Nominalizations
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: NOMINALIZATIONS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Nominalization.
That’s one of the more interesting words in English because it embodies its own definition. A nominalization is a noun that created from another part of speech, such as a verb, adverb, or adjective. It comes from the verb "nominalize," which means to make a word into a noun. So that means the word “nominalization” is, itself, an example of the thing it describes: in this case, a verb turned into a noun.
You can usually recognize nominalizations because they commonly end in T-I-O-N (-tion), M-E N-T (–ment), or N-E-S-S (–ness.) So the verb “introduce” becomes the noun “introduction”, the verb “manage” becomes the noun “management” and the adverb “friendly” becomes the noun “friendliness.”
It’s useful to identify nominalizations because they can make your writing wordy and cumbersome. As a general rule of thumb, verbs give your prose more power and are less clunky than nominalizations. But like most rules of thumb in writing, this one has its limits; removing nominalizations is no panacea for wordiness. In fact, trying to delete all nominalizations would make your writing sound silly at times.
So when you notice a nominalization, I suggest you convert it to a verb, adverb, or adjective and then decide what sounds best. Let’s hear how this works. I just said, “decide what sounds best.” I could have said, “make a decision about what sounds best.” It’s “decide” versus “make a decision.” If words are at a premium, or if you want to be forceful, decide is the better choice.
Here’s another example: “Effective prose is achieved through the reduction of thought into perfectly chosen words.” Did you hear the nominalization? It’s the -T -I -O -N word, "reduction."
You can change "reduction" to "reduce." So the revision would be: “Effective prose reduces thought to perfectly chosen words.” Not only is the second sentence less wordy; it’s also easier to understand.
Ironically, I’m using another nominalization to make my point about revision. Did you hear it in what I just said? It’s the word “revision.” Instead of saying “Here is my revision,” I could have turned the word revision into a modifier and said, “Here is my revised version.” But I prefer “revision” to “revised version.” In this case, the nominalization is more concise.
Like I said, there’s no ironclad rule, so use your judgment. Or maybe I should say, “judge for yourself”?
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: NOMINALIZATIONS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Nominalization.
That’s one of the more interesting words in English because it embodies its own definition. A nominalization is a noun that created from another part of speech, such as a verb, adverb, or adjective. It comes from the verb "nominalize," which means to make a word into a noun. So that means the word “nominalization” is, itself, an example of the thing it describes: in this case, a verb turned into a noun.
You can usually recognize nominalizations because they commonly end in T-I-O-N (-tion), M-E N-T (–ment), or N-E-S-S (–ness.) So the verb “introduce” becomes the noun “introduction”, the verb “manage” becomes the noun “management” and the adverb “friendly” becomes the noun “friendliness.”
It’s useful to identify nominalizations because they can make your writing wordy and cumbersome. As a general rule of thumb, verbs give your prose more power and are less clunky than nominalizations. But like most rules of thumb in writing, this one has its limits; removing nominalizations is no panacea for wordiness. In fact, trying to delete all nominalizations would make your writing sound silly at times.
So when you notice a nominalization, I suggest you convert it to a verb, adverb, or adjective and then decide what sounds best. Let’s hear how this works. I just said, “decide what sounds best.” I could have said, “make a decision about what sounds best.” It’s “decide” versus “make a decision.” If words are at a premium, or if you want to be forceful, decide is the better choice.
Here’s another example: “Effective prose is achieved through the reduction of thought into perfectly chosen words.” Did you hear the nominalization? It’s the -T -I -O -N word, "reduction."
You can change "reduction" to "reduce." So the revision would be: “Effective prose reduces thought to perfectly chosen words.” Not only is the second sentence less wordy; it’s also easier to understand.
Ironically, I’m using another nominalization to make my point about revision. Did you hear it in what I just said? It’s the word “revision.” Instead of saying “Here is my revision,” I could have turned the word revision into a modifier and said, “Here is my revised version.” But I prefer “revision” to “revised version.” In this case, the nominalization is more concise.
Like I said, there’s no ironclad rule, so use your judgment. Or maybe I should say, “judge for yourself”?
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]