Grammar: 🚀 Advanced Grammar Concepts (C1) - Lesson 3: Nominalization - Turning verbs/adjectives into nouns for formal/academic style

🚀 C1 Lesson 3: Nominalization for a Formal Style

As you advance in English, the way you structure your sentences becomes as important as the words you use. One key technique for creating a formal, academic, and objective¹ tone is nominalization². This is the process of turning verbs (actions) and adjectives (descriptions) into nouns (things or concepts).

The Transformation: From Action to Concept

Nominalization shifts the focus of a sentence from people doing things to abstract³ ideas and concepts. We often do this by adding a suffix⁴ to a verb or adjective.

Informal (Verb/Adjective style):

"Because so many tourists visit Siem Reap, it is important that the community protects the ancient temples."

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Formal (Noun style with Nominalization):

"The protection of the ancient temples is of great importance, given the high number of tourist visitations to Siem Reap."

Notice how the second sentence sounds more like it belongs in a formal report or academic paper.

Common Nominalization Patterns

Becoming familiar with these patterns will help you recognize and use a more academic style.

Verb / Adjective	Common Suffix	Resulting Noun
investigate (v)	-ion	investigation
develop (v)	-ment	development
aware (adj)	-ness	awareness
able (adj)	-ity	ability
important (adj)	-ance	importance

A Word of Warning
While nominalization is key to a formal style, overusing it can make your writing very dense⁵ and difficult to read. Good writing uses a balance of different sentence structures. Use this technique to sound more academic, not to sound confusing!

🧠 Practice Quiz: Transform the Words

Rewrite the sentences to be more formal using nominalization.

1. Informal: "We need to analyze the data carefully."
   → Formal: "A careful _______ of the data is required."
   Answer: analysis
2. Informal: "The company grew quickly, which was impressive."
   → Formal: "The rapid _______ of the company was impressive."
   Answer: growth
3. What is the noun form of the verb 'to decide'?
   Answer: decision
4. What is the noun form of the adjective 'resilient'?
   Answer: resilience
5. Which sentence is more typical of academic writing?
   a) "Because the government invested in infrastructure, the economy improved."
   b) "Governmental investment in infrastructure led to an improvement in the economy."
   Answer: b. It uses nominalization ('investment', 'improvement').

📝 Homework: Adopt a Formal Style

Rewrite these informal, verb-based sentences into more formal, noun-based sentences.

1. Because the team collaborated effectively, the project was successful.
   Answer: The team's effective collaboration led to the project's success.
2. We need to understand why the policy failed.
   Answer: An understanding of the policy's failure is necessary.
3. It is important to be resilient when you face difficulties.
   Answer: The importance of resilience when facing difficulties cannot be overstated.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Nominalization: (Noun) - នាមកម្ម (néam'mâ'kâm) - The process of creating a noun from a verb or an adjective. ↩
2. Objective: (Adjective) - អព្យាក្រឹត (âp'pya'krət) - Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; based on facts. ↩
3. Abstract: (Adjective) - អរូបី (â'ru'pi) - Existing as an idea, feeling, or quality, not as a material object. ↩
4. Suffix: (Noun) - បច្ច័យ (pât'chăy) - A letter or group of letters added at the end of a word to form a new word. ↩
5. Dense: (Adjective) - ពិបាកយល់ (pĭ'bak'yŭl) - In writing, meaning crowded with facts and details and therefore difficult to understand. ↩