1. Nominalisation
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2. Purpose of Nominalisation
Nominalisation helps achieve a higher degree of abstraction and technicality.
Nominalisation is significant in constructing a distant and abstract world that can be reflected on.
Nominalisation is one of the language choices that enables movement towards highly written texts.
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3. Creating nominalisations
Nominalisations are nouns often formed from verbs (e.g. discover > discovery, achieve > achievement, present > presentation, permit > permission).
describers (e.g. brave > bravery, wide > width, tense > tension),
conjunctions (e.g. because > cause, whereas > difference, if > possibility)
preposition (e.g. during > duration).
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4. Creating nominalisations
From Verbs
Many verbs can be changed into nominalisations by changing the end of the verb
eg. divide > division, pay > payment, sing > my singing
Some do not need change
eg. his diet, the struggle
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5. Nominalisation in Schooling
Nominalisations are used in written and multimodal texts and in teacher talk across all learning areas and in each band.
- Across curriculum (e.g. attention, assessment, co-operation, intelligence, behaviour)
- Mathematics (e.g. length, division)
- Science (e.g. sight, reproduction)
- Society and Environment (e.g. relief, invasion)
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6. Some common nominalisations in Maths
Word
Verb/describer
Nominalisation
deep
describer
verb
addition
distance
multiply
estimation
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7. Some common nominalisations in Maths
Word
Verb/describer
Nominalisation
deep
describer
depth
add
verb
addition
distant
distance
multiply
multiplication
estimate
estimation
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8. Some common nominalisations in the Arts
Word
Verb/describer
Nominalisation
perform
verb
movement
describer
originality
exhibition
surrealism
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9. Some common nominalisations in the Arts
Word
Verb/describer
Nominalisation
perform
verb
performance
move
movement
original
describer
originality
exhibit
exhibition
surreal
surrealism
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10. Understanding Nominalisation
Original Version
Nominalised Versions
They were impressed by how brave she was.
She made an impression because she was brave.
It may not be appropriate to nominalise every possibility
They were impressed by her bravery.
She made an impression by her bravery.
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11. Understanding Nominalisation
Original Version
Nominalised Versions
Jill placed the flowers perfectly on the table.
The coach was amazed by Nina’s brilliant effort.
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12. Understanding Nominalisation
Original Version
Nominalised Versions
Jill placed the flowers perfectly on the table.
Her placement of the flowers on the table was perfect.
The table looked perfect due to Jill’s placement of the flowers.
The coach was amazed by Nina’s brilliant effort.
Nina’s brilliance amazed the coach.
The coach’s amazement was caused by Nina’s brilliance.
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13. Rewriting an example Step 1 Identify the verbs
Students who complete what the school requires can graduate. When they receive their certificate, they can apply for work.
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14. Rewriting an example Step 1 Identify the verbs
Students who complete what the school requires can graduate. When they receive their certificate, they can apply for work.
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15. Rewriting an example Step 2 Nominalise these verbs Complete >
Require >
Graduate >
Receive >
Apply >
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16. Rewriting an example Step 2 Nominalise these verbs
Complete > Completion
Require > Requirement
Graduate > Graduation
Receive > Receipt
Apply > Application
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17. Rewriting an example Step 3
Try to rewrite the text using all nominalisations
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18. Rewritten example
Completion of the school’s requirements can lead to graduation. Upon receipt of their certificate, students can make an application for work.
What other steps were required to rewrite the text?
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19. Other changes Change of verb > can lead to
Change of foregrounding > Completion of the school’s requirements
Longer noun groups > receipt of their certificate
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20. Some considerations
The syntax of the sentence need to change to accommodate the nominalisations (eg. new verb) and as a result the meaning of the sentence may change
It is sometimes necessary to build student’s synonyms for common verbs and describers before they can nominalise them
Not all verbs/describers need to be nominalised
The appropriate level of nominalisation for the job
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21. Building vocabulary prior to nominalisation
She did well in the play.
She performed well in the play.
Her performance in the play was excellent.
Her excellence was shown in her performance.
Her excellence was evident in her performance.
Evidence of her excellence was seen in her performance.
(At what point does nominalisation become cumbersome and inappropriate?)
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22. Building vocabulary prior to nominalisation
He took away the rubbish, because it had to be done.
He took away the rubbish, because it needed to be done.
He removed the rubbish, because it was necessary.
The removal of the rubbish was a necessity.
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23. Understanding Nominalisation
Text A (Spoken comments at a committee meeting)
Hazel: I reckon we can replant the trees along the side of the oval nearest to the main road. It is very noisy on that side and the trees will make it better. I’ll ask the council to see if we can borrow some of their gear to use on the day.
Vy: My husband said we can use his truck if we want to. I can see if my uncle can also lend us some tools.
Text B (Written minutes of the meeting including some of the possible nominalisations)
A proposal was made by Hazel that the revegetation occur along the side of the school’s oval nearest to the main road so that there is a reduction in noise.
Hazel will make a request to borrow equipment from the council.
Vy made the offer to use her husband’s truck and will investigate the possibility of borrowing equipment from her uncle.
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24. Text B on the Register Continuum
Field
Everyday Technical
Tenor
Informal Formal
Mode
Most spoken Most written
Text B
Text B
Text B
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25. Nominalisation changes “packaging’ of information
Texts with lots of nominalisation appear dense and difficult to read because:
Abstractions are named
Noun groups are complex
Relating verbs are used (e.g. contains, are, involves)
“Actors” are removed
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26. Unpacking nominalisations
It is important to be able to “unpack” noun groups containing nominalisations
How could you explain the information below without using nominalisation?
How many sentences does it take?
The dramatic increase of illegal logging in rainforests is of international significance. The reduction of suitable habitat is causing the extinction of some species and a general reduction of biodiversity.
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27. Nominalisation and genres
Nominalisation is an important resource for successful development of factual genres
Used to introduce technical terms in explanations or reports
eg. Heat from the sun causes liquid water to become water vapour. This process is called evaporation.
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28. Nominalisation and genres
Used to foreground the theme of the sentence/clause
eg. When the sun heats the water, it evaporates into steam. Evaporation causes the steam to rise, cool and condense. Condensation into clouds makes the water droplets heavy and they fall to the ground. This is precipitation. Precipitation can be rain, snow or hail.
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29. Nominalisation and genres
Used to organise research and writing
Report eg. Location, Population, Economy
Explanation eg. Causes, Effects, Consequences
Exposition eg. Arguments, Reasons, Factors, Issues
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30. Nominalisation across the ESL Scales8 10 12 14
Understands a
range of common
nominalisations
and uses a limited
examples:
– understands:
movement, your
turn, a good
chance
– uses: height,
happiness
range and uses
a small range
of common
nominalisations:
– adjective:
possible -
possibility, able
- ability
– verb: allow -
allowance,
permit -
permission
Uses a small
range of technical
with varying
degrees of
grammatical
accuracy:
– adjective: high -
height
– verb: evaporate
- evaporation;
expand -
expansion
– conjunction: if -
possibility
range of
increasingly
abstract and
technical
with increasing
confidence:
capable -
capability, risky
- risk
– verb: grow -
growth
Uses confidently
a wide range of
nominalisations,
informal -
informality,
regular -
regularity
– verb: believe -
beliefs, assume
- assumption
– preposition:
during - duration
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31. Professional Learning
The Teaching ESL Students in Mainstream Classrooms (TESMC) course and the How Language Works course both raise teacher awareness of the importance of nominalisation in schooling and build their capacity to explicitly teach it
ESL Regional Consultants also offer training
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