Nominalisation: synthesis

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

What Maher understood is that the choice between abstract grammar and plain speech is never merely aesthetic. The transformation of the government failed to act into the failure of governmental action to materialise is not stylistic refinement; it is the redistribution of accountability, the migration of agency from a named actor to a diffuse noun phrase that nobody can hold responsible.

Grammar Reference · Nominalisation: synthesis

Nominalise for

The implementation of the policy led to measurable improvements. — distance creates institutional weight

De-nominalise for

The government implemented the policy and results improved. — named actor, clear accountability

Rhetorical register

The redistribution of accountability is not accidental. — noun phrase obscures who is responsible

Common error

The decision's making... ✗ → The making of the decision... ✓ — use of, not possessive

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Nominalisation: synthesis

1.The of a new policy requires cross-departmental cooperation.

2.The committee noted the of the minister to respond to written questions.

3.The of plain language across public institutions took almost two decades.

4.Critics pointed to the of clear information as a strategy to suppress dissent.

5.The of accountability in the final report was widely noted by analysts.

6.Her of the document's language revealed how much agency had been deliberately removed.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.The government decided to reform the system.

2.Officials failed to communicate the risks clearly.

3.Activists resisted the new regulation.

4.The committee approved the proposal after lengthy debate.

5.The agency implemented the changes without consultation.

6.Plain language advocates argued that the law excluded ordinary citizens.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Nominalisation: synthesis01EnglishPlans.com