Register & Nominalisation

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

This is what urban informatics promises: not a smarter city, exactly, but a more honest one. The findings are reliably humbling.

Grammar Reference · Register & Nominalisation

Nominalisation

The introduction of open data changed planning decisions. — verb → abstract noun phrase as subject

Formal register

Authorities demonstrated a tendency to undercount informal transit. — formal verb phrase replaces casual 'kept missing'

Hedging in writing

The findings suggest that bias may have influenced outcomes. — epistemic hedging softens claims

Common error

The introducing of sensors... ✗ → The introduction of sensors... ✓ — gerund ≠ nominalisation

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

1.The city decided to share its data publicly. → of the data changed how residents engaged with local government.

2.Officials failed to count informal transport. → of informal transport distorted the city's planning models.

3.Rewrite in formal register: 'The app helped planners see what was going on.'

4.Rewrite in formal register: 'They pretty much ignored poorer areas.'

5.Add a hedge: 'The algorithm reinforced historical bias.'

6.Add a hedge: 'Open data improves democratic accountability.'

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.Planners kept missing informal transit routes.

2.Sensors help the city see problems faster.

3.The algorithm might have learned from bad data.

4.Residents don't have the same information as the government.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

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