Practice
Nominalisation: turn ideas into noun phrases
Sign in to saveThe committee decided to postpone the meeting. The committee's decision to postpone the meeting was announced later. Both sentences describe the same event, but the second sentence treats the decision as a thing that can be named and discussed.
Recognize nominalisation and choose a noun phrase when it makes the subject, object, or focus of a sentence clearer.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The company's expansion created new roles. /ðə ˈkʌmpəniz ɪkˈspænʃən kriˈeɪtɪd njuː rəʊlz/
The short answer
Use nominalisation when you need to name an action, quality, or idea as the subject or object of a sentence. For example, change "The company expanded" into "the company's expansion" when the expansion itself is the topic.
The company's expansion created new roles.
Why it works: Expansion is a noun made from expand. It names the event, so the sentence can say what the event created.
5 more examples
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The manager's refusal of the request caused disappointment.
Refusal names an action. The phrase of the request tells us what the manager refused.
Not this:The manager
refusedthe request, and the staff were disappointed. What changes: The verb form shows who acted and what happened afterward in two direct clauses. -
The availability of quiet rooms matters to many guests.
Availability is a noun from available. It names the quality of being available.
Not this:Quiet rooms
are availableto many guests. What changes: This form states the condition directly instead of making the condition the topic. -
The reduction in delivery time pleased customers.
Reduction names a change. In delivery time tells the reader what became shorter.
Not this:The service
reduceddelivery time. What changes: The verb form makes the service the actor, which is useful when responsibility matters. -
The fact that the road was closed changed our route.
The fact that introduces a noun phrase built from a whole clause. The closure becomes the subject of changed.
Not this:Because the road
was closed, we changed our route. What changes: Because gives the reason directly and keeps we as the subject of the main action. -
Their careful preparation led to a calmer presentation.
Preparation names the work done before the presentation. Careful describes the noun.
Not this:They
prepared carefully, so their presentation was calmer. What changes: The verb and adverb show the people and their action more directly.
Read the full guide
Start with the meaning you need to foreground. If the action itself matters, a noun can put it in the subject position: "The repair took two days." If the person or organization doing the action matters more, keep the verb: "The technicians repaired the lift in two days." Choose the form that makes the relationship between the people, action, and result easiest to read.
Name the action when it is the topic
Use a noun when you want to discuss an action itself. This is useful when the action has a result, a cause, or a time that you want to describe. The verb decide can become the noun decision.
The decision to postpone the meeting upset several participants.
Decision is the topic here. The phrase to postpone the meeting tells us what the decision was about.
Turn the action in this sentence into the topic: The board approved the plan yesterday.
For example: The board's approval of the plan came yesterday. Approval names the action.
Build nouns from verbs and adjectives
Some word families have familiar noun forms. Improve becomes improvement, possible becomes possibility, and kind becomes kindness. Learn each noun with its word family because the spelling and ending can change.
The improvement in battery life made the device easier to use.
Improvement names the positive change. In battery life identifies what changed.
The possibility of a later train gave us more time.
Possibility is the noun related to possible. The of phrase explains the possible situation.
Choose the noun from responsible: responsibility or responsibleness?
Use responsibility. English uses responsibility for the duty or state of being responsible.
Keep the actor visible when needed
A noun phrase can leave out the person who acted. Sometimes that is fine because the actor is already known. When responsibility matters, add a possessive or an of phrase so the reader can see who performed the action.
The engineer's inspection found a loose connection.
The possessive engineer's tells us who inspected the equipment. Without it, the sentence would not identify the actor.
The inspection of the equipment took an hour.
Of the equipment identifies the thing inspected. It does not tell us who did the inspection.
Which phrase names the actor clearly: the review of Maya or Maya's review?
Use Maya's review when Maya did the reviewing. The review of Maya means that someone reviewed Maya.
Use clause nominalisation for information
You can also turn a whole statement into a noun phrase. That clauses and the fact that clauses often package information so it can become the subject or object of another verb.
That the files were missing surprised the legal team.
The whole that clause acts as the subject of surprised. It names the information that caused the reaction.
We discussed the fact that the deadline had moved.
The fact that clause is the object of discussed. It lets the writer refer to the whole situation.
Complete the sentence with a noun phrase: ___ the shop was closed caused a delay.
Use The fact that: The fact that the shop was closed caused a delay.
Choose the clearest form for the sentence
Nominalisation can help a writer connect ideas, but it can also create long, vague phrases. Read the sentence aloud and ask whether the reader can identify the actor and action quickly. A direct verb often works better for instructions, stories, and short messages.
The team reviewed the proposal before the meeting.
This direct version tells us who acted and what they did. It is easy to follow.
The team's review of the proposal happened before the meeting.
This version is useful when the review itself is the topic, but it is longer.
Which version is clearer for a short instruction: Make a payment now or Complete the payment now?
Use Make a payment now. It names a clear action without adding an abstract noun.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a nominalisation when an action, quality, or idea needs to function as a named thing in the sentence. Check whether the noun phrase has enough information, such as an actor, object, or result. If the sentence becomes heavy or hides the actor, return to a verb and make the action direct.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Nominalisation: turn ideas into noun phrases"
What is nominalisation in English?
Nominalisation uses a noun or noun phrase for an action, quality, or idea. For example, decision names the act of deciding, and availability names the state of being available. This can let the action or quality become the subject or object of a sentence.
The company's expansion created new roles.
How do I form nouns for nominalisation?
Many English nouns are related to a verb or adjective, but their spelling varies. Common pairs include improve and improvement, decide and decision, and responsible and responsibility. Learn the noun with its word family and a full example instead of relying only on an ending.
The company expanded and created new roles.
When should I use a nominalisation?
Use one when the action, change, quality, or idea is the part you want to discuss. A noun phrase can help you describe its cause, result, time, or effect. Keep a verb when the actor and action are more important than the abstract idea.
The manager's refusal of the request caused disappointment.
Can nominalisation hide the person who acted?
Yes. A phrase such as the inspection of the equipment tells us what was inspected but may not name the inspector. Add a possessive, such as the engineer's inspection, or use a direct verb when the reader needs to know who carried out the action.
The manager refused the request, and the staff were disappointed.
Why can too much nominalisation be hard to read?
Several abstract nouns in one phrase can make it hard to see who did what. If a sentence has a long phrase such as the implementation of a review, try using direct verbs and clear subjects. The clearer choice depends on whether the action or the event is the sentence's main topic.
The availability of quiet rooms matters to many guests.