C1 - Lesson 7: Nominalization & Authoritative Style
Writing with Academic Power
At the highest levels of academic and professional communication, writing has a distinct voice—it is formal, abstract, and focused on concepts. The most powerful technique for achieving this voice is nominalization1: the process of turning verbs and adjectives into nouns. Mastering this skill allows you to write dense, authoritative2 texts that demonstrate a high degree of intellectual objectivity3.
What is Nominalization and Why Use It?
Nominalization shifts the focus from actions and actors to concepts and things. Compare these sentences:
- Verb-focused (Less Formal): "The government decided to invest in infrastructure, which caused the economy to grow rapidly."
- Noun-focused (More Formal): "The government's decision to invest in infrastructure led to the rapid growth of the economy."
The second sentence is more formal because it talks about the concepts of "decision" and "growth" rather than the simple actions. This style allows you to pack more information into complex noun phrases.
Common Nominalization Patterns
Nouns are often formed with specific suffixes:
| Suffix | Verb/Adjective → Noun |
|---|---|
| -tion / -sion | implement → implementation, decide → decision |
| -ment | develop → development, assess → assessment |
| -ance / -ence | significant → significance, depend → dependence |
| -ity | responsible → responsibility, complex → complexity |
Transforming Sentences for a Formal Style
- Instead of: "We analyzed the data and discovered a new trend."
Try: "The analysis of the data led to the discovery of a new trend." - Instead of: "It is important that we are aware of the problem."
Try: "Awareness of the problem is of fundamental importance." - Instead of: "Because the community resisted, the project failed."
Try: "The project's failure was a result of community resistance."
Stylistic Note: Nominalization is often paired with the passive voice to enhance objectivity. For example, "An investigation was conducted" sounds more formal and detached than "We conducted an investigation."
Discourse in Action: An Official Report
Notice the heavy use of nominalization in this excerpt from a formal report, which creates an authoritative and objective tone.
"The initial assessment of the program's implementation has revealed several key issues. The primary cause of the project's failure was a lack of sufficient consultation with local stakeholders. This led to a general misunderstanding of the project's goals and widespread community resistance. A full investigation into the decision-making process is therefore recommended. The main implication is that future projects require a more robust framework for community engagement to ensure their successful completion."
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. What is the nominalization (noun form) of the verb "to explain"?
- a) explained
- b) explainable
- c) explanation
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) explanation
2. Which sentence uses nominalization to create a more formal, academic style?
- a) "We concluded that the experiment was successful."
- b) "Our conclusion was that the experiment's success was significant."
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) (It focuses on the concepts of 'conclusion' and 'success' as nouns).
3. Why is nominalization so common in academic and scientific writing?
- a) It makes the writing more personal and exciting.
- b) It creates a more abstract, objective, and formal tone by focusing on concepts.
- c) It uses simpler verbs and is easier to read.
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) It creates a more abstract, objective, and formal tone by focusing on concepts.
edit Your Mission
- Transform the Verbs: In your notebook, write the noun forms (nominalizations) for the following verbs: `to argue`, `to perform`, `to resist`.
- Rewrite for Formality: Take this simple, verb-focused sentence and rewrite it using nominalization to make it sound more academic: "The city developed rapidly, and this surprised the experts."
- The Academic Stylist Challenge: Write a short, formal paragraph (3-4 sentences) about a problem in your city or country. Your mission is to use nominalization at least three times to create an authoritative, objective tone suitable for a formal report.
book Lesson Glossary
- Nominalization (noun) - Khmer: នាមកម្ម (nie-ma-kam) - The process of creating a noun from another word class, typically a verb or an adjective. ↩
- Authoritative (adjective) - Khmer: ដែលគួរឱ្យទុកចិត្ត (dael kuə aoy tuk-chet) - Able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable. ↩
- Objectivity (noun) - Khmer: ភាពមិនលំអៀង (pʰiep min lum-ʔiəng) - The quality of not being influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. ↩