Nominalisation
Turn verbs and adjectives into nouns to write in a concise, academic style: ‘prices increased rapidly’ → ‘the rapid increase in prices’.
In this lesson you will
- Convert verb/adjective phrases into noun phrases
- Use nominalisation to pack information and link ideas
- Avoid over-nominalising
Learn
Nominalisation turns actions and qualities into nouns: The government decided* → the government’s decision; people are unaware → a lack of awareness; prices rose sharply → a sharp rise in prices*.
Why: academic writing prefers it because it’s concise and objective, and nouns can become the subject of a new sentence: Emissions fell. This reduction* was due to…*
Patterns: adverb → adjective (rapidly → rapid), subject → of phrase or possessive (the population grew → the growth of the population / population growth), because clause → due to + noun.
Don’t overdo it: The implementation of the utilisation of resources is heavy. Balance nominalised sentences with clear verbs.
Examples
- Because the population grew rapidly, housing became scarce. → The rapid growth of the population led to a housing shortage.
- People are increasingly aware of climate change. → There is increasing awareness of climate change.
- The company failed, which surprised investors. → The company’s failure surprised investors.
Vocabulary
nominalisation
turning verbs/adjectives into nouns
concise
using few words
objective
impersonal and factual
scarce
not enough
implementation
putting a plan into action
Practice
Nominalise: “Unemployment increased significantly.”
Speaking
Describe three trends in your country in two ways: first with verbs (prices have risen…), then with nouns (there has been a rise in…).
Writing
Rewrite this paragraph in academic style using nominalisation (100–130 words): “Because people are using cars more, the air has become more polluted. Many people are worried, and the government has decided to invest more in trains. If they develop the rail network, people might drive less.”
Lesson quiz
Noun from “grow”:
Review
Key points
- Verbs/adjectives → nouns.
- Adverb → adjective; subject → of/possessive.
- Concise, objective, cohesive.
- Balance: don’t over-nominalise.
What you learned
- ✓ I can nominalise.
- ✓ My academic writing is more concise.
- ✓ I avoid heavy style.
Grammar reference: Sentence structure and word order