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Researchers often use a higher ratio of nouns to verbs than other writers. Consider the following two versions of the same sentence.
The first sentence, which is a verb-style version, uses more verbs and adjectives and fewer nouns, so the emphasis is on actions and events. The second sentence, a noun-style version, uses more nouns and fewer adjectives and verbs, so the emphasis is on concepts and things. This emphasis makes the writing seem more abstract and formal, and, therefore, more academic.
But beware: if the nouns you use are not the concepts on which you wish to focus, or if you use too many concepts, your texts may become dense and difficult to read. Note that in the two examples, many of the concepts are the same but the focus is completely different: the first one is about spaceflight while the second is about improvements in technology.
Be careful not to express the action of a sentence in the form of a noun, a phenomenon known as nominalization. If you do, you may change the focus (because you remove a character from subject position), write sentences with long subjects, or need more words to express your ideas.
In the nominalized sentence above (the first sentence), the focus is on stabilization, the subject is four words long and the whole sentence is 10 words long. In the verb-style sentence, the focus is on compound, the subject is two words long and the whole sentence is seven words long.
In the nominalized sentence above, the focus is on separation, the subject is eight words long and the whole sentence is 16 words long. In the verb-style sentence, the focus is on compounds, the subject is five words long and the whole sentence is 14 words long.
To sum up, express the actions of your sentences with verbs rather than with nominalizations to write more focused, more concise sentences.
 | Spaceflight is now less risky and more economic because technology has improved. |
 | Improvements in technology have reduced the risk and cost of spaceflight. |
The first sentence, which is a verb-style version, uses more verbs and adjectives and fewer nouns, so the emphasis is on actions and events. The second sentence, a noun-style version, uses more nouns and fewer adjectives and verbs, so the emphasis is on concepts and things. This emphasis makes the writing seem more abstract and formal, and, therefore, more academic.
But beware: if the nouns you use are not the concepts on which you wish to focus, or if you use too many concepts, your texts may become dense and difficult to read. Note that in the two examples, many of the concepts are the same but the focus is completely different: the first one is about spaceflight while the second is about improvements in technology.
Be careful not to express the action of a sentence in the form of a noun, a phenomenon known as nominalization. If you do, you may change the focus (because you remove a character from subject position), write sentences with long subjects, or need more words to express your ideas.
| Stabilization of the compound took place early in the experiment. |
| The compound stabilized early in the experiment. |
In the nominalized sentence above (the first sentence), the focus is on stabilization, the subject is four words long and the whole sentence is 10 words long. In the verb-style sentence, the focus is on compound, the subject is two words long and the whole sentence is seven words long.
| Successful separation of four of the five compounds was achieved with a 20 mM borate buffer. |
| Four of the five compounds were successfully separated with a 20 mM borate buffer. |
In the nominalized sentence above, the focus is on separation, the subject is eight words long and the whole sentence is 16 words long. In the verb-style sentence, the focus is on compounds, the subject is five words long and the whole sentence is 14 words long.
To sum up, express the actions of your sentences with verbs rather than with nominalizations to write more focused, more concise sentences.
Recommended citation:
«Avoid nominalizations» [en línia]. A: Llibre d’estil de la Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics. <https://www.ub.edu/llibre-estil/criteri.php?id=3456> [consulta: 20 abril 2024].