B2 · Module 02 · Class 05 — This Reads Like an Email
Narrative Scene
The First Draft
The term sheet from Apex Capital arrived on Thursday evening. Brian read it twice, made notes in the margins, and sent a summary to James at 11 PM.
By 7 AM the next morning, James had replied. One line: "Good terms. We need a board briefing before we can sign. Draft something by Monday."
Brian spent Saturday writing. He pulled together the background, the terms, the rationale, the next steps. He thought it was clear. He sent it to Priya Sharma, the CFO, for a sense check.
Priya called him that afternoon. Her tone was careful.
"Brian — it is good. You know the material. But this reads like an email to a friend, not a board document. The board will not engage with it the way it is written."
"What do I need to change?"
"The verbs," she said. "You write like you speak. The board reads like they read contracts. I will show you what I mean when we meet tomorrow."
Brian looked back at his draft. He had written: "We met with investors and they are interested. The board needs to approve this before we sign." He could already see it. It sounded like a text message.
Vocabularyboard briefing — a formal document prepared for a company's board of directors summarising a situation and requesting a decision term sheet — a non-binding document setting out the proposed terms of an investment before full legal contracts are drafted nominalization — the process of converting verbs or adjectives into nouns to create a more formal, dense written register register — the level of formality appropriate for a given audience, context, and communication type zombie noun — informal term for a nominalization that has made a sentence unnecessarily complex and difficult to understand pre-money valuation — the value assigned to a company before new investment is added lock-up provision — a contractual restriction preventing investors from selling shares for a specified period after investment annex — a supplementary document attached to the main document, containing supporting detail due diligence — formal investigation of a company's financials, legal structure, and operations by a prospective investor authorisation — formal permission granted by a person or body with the relevant authority to approve an action |
Nominalization
What is nominalization?
Nominalization converts verbs and adjectives into nouns. This does three things in formal writing:
1. It creates density — more information per sentence.
2. It creates distance — actions become things; no-one is doing anything, things are happening.
3. It creates authority — the language sounds like documents, not conversation.
Compare:
Verbal: "The board decided to approve the terms and will implement them next month."
Nominalized: "The board's approval of the terms and their implementation in the following month..."
Key verb and adjective pairs — business vocabulary
Verb | Noun form | Adjective | Noun form |
decide | decision | significant | significance |
implement | implementation | complex | complexity |
analyse | analysis | possible | possibility |
expand | expansion | relevant | relevance |
acquire | acquisition | necessary | necessity |
assess | assessment | available | availability |
require | requirement | effective | effectiveness |
recommend | recommendation | clear | clarity |
approve | approval | strong | strength |
commit | commitment | urgent | urgency |
How nominalization changes sentence structure
Conversational (verbal) | Formal (nominalized) |
"We decided to proceed with the raise." | "A decision to proceed with the raise was taken." |
"The team analysed the market data." | "Analysis of the market data was conducted by the team." |
"We need to expand quickly into three markets." | "The urgency of expansion across three markets necessitates immediate action." |
"The board must approve the terms before we sign." | "Board approval of the proposed terms is required prior to execution." |
A warning: zombie nouns
Nominalization can be overused. When every verb in a sentence becomes a noun, the sentence becomes unreadable.
Zombie noun sentence: "The utilization of the implementation framework for the facilitation of the operationalization of the expansion strategy is under consideration."
What it means: "We are thinking about how to use the framework to run the expansion."
The rule: nominalize to create precision and authority. Do not nominalize to sound impressive. If a qualified reader cannot understand the sentence in one reading, it has gone too far.
Test: can you say it plainly in half the words? If yes — ask whether the nominalized version adds something the plain version does not.
Phrasal Verbs — Formal Writing and Document Reviewset out — to explain or present information in a clear, organised way ("The briefing sets out the key terms of the proposed investment.") sign off on — to give formal written approval to a document or decision ("The CFO will sign off on the financial model before submission to the board.") break down — to separate a total or complex item into its component parts ("Annex A breaks down the GBP 30 million allocation by market and timeline.") |
Register in Practice — NominalizationBoard briefing: "The board's approval of the revised timeline represents a significant milestone in the execution of the expansion programme." Team meeting: "The board approved the new timeline — that is a big step forward for the expansion." Quick message: "Board said yes to the timeline. Expansion moving." Same information. The nominalized version signals: this is a document for the record, not a conversation. |
Priya's Model Board Briefing Section
Read Priya's model board briefing section. Underline every nominalization. Then answer the questions below.
MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGIES — BOARD BRIEFING SUBJECT: Series C Financing — Summary and Approval Request PREPARED BY: Priya Sharma, CFO | DATE: 25 April 2026
1. BACKGROUND Following the successful delivery of the investor presentation on 18 April, Meridian received formal written confirmation of Apex Capital's commitment to lead the Series C round at the full subscription amount of GBP 30 million. The receipt of this confirmation represents a significant milestone in the company's financing trajectory and provides validation of the investment thesis presented to the board at the March 2026 planning session.
2. TERMS OVERVIEW The proposed terms include a pre-money valuation of GBP 120 million, a board seat allocation for Apex Capital, and a 12-month lock-up provision applicable to all new shares. Full analysis of the proposed terms is set out in Annex A. Assessment of the valuation against comparable transactions indicates alignment with current market benchmarks.
3. APPROVAL REQUEST The board's approval of the following is hereby requested: (a) Execution of the term sheet received from Apex Capital on 22 April 2026; (b) Commencement of formal due diligence by both parties; (c) Authorisation of legal counsel to proceed with contract preparation.
Recommendation: approval of all three items at the earliest available board session. |
Comprehension and analysis questions:
1. Count the nominalizations in Section 1 (Background). List them and give the verb or adjective each came from.
2. Priya writes "The receipt of this confirmation represents a significant milestone" rather than "We received confirmation and this is a milestone." What does the nominalized version add — or does it just add length?
Practice Exercises
4 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
We need to assess the competitive landscape before we recommend any strategy. → ___ of the competitive landscape is required prior to any recommendation of strategy.
The team decided to expand into Germany first because the market is ready. → The ___ to prioritise expansion into Germany reflects an assessment of market readiness.
They approved the allocation and will implement the plan in Q3. → Following board ___ of the allocation, implementation of the plan is scheduled for Q3.
It is urgent that we commit to the timeline before other investors pull out. → The ___ of commitment to the proposed timeline is heightened by the risk of investor withdrawal.
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