Nominalisation: Turn Verbs Into Nouns for Formal, Academic English
Quick Answer
Nominalisation means turning a verb or adjective into a noun. It makes writing sound more formal and academic, and packs more information into fewer words.
Verb: They decided quickly. → Noun: Their quick decision…
Verb: Prices rose sharply. → Noun: There was a sharp rise in prices.
See the Pattern — Verbs and Adjectives Become Nouns
Most nominalisation just swaps the word class. The action or quality stays; the grammar changes:
| Verb / Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| decide | decision |
| analyse | analysis |
| fail | failure |
| expand | expansion |
| happy | happiness |
| difficult | difficulty |
Watch a whole sentence change register:
- Everyday: The company grew, so it hired more staff.
- Formal: The company’s growth led to the recruitment of more staff.
When and Why You Use Nominalisation
Nominalisation is the engine of academic and professional writing. It lets you name an idea and then discuss it, and it sounds objective and formal.
- To sound formal: a decision feels weightier than we decided.
- To pack in information: the rapid expansion of the network says a lot in one phrase.
- To make an idea the topic: once it’s a noun, you can build a sentence around it.
One warning: nominalisation is powerful, but too much of it makes writing heavy and vague. Use it with purpose, not on every verb.
The Rule in One Line: Nominalisation turns a verb or adjective into a noun to make writing more formal and compact.
Real-Life Examples You Will Read and Write
- The introduction of the new law caused widespread debate. (news)
- Our analysis reveals a clear improvement in results. (report)
- The failure of the talks surprised no one. (journalism)
- There has been a significant reduction in costs. (business)
- The discovery changed the field forever. (academic writing)
Notice how each noun becomes the subject you can then say more about. You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.
Three Mistakes to Avoid With Nominalisation
Even skilled writers overdo nominalisation, drowning their sentences in nouns. So if it feels like a balancing act, that’s because it is.
Mistake 1: Overloading a sentence with nouns
✗ The implementation of the reduction of the utilisation of paper…
✓ We cut paper use.
Too many nominalisations make writing heavy and unclear. Keep some verbs alive.
Mistake 2: Choosing the wrong noun form
✗ the analyse of the data
✓ the analysis of the data
Learn the exact noun: analyse → analysis, decide → decision, refuse → refusal.
Mistake 3: Hiding who did the action
✗ A decision was made to close the school. (Who decided?)
✓ The council’s decision to close the school…
Nominalisation can make writing vague. Add the “doer” when it matters.
How to remember: Nominalisation is seasoning, not the whole meal. Name the key idea as a noun, but let the rest of the sentence keep its verbs.
Test Yourself: Turn Verbs Into Nouns
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. Complete the formal sentence: ‘The ___ of the data took two weeks.’
2. Complete: ‘There was a sharp ___ in temperature overnight.’
3. Which sentence uses nominalisation (a noun instead of a verb)?
4. Complete: ‘The committee’s ___ was final.’
5. Rewrite using nominalisation: ‘Scientists discovered a new planet, and this thrilled the world.’ →
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned the single biggest lever for making writing sound academic and formal — and, just as importantly, when not to pull it.
Formal writing has another favourite trick: it often hides the person doing the action entirely. “Experts believe the plan will fail” quietly becomes “The plan is believed to fail.” Do you know how to build these polished, impersonal reporting structures?
Next lesson: Passive Reporting Structures: “It Is Said That…” and “He Is Believed To…”
Source
Cambridge Dictionary — Forming nouns from other words (British Grammar)
My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.