Page 157 - IELTS Preparation Grammar and Vocab

Nominalisation 22

Grammar

Nominalisation

There has been an increase in the number of people living close to the lake. or The number of people living close
to the lake has increased.
The danger of the situation made it necessary to bring in the army to oversee operations. or The situation was
so dangerous that it was necessary to bring in the army to oversee operations.
We can sometimes use a noun or noun phrase for an idea usually expressed by a verb or adjective. This
process is referred to as nominalisation. It is especially common in formal styles of writing.

An adverb modifying a verb changes to an adjective in a nominalised form:
Scientists noticed a sudden rise in the temperature of the lake. or Scientists noticed that the temperature of the lake
had risen suddenly.
The main noun in a noun phrase is often followed by one or more prepositional phrases:
The industrial development of the area has increased the number of people living near the lake.
There was also a dramatic rise in the level of radon gas in the soil.
We use nominalisation for a number of reasons:
to avoid mentioning the agent (the person or thing that performs the action); for example, if we want to be
impersonal or to make the agent less important Compare
Two days ago the authorities began to evacuate 30,000 people. (agent = the authorities)
Two days ago the evacuation of around 30,000 people began. (no agent mentioned)
to express two clauses more concisely as one clause:
The building of two power stations just a few kilometres away was strongly criticised by environmentalists. or
Two power stations were built just a few kilometres away. This was strongly criticised by environmentalists.
to give a different focus to the sentence. Compare
The provision of temporary shelter in a safe location for those displaced is the army's top priority. (New,
important information is usually placed at the end of the sentence or dause. The focus here is on the army's
top priority.)
Temporary shelter in a safe location for those displaced is being provided, and this is the army's top priority.
(No particular focus: is being provided and the army's top priority are both in 'new information' position in
their clause.)

Ets Do, give, have, make, take + noun
We can sometimes use a form with do/give/have/make/take + noun instead of a verb:
The authorities took immediate action. or The authorities acted immediately.
The decision was made to evacuate the area. or It was decided to evacuate the area.
Often, the do/give/have/make/take + noun patterns are less formal than using a verb alone
When my mother was ill, I had to cook for the family. (more formal)
I had to do all the cooking last week because Mum was away. (less formal)

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