Avoid Using Nominalisations

A ‘nominalisation’ is a noun made out of a verb.

According to the plainenglish.co.uk it’s “the name of something that isn’t a physical object, such as a process, technique or emotion”.

Let’s look at some examples.

Verb                 Nominalisation
investigate           investigation
depart                   departure
remove                 removal
arrange                 arrangement
complete              completion
introduce              introduction

So why should we avoid them?

Similar to passive verbs, if we use them too much, they make our writing sound dull and more difficult to read.

Instead of writing “We had a discussion about the matter”, write “We discussed the matter”.

Instead of writing, “They made a suggestion”, write “They suggested”.

Instead of writing , “He made an application for British nationality”, write “He applied for British nationality”.

Do you see the difference?

Let’s try and make our writing clearer, more direct and concise! 😀