Using noun phrases in academic, scientific and business contexts. NOMINALIZATION Using noun phrases in academic, scientific and business contexts.

Definition Nominalization is the process of transforming verb phrases into noun phrases. The root “nominal” means “noun”.

These noun phrases help us center a lot of info around a noun These noun phrases help us center a lot of info around a noun. They are specially common in writing and formal speech, which is the case in Business Reports, some presentations, Proposals, Academic and Scientific Discourse.

Verbs as basic parts of speech Some times, we speak in Simple Active Sentences: Sales rose. Unemployment fell.

Nouns as a static version of verbs. These verbs have derived nouns to refer not to a particular action but to the general idea, that is why I have called them “static versions”. A rise A fall Fluctuations

But we might want to add more info A spectacular rise. Wild fluctuations Two unexpected falls Several major crises. So we add adjectives, determiners etc and simple nouns become NOUN PHRASES.(NP)

But even ADJ might not be enough So we add info in prepositional phrases: A spectacular rise IN SALES A dramatic fall IN IMPORTS The cost OF LIVING. A spectacular rise IN the cost OF LIVING. So as you can see Noun Phrases become more and more complex.

And besides the info added in ADJ and PREP PHRASES We can also add RELATIVE CLAUSES (which are sentences inside another sentence or phrase, which are RELATED to the noun which precedes them) The major earthquake that hit Japan in March 2011. The financial and social crisis which Argentina went through in 2001-2002

And Relative Clauses sometimes can be reduced to Participle Clauses. Participles are forms of the verb. There are TWO: Present and Past. The Present Participle takes the form of the ING and is used as or in: 1-Verb in continuous tenses.”Sales are rocketing”. 2-Adjective: “An amazing economic recovery.” 3-Participle Clauses: “The crisis following the devaluation deteriorated conditions for investment:”

And there is also the Past Participle Which is typically found in 1-PERFECT VERB TENSES: “We have passed new legislation.” 2-As an Adjective: “the unparalleled price” 3-In Passive Voice: “The screw is removed using a special tool.” 4-In Participle Clauses: the unparalleled price offered by our competitors”

So we see that… Noun Phrases can transmit a lot of information conveniently “packed” and “compressed” around a noun.

If you read a lot of sentences it is easier to get distracted If you read a lot of sentences it is easier to get distracted. When you get all this info condensed around the noun, it is easier to see that it is all related to the same thing.

Compare: Argentina suffered a crisis. This was a financial crisis. It was also social. This happened in 2001 and 2002. It affected the economy deeply. Too many sentences! By the time you read the last, you have forgotten what the first was about.

Compare now a “nominalized” version: The financial and social crisis which Argentina went through in 2001-2002 deeply affected the economy of the country.

What is important to realize, and this is where analysis comes in as a useful tool, is where the noun phrase begins and ends, what is the subject (remember subject is synonymous with topic, it is what we are talking about) and what is the predicate (basically, what we say about that topic). This will help your comprehension, which is the first reason why you are studying this.

“The new fitness craze they think up make her laugh” For instance: The sentence “The new fitness craze they think up make her laugh” could present difficulties to even advanced students unless they can interpret it correctly.

Maybe it would be easier to think of it as: “The new fitness craze which they think up make her laugh” But we must be aware as advanced users of English that there is a tendency in everyday language to omit whatever elements can be omitted, in this case, “which”.

The second reason why you are studying this, besides to aid comprehension of complex texts, is to help you gain control of this structure so you can employ it in WRITING. As advanced users of Business English, we aim to enable you to add precision and sophistication to your writings by use of these complex constructions.

Descriptive Adjectives NOUN So, What are the elements of NOUN PHRASES? Some of them may not always be present. Determiners Descriptive Adjectives NOUN *Prepositional Phrases, *Relative clauses, *Participle clauses, *Infinitival Clauses A, An, One, both,some, no, several, the,this, these, that, those, ETC Spectacular, significant, sharp, slight, moderate, steady, gradual Rise, fall, jump, fluctuation, variation, increase, decrease, etc In exports Which hit the country. Following the devaluation To follow the devaluation.

CONCLUSION Nominalization is the process of using Noun Phrases. Noun Phrases are complex constructions centered around a Noun, which are commonly found in Business, Science and Academia. Becoming familiar with Noun Phrases will not only enhance your comprehension but also provide you tools to write professionally.