Nominalisation

OR: Turning verbs into nouns

Can I use nominalisation to give my

writing more authority and formality?

Can you change these verbs into their nominalised

(noun) forms?

Advises

Affects

Alludes to

Argues

Builds

Clarifies

Confirms

Connotes

Constructs

Criticises

Conveys

Demonstrates

Denotes

Depicts

Describes

Determines

Displays

Encourages

Emphasises

Establishes

Examines

Exemplifies

Expands

Explains

Explores

Exposes

Foreshadows

Foretells

Highlights

Hints

Illustrates

Impacts

Implies

Indicates

Informs

Introduces

Manifests

Narrates

Persuades

Portrays

Presents

Refers

Relates

Remarks

Represents

Reveals

Shows

Signifies

Symbolises

Suggests

Supports

Typifies

Here are the noun forms!

Advice

Effect

Allusion

Argument

Building

Clarification

Confirmation

Connotation

Construction

Criticism

Conveyance

Demonstration

Denotation

Depiction

Description

Determination

Display

Encouragement

Emphasis

Establishment

Examination

Exemplification

Expansion

Explanation

Exploration

Exposition

Foreshadowing

Foretelling

Highlight

Hint

Illustration

Impact

Implication

Indication

Information

Introduction

Manifestation

Narration

Persuasion

Portrayal

Presentation

Reference

Relation (relationship)

Remark

Representation

Revelation

Show

Significant

Symbol

Suggestion

Support

Type

Your turn:

He was depressed.

She achieved Level 7.

I had to explain myself.

Helen protested against the cuts.

Hugo discussed it with Jasper.

Arsenal and Tottenham hate each other.

I was so hungry.

Green can symbolise life and re-birth.

He had __________.

Her Level 7 was an __________.

They wanted an __________.

Helen went to an anti-cuts _________.

Jasper and Hugo had a __________.

The teams share a __________.

I was suffering from __________.

Green used to be a __________ of

evil.

Have a look at this painting, The Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dalí:

Nominalise the verbs in these sentences:

The floppy clocks represent a world without time.

The ants on the orange clock symbolise decay.

The painting interprets Dalí’s dream.

The floppy clocks are a representation of a world

without time.

The ants on the orange clock are a symbol of decay.

The painting is an interpretation of Dalí’s dream.

Challenge: Can you answer the following questions?

What is a simple definition of a noun?

A a person, place or thing

B an action

C a person

D a time or period

Answer: A a person, place or thing

What is a verb?

A an action word

B an older person

C a thing

D a person, place or thing

Answer: A an action word

Is ‘govern’ a noun?

A Yes

B No

Answer: B No (it’s a verb!)

Verbs often end with –tion or -ment

A True

B False

Answer: B False

What is the noun form of the verb protect?

A protectment

B protecting

C protracting

D protection

E to protect

Answer: D protection

What is the verb of government?

A ‘government’ is a verb already

B govern

C governor

D governm

Answer: B govern

What is the noun form of the verb destroy?

A destructive

B destroyed

C destruction

D destructment

E detrimental

Answer: C destruction

All verbs in English can be changed into nouns

A True

B False

Answer: B False

Challenge:What are the noun (nominalised) forms of these words:

Educate

Arrive

Analyse

Fail

Appear

Develop

Move

Inspire

Answers: Education, Arrival, Analysis, Failure, Appearance, Development, Movement, Inspiration

Challenge: Which of these sentences contains nominalisation?A The temperature of the planet is rising as a result of global warming.

B The rise of the planet's temperature is a result of global warming.

Answer: Sentence B

A The analysis of data showed an increase in obesity rates.

B The data was analysed and showed that obesity rates had increased.

Answer: Sentence A

Challenge: Can you nominalise these sentences?• I counted how many calories I consumed this weekend.

• I counted my calorie consumption this weekend.

• The company decided to expand its market which led to sales increasing.

• The company’s decision to expand its market led to an increase in sales.

Nominalisation

• Change your verbs into nouns!

• Practise!

• Sound clever!

• Get higher grades!