Nominalisation & Modifiers PDF

# Nominalisation - When we turn an adjective or a verb into a noun, we create a **nominalisation**. ## What is a 'verb'? - A verb is a 'doing word'. - The function or 'job' of a verb is: - an action - state - A verb: - shows a physical or mental action - describes a state of b...

# Nominalisation - When we turn an adjective or a verb into a noun, we create a **nominalisation**. ## What is a 'verb'? - A verb is a 'doing word'. - The function or 'job' of a verb is: - an action - state - A verb: - shows a physical or mental action - describes a state of being ## What is an 'adjective'? - An adjective is a 'describing word'. - The function of an adjective is to describe a noun. - An adjective: - describes a proper noun, - describes a common noun, or - describes a pronoun - describes how many, what kind or which one. ## What is a 'noun'? - There are three kinds of nouns: - Common nouns - Proper nouns - Pronouns - **Common noun**: - person - place - idea - thing - **Proper noun** is the name of a: - person - place - thing - **Pronoun noun** is a word used in place of a noun. - It can be the *subject* of the action - "the doer" - It can be the *receiver* of the action - "the object" - Pronouns can be *singular* or *plural* and can show *possessives*, for example: "he gave her his wallet". ## Transform verbs into nouns | Verbs | Nouns | | Verbs | Nouns | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Communicates | | | Composes | | | Concludes | | | Creates | | | Decides | | | Demonstrates | | | Develops | | | Diagnoses | | | Discusses | | | Explores | | | Identifies | | | Indicates | | | Inspires | | | Introduces | | | Investigates | | | Promotes | | | Reflects | | | Represents | | | States | | | Suggests | | | Summarises | | | Sympathises | | ## Possible answers for verb nominalisation | Verbs | Nouns | | Verbs | Nouns | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Communicates | Communication | | Composes | Composition | | Concludes | Conclusion | | Creates | Creation | | Decides | Decision | | Demonstrates | Demonstration | | Develops | Development | | Diagnoses | Diagnosis | | Discusses | Discussion | | Explores | Exploration | | Identifies | Identification | | Indicates | Indication | | Inspires | Inspiration | | Introduces | Introduction | | Investigates | Investigation | | Promotes | Promotion | | Reflects | Reflection | | Represents | Representation | | States | Statement | | Suggests | Suggestion | | Summarises | Summary | | Sympathises | Sympathy | ## Transform adjectives into nouns | Adjectives | Nouns | | Adjectives | Nouns | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Careless | | | Difficult | | | Different | | | Elegant | | | Applicable | | | Intense | | | Hungry | | | Grammatical | | | Nosy | | | Major | | | Eventful | | | Negotiable | | | Neurological | | | Anxious | | | Coastal | | | Dangerous | | | Delightful | | | Doubtful | | | Economic | | | Energetic | | | Harmful | | | Healthy | | ## Possible answers for adjective nominalisation | Adjectives | Nouns | | Adjectives | Nouns | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Careless | Carelessness | | Difficult | Difficulty | | Different | Difference | | Elegant | Elegance | | Applicable | Application | | Intense | Intensity | | Hungry | Hunger | | Grammatical | Grammar | | Nosy | Nose | | Major | Majority | | Eventful | Event | | Negotiable | Negotiation | | Neurological | Neurology | | Anxious | Anxiety | | Coastal | Coast | | Dangerous | Danger | | Delightful | Delight | | Doubtful | Doubt | | Economic | Economy | | Energetic | Energy | | Harmful | Harm | | Healthy | Health | # Modifiers - Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide description in sentences. - They allow writers to take the image they have in their heads and transfer it accurately to the heads of their readers. ## Types of modifiers - A modifier can be a: - **Word**: "Cool and intelligent, Ken is the class hero" - **Phrase**: "The moment Michael saw the ghost, the hair on his hands stood up. (Shows where...) Be very careful with prepositional phrases." - **Clause**: "The girl, whom you spoke to a minute ago, is dead!" ## Modifiers paint a better picture - **Example sentence**: "Stephen dropped his fork". - **Modifier sentence**: "Poor Stephen, who just wanted a quick meal to get through his three-hour biology lab, accidentally dropped his fork on the cafeteria floor, gasping with disgust as a tarantula wiggled out of his cheese omelet, a sight requiring a year of therapy before Stephen could eat eggs again." ## Importance of modifiers - Modifiers can be: - adjectives - adjective