Nominalisation and the Formal Voice
Academic and formal register — nominalisation and abstract language. Omar writes a letter to the editor about the displacement of independent businesses, demonstrating every move of formal written English.
📖 Reading: A Letter to the Editor
To the Editor,
The recent expansion of large café chains into previously independent neighbourhoods warrants careful consideration.
The displacement of independent businesses by larger operators represents a significant shift in urban commercial culture. The implications of this transformation extend beyond the economic: there is evidence to suggest that the loss of independent spaces has measurable consequences for social cohesion.
The success of establishments such as Café Colibri demonstrates that the creation of community-centred businesses remains possible, even in an increasingly consolidated market.
However, the sustainability of such ventures depends upon a number of factors, not least the availability of affordable commercial rental space and the maintenance of local regulatory support.
The tendency to frame the discussion purely in economic terms obscures the broader cultural significance of independent hospitality. A more holistic analysis — one that incorporates social, cultural, and psychological dimensions — is required.
It is my contention that policy makers should give greater consideration to the preservation of independent commercial spaces. The evidence for the social value of such establishments is considerable, and the consequences of their disappearance deserve fuller acknowledgement.
Yours faithfully,
Omar El-Rashid
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| nominalisation | The process of forming a noun from a verb or adjective | n. — Nominalisation makes writing more formal. |
| warrant | To justify or necessitate | v. — This warrants careful consideration. |
| displacement | The removal of something from its place — from 'to displace' | n. — The displacement of independent businesses. |
| cohesion | The quality of holding together; from 'to cohere' | n. — Social cohesion is measurable. |
| sustainability | The ability to continue over time; from 'sustainable' | n. — The sustainability of these ventures. |
| consolidation | The process of combining into one; from 'to consolidate' | n. — An increasingly consolidated market. |
| contention | A formal assertion or argument; from 'to contend' | n. — It is my contention that… |
| holistic | Treating something as a whole rather than its parts | adj. — A more holistic analysis is required. |
📚 Key Verbs & Structures in This Lesson | |
Nominalise: verb → noun | decide → decision / expand → expansion / transform → transformation |
Formal connectors | Furthermore / Moreover / Nevertheless / In addition / Consequently |
Formal hedges | It is my contention that... / There is evidence to suggest that... |
Impersonal subject | It is argued that... / A holistic approach is required. |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 Nominalisation — Key Patterns | |
verb → -tion noun | expand → expansion / decide → decision / consolidate → consolidation |
verb → -ment noun | develop → development / establish → establishment |
verb → -ance/-ence noun | maintain → maintenance / sustain → sustainability |
adjective → -ity/-ness noun | social → sociality / significant → significance |
Formal Sentence Adverbials
📚 Formal Sentence Adverbials | |
Adding | Furthermore, / Moreover, / In addition, |
Contrasting | Nevertheless, / Notwithstanding this, / Conversely, |
Concluding | Consequently, / Thus, / Therefore, / Hence, |
Conceding | Admittedly, / It must be acknowledged that, |
Impersonal Formal Structures
📚 Impersonal Formal Structures | |
Impersonal it-subject | It is widely argued that... / It appears that... |
Passive voice | A more holistic approach is required. |
Abstract noun subject | The expansion of chains warrants consideration. |
Avoid first person | Use "this analysis" rather than "I think". |
🎭 Dialogue: Formal vs. Informal
Maya is reading Omar's letter and noticing how different it sounds from his speech. Omar explains why: nominalisation makes a personal opinion sound like a considered analysis.
Omar, I read your letter. It sounded very different from how you talk.
That's formal register. I can't write to the editor the way I talk to you.
"The displacement of independent businesses" — you mean "big chains pushing out small ones"?
Exactly. Nominalisation makes it sound more… considered.
And less personal.
That's the point. It's not my opinion — it's an analysis.
But it is your opinion.
It is. But "it is my contention that" sounds more credible than "I think".
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What concern does Omar raise in his letter?
What does Omar say the success of Café Colibri demonstrates?
What two factors does he say sustainability depends on?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
Nominalise: 'The government decided to act.'
Nominalise: 'The company expanded rapidly.'
Nominalise: 'Communities were transformed.'
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model and extend it.
- Student A: Express an opinion on a serious topic in informal, spoken language (3–4 sentences).
- Student B: Rewrite it in formal, academic register using nominalisation and formal connectors.
- Then read both versions aloud. Discuss: which is more convincing? Which is more honest? Which is more appropriate?
- Swap and repeat with a different topic.