Academic Nominalization (C1 Grammar)

Nominalization transforms verbs and adjectives into noun forms, making writing more formal and concise. It is a defining feature of academic and professional prose, allowing writers to pack more information into fewer words.

Verb → Noun transformation

Convert main verbs to their noun forms to create more formal, information-dense sentences.

• The researchers analyzed the data → The researchers' analysis of the data...
• The economy expanded rapidly → The rapid expansion of the economy...

Common nominalization suffixes

Learn the standard suffixes: -tion/-sion (analyze → analysis, expand → expansion), -ment (develop → development), -ance/-ence (perform → performance), -ity (complex → complexity).

• implement → implementation
• significant → significance
• correlate → correlation

Common mistakes

• Not "The analyzation of the results was thorough." — say "The analysis of the results was thorough.". The correct noun form of 'analyze' is 'analysis,' not 'analyzation'.

Practise it

When you see a verb-heavy sentence, ask: Can I turn the main verb into a noun? This often makes academic writing more formal and concise.