Joy English
Joy English

C2 Grammar

C2Style25 min

Nominalisation in academic style

Turn verbs and adjectives into nouns to make writing denser, more abstract and more formal.

Nominalisation means expressing an action or quality as a noun instead of a verb or adjective. Academic and professional English uses it to pack more information into fewer clauses, to keep the focus on ideas rather than people, and to link sentences by turning the previous idea into the subject of the next.

Clause with a verb or adjectiveNominalised form
Prices rose sharply, which worried investors.The sharp rise in prices worried investors.
Because the river flooded, the village was isolated.The flooding of the river isolated the village.
Scientists disagree about the cause.There is disagreement among scientists about the cause.
People are more aware of the risks.Awareness of the risks has grown.
The system is reliable.The system's reliability is not in doubt.

Because nouns cannot carry tense or logic by themselves, nominalised sentences need a verb that links the ideas: lead to, result in, give rise to, account for, contribute to, stem from. Prepositions also matter: we say an increase in, a demand for, a reliance on, a response to, an awareness of, a reluctance to and a tendency to.

  • The company's rapid expansion worried investors.
  • A growing awareness of the risks has led firms to review their policies.
  • The new rules gave rise to a number of unexpected problems.
  • Reluctance to accept the findings was widespread.
  • The collapse of the talks came as no surprise.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the correct form

Choose the option that completes each sentence correctly.

  1. There has been a marked _____ in the number of people working from home.

  2. Which sentence expresses "Because the river flooded, the village was cut off" in a nominalised form?

  3. The government's _____ on imported fuel has fallen sharply.

  4. A growing _____ of the risks has led companies to review their policies.

  5. The new rules gave _____ to a number of unexpected problems.

  6. The company's rapid _____ worried investors.

  7. Our _____ to the new policy was slow.

  8. Which sentence would be clearest for a general reader?

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the sentence

Type the missing word. The word in brackets shows the verb or adjective the answer comes from.

  1. The committee hesitated, and this delayed the project. → The committee's delayed the project. (hesitate)

  2. Prices rose too fast, which angered residents. → The rapid in prices angered residents. (rise)

  3. Scientists disagree about the cause. → There is among scientists about the cause. (disagree)

  4. The spread of misinformation has to a loss of public trust. (one word)

  5. Teachers must be able to adapt. → Teachers' is vital. (adaptable)

  6. Customers were loyal, so sales stayed steady. → Customer kept sales steady. (loyal)

  7. The increase demand for housing has pushed up rents.

  8. There is a widespread reluctance accept the findings.

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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