Farmers settled in one place to cultivate crops
Thousands of years ago - People first learnt to use bacteria to make new and different foods, and yeast and fermentation processes to make wine, beer and leavened bread.
1700s - Identification of many kinds of hybrid plants - the offspring of breeding between two varieties of plants.
1840s - Mendel studied of specific characteristics in various plants that were passed to future plant generations.
1861 - Louis Pasteur defined role of micro-organisms; established science of microbiology.
1900 - European botanists used Mendel's Law to improve plant species .
1950 - Entire plants regenerated from an in vitro culture.
1953 - James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA.
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