clauses - adverbs - adverb clauses - absolute phrases - infinitive phrases - participle phrases - prepositional phrases - **Example**: - adjective = poor - adjective clause = who just wanted a quick meal - adverb = quickly - adverb clause = as a tarantula wiggled out of his cheese omelet - absolute phrase = a sight requiring a year of therapy before Stephen could eat eggs again. - infinitive phrase = to get through his three-hour biology lab - participle phrase = gasping with disgust - prepositional phrase = on the cafeteria floor ## Misplaced modifiers - A **misplaced modifier** is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies/describes. - Misplacement causes sentences to sound awkward, ridiculous, or confusing. ## Consider these examples - The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt. (Is the dog wearing a short skirt?) - The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar. (Does the boy have a spiked collar?) ## Correcting misplaced modifiers - The young girl in a short skirt was walking the dog. - The dog with the spiked collar was chasing the boy. ## Hence, misplaced modifiers are: - words that because of awkward placements, do not describe what the writer intended them to describe. - Always place modifying words as close as possible to what they describe. - Be very careful with: ## Past participle phrase - Place a past participle phrase directly before or after the word it describes. - *Example*: "Angered by the football score, Paul kicked the television in the living room." (Does **Paul** sound angered by the score?) - **Correct**: "Paul, angered by the football score, kicked the television in the living room." ## Adjective clause - Place an adjective clause right after the word it describes. - *Example*: "The landscaper wrestled the old lawnmower that coughed and choked through the long grass." - **Correct**: "The landscaper wrestled the old lawnmower, that coughed and choked through the long grass." ## Try and correct these misplaced modifiers 1. The patient talked about his childhood on the psychiatrist’s couch. 2. The crowd watched the tennis player with swiveling heads. 3. Vonnie put 4 hamburgers on the counter which she was cooking for dinner. 4. Steve carefully hung the new suit that he would wear to his first job interview in the bedroom closet. 5. Anne ripped the shirt on a car door that she made in sewing class. 6. The newscaster spoke softly into a microphone wearing a bulletproof vest. ## You also need to watch the placement of modifiers such as: - almost - even - hardly - nearly - often - only ## Example sentences - "Big Dog almost ran around the yard twenty times". (Does this sentence sound like he ran around the yard or just almost did?) - "He nearly ate a whole box of treats". (Does this sentence sound like he ate a whole box of treats or just nearly did?) ## Correcting sentences - Big Dog ran around the yard almost twenty times. - He ate a whole box of treats. ## Example sentence - "I almost kissed William 20 times a day." (Does this sound like you kissed him twenty times or just almost did?) ## Correcting sentence - I almost kissed William 20 times a day! ## Example sentences - "I nearly napped for 20 minutes during the biology lecture." - "I napped for nearly 20 minutes during the biology lecture." ## Correcting sentences - I nearly napped for 20 minutes during the biology lecture. - I napped for nearly 20 minutes during the biology lecture. ## Example sentences - Only Nadia reads that book. - Nadia only reads that book. - Nadia reads only that book. ## Dangling modifiers - A **dangling modifier** is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically connected to the word or phrase it modifies. ## Examples - Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the stick. - Smashed flat by a passing truck, Big Dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger. ## Correcting sentences - When the stick was thrown in the air, the dog caught it. - Big Dog, smashed flat by a passing truck, sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger. ## How to avoid dangling modifiers 1. Check for modifying phrases at the beginning of your sentences. 2. If you find one, underline the first noun that follows it (the one that is being modified). 