Nominalisation - Grammar Notes - PDF

# Nominalisation ## What is Nominalisation? When we turn an adjective or a verb into a noun, we create a Nominalisation! **Note:** Adjectives, Nouns, and Verbs are 'Parts of Speech' ## What is a 'verb'? A VERB is a 'doing word'. The function or 'job' of a VERB is: - an action, or - state. Tha...

# Nominalisation ## What is Nominalisation? When we turn an adjective or a verb into a noun, we create a Nominalisation! **Note:** Adjectives, Nouns, and Verbs are 'Parts of Speech' ## What is a 'verb'? A VERB is a 'doing word'. The function or 'job' of a VERB is: - an action, or - state. That is a VERB: - shows a physical or mental action, or - describes a state of being. ### Examples - **Example of a 'physical action':** The student *works* long hours. - **Example of a 'mental action':** She is going but *knows* about that. - **Example of 'state of being':** There *is* more to life than work. ## What is an 'adjective'? An ADJECTIVE is a 'describing word'. The function or 'job' of an ADJECTIVE is: - is to describe a NOUN. That is an ADJECTIVE: - describes a proper noun, - a common noun, or - a pronoun by describing how many, what kind or which one. ### Examples - **Example of a 'how many':** The **five** classmates study at home. - **Example of a 'what kind':** He left for a **long** trip overseas. - **Example of 'which one':** He took **that** road to go to the shop. ## What is a 'noun'? There are: - Common nouns; - Proper nouns; - Pronouns. ### Common Noun A Common Noun is a: - Person - Place - Idea or - Thing. It can be a single word, a group of words or a hyphenated word. ### Examples - **Person:** Girl - **Place:** Ocean - **Idea:** Self-control - **Thing:** Table ### Proper Noun A Proper Noun is the name of a: - Person - Place or - Thing. It is always capitalized. It may be a single word, a group of words or a hyphenated word. ### Examples - **Person:** Josh - **Place:** Library - **Thing:** (the) Brownlow Medal ### Pronoun Noun A Pronoun Noun is a word used in place of a noun(s). It can be as the subject "the doer" of the action or acting as a "receiver" of the action in the object case. Pronouns can also be singular or plural. Possessives show ownership. ### Example - **Subject:** He - **Possessive:** his - **Object:** her He gave her his wallet. ## Transform the 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 | | ## Transform the verbs into nouns Possible answers... | 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 the 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 | | ## Transform the adjectives into nouns Possible answers... | 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. Modifiers allow writers to take the picture that they have in their heads and transfer it accurately to the heads of their readers. ## Modifiers... - It can be a WORD, A PHRASE or A CLAUSE ### Word - **E.g.** 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 - Essentially, modifiers breathe life into sentences. Take a look at this "dead" sentence: Stephen dropped his fork. - **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, and prepositional phrases. The sentence above contains at least one example of each: - **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** Without modifiers, sentences would be no fun to read. Carefully chosen, well-placed modifiers allow you to depict situations with as much accuracy. ## Misplaced Modifiers - A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies/describes. - Because of the separation, sentences with this error often sound awkward, ridiculous, or confusing. Furthermore, they can be downright illogical. ### Consider the unintentional meanings in the following - **The young girl** was walking **the dog in a short skirt.** ### The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar. - You can see what's wrong. The dog isn't "in a short skirt" and the boy doesn't have a "spiked collar." Because the modifier is misplaced, we have to think for a minute before we get the intended meaning. - **The young girl in a short skirt** was walking **the dog.** - **The dog with the spiked collar** was chasing **the boy** ## Misplaced Modifiers - Hence, misplace modifiers are words that because of awkward placements, do not describe what the writer intended them to describe. So to avoid them, place modifying words as close as possible to what they describe. Be very careful with: ### Place a past participle phrase right before or right after the word it describes - **Past participle:** regular = verb + ed; irregular forms vary. - **Angered by the football score,** Paul kicked the television in the living room. - This sounds as if Paul is angered by the football score! ### Place an adjective clause right after the word it describes - An adjective clause begins with a word such as that, which, or who. - The landscaper wrestled the old lawnmower **that coughed and choked** through the long grass. - That makes sense! An old lawn mower can cough and choke! ## Try and Correct this 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, and only. A couple of examples should be enough: - **Big Dog almost** ran around the yard twenty times. - He **nearly ate a whole box of treats.