Nominalization – Verbs to Nouns
Nominalization in English is when we turn other words, like verbs or adjectives, into nouns. For example, “decide” becomes “decision,” and “quick” becomes “quickness.”
This can make sentences sound more formal or complex. While it’s useful in writing, especially academic or professional, too much can make text hard to read. So, it’s good to balance it out.
Let’s go through a couple more examples.
Verb to Noun
Turning verbs into nouns, or nominalization, is like giving an action its own name. For example, “to run” becomes “a run.” It captures the idea of an action in a thing you can talk about. So, when we say “The run was long,” we’re talking about the action of running as if it’s an object we can measure or describe.
Another example is how the word “laughter” comes from the verb “laugh.” It shows how a simple action can turn into something we can share or experience. This helps us discuss actions as concepts or events. Nominalization makes language more varied, allowing us to express complex ideas more easily.
Before: We analyze data to provide valuable insights.
After: Our analysis of data provides valuable insights.
Adjective to Noun
Turning adjectives into nouns is like giving descriptions their own identities. For example, the nominalization of “happy” becomes “happiness.” It’s a way to talk about the idea or state of being happy as a thing. When we say “Happiness is important,” we’re treating “happy” as something we can have, share, or lose.
There are a lot of adjectives that we can convert to nouns. For example, “strong” becomes “strength”. “Strength” comes from showing how we can turn a trait into something we admire or strive for. Nominalization of adjectives can help emotions become tangible terms.
Before: She was beautiful and this was inspiring to many.
After: Her beauty was a source of inspiration to many.
Verb & Adjective to Noun
Here’s an example of where we turn both a verb and an adjective into a noun. The nominalization makes the sentence sound more focused on the conditions rather than the action itself.
“Failed” becomes “failure,” turning the action of failing into a noun that represents the event or result. “Lazy” transforms into “laziness,” making the quality of being lazy into a concept we can point to as a reason.
So, instead of directly stating the actions and qualities of the person, we talk about the situation and reasons as things. I feel that this way of rewriting can make the explanation feel more objective or detached.
Before: I failed the examination because I was lazy and did not work hard.
After: My failure in the examination was due to laziness and a lack of hard work.
Nominalization in English
Nominalization transforms verbs and adjectives into nouns. It turns actions and descriptions into things we can name, like changing “run” to “a run” or “happy” to “happiness.”
By turning actions into nouns, we can discuss ideas more abstractly. While nominalization adds depth to our conversations, you should use it wisely to maintain clarity.