3. Make sure the modifier and noun go together logically and rewrite the sentence if they don't. ## Example sentences - Shaving in front of the steamy mirror, the razor nicked Ed's Chin. - While turning over the bacon, hot grease splashed on my arm ## Correcting sentences - Shaving in front of the steamy mirror, Ed nicked his chin with the razor. - While Ed was shaving in front of the steamy mirror, he nicked his chin with the razor. - While turning over the bacon, I was splashed by hot grease. ## Present participle phrase - Place a present participle phrase right before or after the word it describes. - *Example*: "The children ate banana splits dripping with hot fudge and whipped cream." - **Correct**: "The children ate banana splits, dripping with hot fudge and whipped cream." ## To place modifiers correctly, avoid: - **Passive voice verbs** - *Example**: "Typing furiously, Beatrice finished the essay by the 3 p.m. deadline" ## Correcting sentence - Typing furiously, Beatrice is able to finish the essay by the 3 p.m. deadline. ## Try and correct this (dangling modifier): - Dancing on their hind legs, the audience cheered wildly as the elephants paraded by. ## Correcting sentence - As the elephants paraded by, dancing on their hind legs, the audience cheered wildly. # Phrases & Clauses - A **phrase** is a group of words, *without a subject and a verb*, that functions in a sentence as one part of speech. ## Examples - leaving behind the dog - smashing into a fence - before the first test ## Common types of phrases ### 1. Prepositional phrases - contain a preposition and a noun or pronoun called the *object of the preposition*. #### Examples - on the freshly pressed white jacket - beside the driftwood and seaweed - Prepositional phrases can modify adjectives or adverbs. - They are called either **adjective phrases** or **adverb phrases**. #### Adjective phrase - A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun by telling *what kind* or *which one*. #### Examples - For Tom, fame is the only reason for writing. (What kind of reason?) - The lamp on Tom's desk was a Christmas gift. (Which lamp?) #### Adverb phrase - A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb by pointing out *where*, *when*, *in what manner*, or *to what extent*. #### Examples - Wanting to impress Sue, Tom planned to make reservations at an expensive restaurant. (Make reservations where?) - The volcano rumbled in the early morning. (Rumbled when?) - Tom consumed the sundae in short order. (Consumed in what manner?) - The shovel bit deep into the earth. (Deep to what extent?) ### 2. Appositive and appositive phrases - *Appositives* are words placed next to nouns and pronouns to provide additional information. - An **appositive** Is a noun or pronoun placed next to another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or explain it. #### Examples - She did not care for his hobby, running. - My friend Marilyn broke her collarbone. - An **appositive phrase** is a noun or pronoun with modifiers placed next to a noun or pronoun to add information and details. #### Examples - My jacket, a windbreaker, fits well. - I bought a book, an international atlas. - The man gave his wife, his partner for ten years, a beautiful opal ring. - To set up contrasts, appositives and appositive phrases may begin with the word *not*. #### Example - You should leave at seven o'clock, not eight o'clock. - Appositives and appositive phrases can be *compound*. #### Example - The family - Trapp, his wife, and his children - escaped from Austria during World War II. - Two sentences can be combined by turning the information in one sentence into an appositive. #### Example - Two sentences: The fruit was picked. The fruit was sun-ripened pears. - Sentence with appositive phrase: The fruit, sun-ripened pears, was picked. ### 3. Verbal and verbal phrases - A **verbal** is a word derived from a verb but used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. - A verbal with modifiers or a complement is called a **verbal phrase**. - There are three kinds of verbals: - participles - gerunds - infinitives - and the phrases that can be formed around them. ## Participles & Participial phrases - A **participle** is a form of a verb that acts as an adjective. | Kinds of Participles | Forms | Examples | |:---|---|---| | Present Participle | Ends in -ing | His fascinating responses convinced us. | | Past Participle | Ends in -ed, -t, -en | The extended table accommodated more people. | | Perfect Participle | Includes having or having been before a past participle | Having exercised, I rested. | - A **participial phrase** is a participle modified by an adverb or adverb phrase or accompanied by a complement. #### Examples - Burning brightly, the fire lit up the room. - Holding the snake, I felt its cool skin. ## Gerunds & Gerund phrases - A **gerund** is a form of a verb that acts as a noun. - A **gerund phrase** is a gerund with modifiers or a complement, all acting together as a noun. #### Examples - Vaulting is my best event in gymnastics. - Swallowing hurt my sore throat. - Worrying about the deadline prevented the writer from sleeping. - Fishing from the pier is permitted. ## Infinitives & Infinitive phrases - An **infinitive** is a form of a verb that generally appears with the word *to* and acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb. | Kinds of Infinitives | Forms | Examples | |:---|---|---| | Present Infinitives | To plus the base form of a verb | I like to debate. | | Perfect Infinitives | To have or to have been plus a past participle | I would have liked to have gone. | - An **infinitive phrase** is an infinitive with modifiers, a complement, or a subject, all acting together as a single part of speech. #### Examples - The baby wanted to wiggle continuously. - I plan to visit during the afternoon. - The student asked the college to send a catalog. # Clauses - A **clause** is a group of words with *its own subject and verb*. #### Examples: - Since *she* laughs at diffident men. - Because *she* smiled at him. - When the saints *go marching* in. ## Two kinds of clauses ### 1. Independent clauses - Has a subject and a verb and can stand by itself as a complete sentence. #### Examples - The school will be closed on Friday. - I love grammar. ### 2. Subordinate clauses - Also known as "Dependent Clause". - Cannot stand by itself as a sentence; it is only part of a sentence. #### Examples - After the children left for school. - Because I love grammar. ## Kinds of subordinate clauses ### Adjective clauses (relative clause) - An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun by telling *what kind* or *which one*. #### Example - The rug, *which I bought yesterday*, is beige. - I still remember the time *when you broke your arm*. #### Essential adjective clause - Begins with a relative pronoun like *that* or *who*. - It is not set off by commas because it's essential to understanding the sentence. #### Example - The building *that they built in San Francisco* sold for a lot of money. #### Nonessential adjective clause - Begins with a relative pronoun like *which* or *who* and is *set off by commas*. - It is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. #### Example - The building, *which they built in San Francisco* , sold for a lot of money. ### Adverb clauses - An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, adjective, adverb, or verbal. - It does this by pointing out *where*, *when*, *in what manner*, *to what extent*, *under what condition*, or *why*. #### Example - I'll do the laundry *when I'm out of clothes*. - We called *because we were worried about you*. ### Noun clauses - A noun clause is a subordinate clause that acts as a noun in a sentence. #### Example - The boy wondered *if his parents bought him what he wanted for Christmas*. - The dentist treated *whichever patient arrived first*. # The structure of a sentence - Sentences may be classified according to the kind and number of clauses they contain. 1. **Simple sentence**: consists of *a single independent clause*. 2. **Compound sentence**: consists of *two or more independent clauses* joined by *a comma and a coordinating conjunction* or *by a semicolon*. 3. **Complex sentence**: consists of *one independent clause* and *one or more subordinate clauses*. 4. **Compound-complex sentence**: consists of *two or more independent clauses* and *one or more subordinate clauses*. # Example sentences | Sentence Type | Example | |:---|:---| | Simple | I received your letter last week. | | Compound | Either Fran or Dave will sell the tickets. | | Compound | One group addressed the envelopes, and another sorted them by ZIP code. | | Complex | Although the old photograph had faded badly, we could still see many details. | | Compound-Complex | I turned on the heat as soon as we arrived, and now the house is warm. | # Avoiding phrases and clauses fragments - Do not unintentionally capitalize and punctuate phrases, subordinate clauses, or words in a series as if they were complete sentences. ## Examples ### Participial fragment - **Error**: Angered by the injustice of the remark. - **Correction**: Angered by the injustice of the remark, Linda argued with her friend. ### Prepositional fragment - **Error**: With his hand in the cookie jar. - **Correction**: The four-year old culprit was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. ### Noun fragment - **Error**: A hurricane with fierce winds and rain. - **Correction**: A hurricane with fierce winds and rain lashed the coast. ### Verb fragment - **Error**: Will be at the rehearsal today. - **Correction**: I will be at the rehearsal today.