** ## In both sentences--when he "almost ran" and "nearly ate"--nothing happened! He didn't quite get around to doing either thing. What is intended is: - **Big Dog ran around the yard almost** twenty times. - He **ate nearly a whole box of cereals.** - I **almost kissed William 20 times a day!** - I **nearly napped for 20 minutes** during the biology lecture. - I napped **for nearly 20 minutes** during the biology lecture. - **Only Nadia reads that book.** - Nadia **only reads that book.** - Nadia reads **only that book.** # Dangling Modifiers - **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. - The writer has unintentionally said something that he (or she) didn't intend. The dog wasn't "thrown in the air," and Big Dog wasn't "smashed flat." - We can work out what is actually meant. But a reader shouldn't have to work things out. ## So how do you get rid of these? Do the following: 1. **Check for modifying phrases** at the beginning of your sentences. 2. **If you find one, underline the first noun that follows it.** (That's the one that is being modified.) 3. **Make sure the modifier and noun go together logically.** If they don't, chances are you have a dangling modifier. 4. **Rewrite the sentence**. - **When the stick was thrown in the air,** the dog caught it. (Here, the modifying phrase has become a dependent clause. The meaning is clear.) - Big Dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten burger **that had been smashed by a passing truck.** (Again, the phrase has been rewritten as a clause.) - **Shaving in front of the steamy mirror,** the razor nicked Ed's Chin. - **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,** hot grease splashed on my arm. - **While I was turning over the bacon,** hot grease splashed on my arm. - **While turning over the bacon,** I was splashed by hot grease. ## Place a present participle phrase right before or right after the word it describes - **Present participle:** verb + ing - The children ate **banana splits dripping** with hot fudge and whipped cream. - **Good! Now the banana splits are dripping** with hot fudge! ## To place modifiers correctly, avoid passive voice verbs - **Passive voice:** form of be + past participle + by. - **Typing furiously,** Beatrice finished the essay by the 3 p.m. deadline. - **This is logical!** Beatrice can type an essay! ## Try and correct this ^^''' - **Dancing on their hind legs,** the audience cheered wildly as the elephants paraded by. # THE END...NOW YOUR SENTENCES WILL NEVER HAVE UNINTENDED MEANINGS # Phrases and Clauses ## PHRASE - A phrase is a group of words, without a subject and 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** **PREP:** preposition **OBJ OF PRE:** object of preposition - Prepositional phrases modify adjectives or adverbs and are called either adjective phrases or adverb phrases. - **Adjective phrase** is 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** is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an 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** - 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. (with a subject) - I bought a book, **an international atlas.** (with a direct object) - The man gave his wife, **his partner for ten years,** a beautiful opal ring. (with an indirect object) - To set up contrasts, appositives and appositive phrase 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. ### Examples - **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, and infinitives - and the phrases that can be formed around them. ### PARTICIPLES AND 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 complement. ### Examples - **Burning brightly,** the fire lit up the room. - **Holding the snake,** I felt its cool skin. ### GERUNDS AND GERUND PHRASES - A **gerund** is a form of a verb that acts as a noun. ### Examples - **Vaulting** is my best event in gymnastics. - **Swallowing** hurt my sore throat. - A **gerund phrase** is a gerund with modifiers or a complement, all acting together as a noun. ### Examples - **Worrying about the deadline** prevented the writer from sleeping. - **Fishing from the pier** is permitted. ### INFINITIVES AND 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". - A subordinate clause, although it has a subject and a verb, 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** (a.k.a. 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*. An essential clause is not set off by commas. ### 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 set off by commas. ### 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. A **simple sentence** consists of a single independent clause. 2. A **compound sentence** consists of two or more independent clauses joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon. 3. A **complex sentence** consists of one independent clause and one or more subordinated clauses. 4. A **compound-complex sentence** consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses. ### Examples - **Simple Sentence:** I received your letter last week. - **Compound Sentence:** Either Fran or Dave will sell the tickets. One group addressed the envelopes, and another sorted them by ZIP code. - **Complex Sentence:** Although the old photograph had faded badly, we could still see many details. - **Compound-Complex Sentence:** 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.