What are Nominalizations?
Nominalization is a sophisticated morphological process in which a verb or an adjective is converted into a noun. This process is deeply embedded in formal, academic, corporate, and scientific English. By transforming actions (verbs) or descriptive qualities (adjectives) into concrete noun "things," writers can condense information, establish a more abstract or objective tone, and create dense, complex sentence structures.
Nominalization Structure and Formula
When you nominalize a word, you lift it out of its original role (as an action or description) and place it definitively into a Subject (S) or Object (O) slot in a sentence.
- Original Action Format (S + V + O):
- The team (S) analyzed (V) the data (O).
- Nominalized Format (S + V + O) or (S + V + Subject Complement):
- The analysis (S) of the data was thorough.
- Notice how the verb analyze became the noun analysis. The original subject (the team) can now be dropped entirely to make the statement more objective.
How to Form Deverbal Nominalizations (From Verbs)
Deverbal nominalizations are nouns directly derived from verbs. They usually refer to the action itself, the process, the result, or the agent performing the action.
These are frequently created using specific suffixes:
- -tion / -sion / -ation / -ition: The most common group, creating abstract nouns.
- decide (V) → decision** (Noun)
- inform (V) → information** (Noun)
- compete (V) → competition** (Noun)
- -ment: Indicates an action or result.
- develop (V) → development** (Noun)
- agree (V) → agreement** (Noun)
- -al: Indicates a process or event.
- arrive (V) → arrival** (Noun)
- refuse (V) → refusal** (Noun)
- -ance / -ence: Indicates a state or action.
- perform (V) → performance** (Noun)
- exist (V) → existence** (Noun)
- -ing (Gerunds):
- read (V) → reading (Noun: e.g., "The reading** of the will.")
- Zero Derivation (Conversion): The word becomes a noun with no spelling change.
- to walk (V) → a walk** (Noun)
How to Form Deadjectival Nominalizations (From Adjectives)
Deadjectival nominalizations are nouns birthed from adjectives. They shift a descriptive quality into an abstract concept or state.
- -ness: Highly productive suffix for creating nouns of state/quality.
- happy (Adj) → happiness** (Noun)
- dark (Adj) → darkness** (Noun)
- -ity / -ty: Represents a condition or quality.
- active (Adj) → activity** (Noun)
- generous (Adj) → generosity** (Noun)
- -th: Often involves an internal spelling shift.
- long (Adj) → length** (Noun)
- strong (Adj) → strength** (Noun)
- Zero Derivation (Conversion): The adjective acts as a collective noun.
- the poor (Adj) → the poor** (Noun: representing the group)
Use Cases: Why Use Nominalizations?
Nominalizations are a stylistic choice that changes the "feel" of a sentence.
- Conciseness and Density: They pack multiple ideas into single noun phrases.
- Basic: Because they performed poorly, they lost.
- Nominalized: Their poor performance caused the loss.
- Objectivity: By using a nominalization, you can remove the "doer" (the Subject) of the action, which sounds more scientific or impartial.
- Basic: We investigated the crime perfectly.
- Nominalized: The investigation was perfect.
- Focus on Abstract Concepts: They allow you to discuss ideas as concrete subjects.
- Basic: When people are free, they thrive.
- Nominalized: Freedom allows people to thrive.
How to Tell the Difference Between Overuse and Good Usage
While nominalizations sound professional, overusing them creates "zombie nouns"—heavy, bureaucratic sentences that are physically difficult to read.
- Bad (Overused): "The implementation of the decision for the reduction of taxes will occur." (Too many nouns, weak verbs).
- Good (Active): "The government will implement its decision to reduce taxes." (Strong verbs restored).
Summary & Cheatsheet for Nominalizations
| Type | Origin Point | Common Suffixes | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deverbal | From Verbs | -tion, -sion, -ment, -al, -ance, -ing | Decision, development, arrival |
| Deadjectival | From Adjectives | -ness, -ity, -th, -dom | Happiness, activity, length |
| Zero Derivation | No change | None | A walk, the rich |
💡 Tip: Use nominalizations when you want to sound highly formal or abstract. However, if your writing feels lifeless or overly complicated, "unpack" your nominalizations by turning them back into active verbs!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are nominalizations in English grammar?
Nominalizations are abstract nouns that are derived from either verbs (deverbal) or adjectives (deadjectival). They turn an action or a description into a "thing" or concept you can talk about (e.g., turning the verb to destroy into the noun destruction).
What is a deverbal nominalization?
It is a noun created from a verb root. For instance, taking the verb explain and adding the suffix -tion to create the noun explanation.
What is a deadjectival nominalization?
It is a noun created from an adjective root. For instance, taking the adjective sad and adding the suffix -ness to create the noun sadness, representing the abstract concept of being sad.
Why do academic writers use so many nominalizations?
Academic and scientific writers prefer them because they allow for highly objective language. A nominalization allows the writer to state an action (like an observation) without having to specify exactly who did the observing, which makes the text sound more universal and impartial.