How did you get on?

It's surprising how many nouns we all use a lot have a more active verb alternative.

More than one way

As you may have noticed, some nouns have more than one equivalent verb. In fact, using this technique often reveals a simpler way of expressing yourself. Turning 'construction' to 'construct' to 'build', for example.

And don't think that you have to change every single nominalisation in your writing. They can sometimes be useful: for example, to refer back to something previously referenced, eg 'The decision is important because...'

But changing the key actions to verbs (and therefore generally revealing who is acting) will make your writing more dynamic, clear and concise. Now that you're practised in recognising the kinds of words you might change, you can do just that.

This technique in action

Download and read the handout below: it shows you exactly how you can change typical sentences containing common nominalisations so they are shorter, clearer and more direct.