Turning verbs and adjectives into nouns (B2 Grammar)

Formal and academic writing often names an action with a noun instead of a verb. A very common pattern is to add -ment or -tion to the verb.

Make a noun from a verb

• develop → the development of the project
• improve → a clear improvement in results
• introduce → the introduction of the new rule
• Not "The develop of the project was fast." — say "The development of the project was fast.". After the, you need the noun form: development, not the verb develop.
• Try it: The report describes the recent ___ of the city center. (development / develop / developness) Answer: development — After "the recent", you need a noun, and develop adds -ment: development. "Develop" is still the verb, so it cannot follow "the" here. "Developness" is not a real word; the ending for this one is -ment.

Make a noun from a describing word

You can also turn a describing word into a noun. Many describing words ending in -ant or -ent have a noun in -ance or -ence (important → importance, different → difference). A few don't, so check new ones.

• important → the importance of education
• different → a big difference in price
• confident → her quiet confidence
• Not "The important of sleep is clear." — say "The importance of sleep is clear.". After the, use the noun importance, not the describing word important.
• Try it: There is a clear ___ between the two plans. (difference / different / differentness) Answer: difference — After "a clear", you need a noun, and different ends in -ent, so it becomes -ence: difference. "Different" is still the describing word. "Differentness" is not used; the noun is difference.

Nouns that don't follow the pattern

Some common verbs and describing words make their noun in an irregular way — with no neat -tion, -ment, or -ance/-ence ending. Learn these as whole words: they appear often in formal and academic writing.

• fail → failure (a failure to reply)
• arrive → arrival (on arrival at the airport)
• choose → choice (a difficult choice)
• lose → loss, prove → proof, die → death
• Not "His fail to reply caused problems." — say "His failure to reply caused problems.". There is no word failness or failation; the noun of fail is the irregular failure, which you learn by heart.
• Try it: Some nouns don't follow a neat ending. His ___ to hand in the work on time caused problems. (failure / failness / failation) Answer: failure — A few common ones are worth learning by heart: fail → failure, arrive → arrival, choose → choice. "Failness" and "failation" copy endings from other words, but the real noun here is failure.