Academic Style: Nouns and Noun Phrases II

Nominalization
Compare:
 Most people would agree that regular exercise is important. (general English)
 There is widespread agreement about the importance of regular exercise. (academic English)

By using nouns (e,g. agreement, importance) rather than verbs or adjectives (e,g. agree, important), actions and states
are turned into abstract concepts. General subjects (e,g. Most people) are often removed, making academic more
impersonal and formal.

Noun phrases
In a noun phrase the additional information can come before the headword, usually an adjective phrase e.g. the most
recent development or after it, as a relative clause, e.g. a development that was not expected.
Noun phrases can function as the subject, object or complement (following verbs like be or seem) of a sentence
 The latest report will be published today. (Subject)
 Did you read the latest report? (Object)
 The figures are in the latest report. (Complement of place)

Noun phrases with ‘of’

Noun phrases linked the preposition ‘of’ are one of the most common types of noun phrases, particularly in Academic
English, e.g. the importance of regular exercise. Very often these phrases are replaced in general English by simple noun
phrases: the cost of living > the living cost. Other typical examples include: a point of view, the rate of change, parts of
the world, one of the most important, and the main purpose of the study
1. Underline all the noun phrases with of in the text. Then say which ones act as the subject, object or complement
of the sentence.

In coastal areas of Senegal, the gradual disappearance of the mangrove forest

has caused great damage, particularly for fishing, while the quality of farmland
has also deteriorated, owing to rising concentrations of salt. But last year, a
process of regeneration began. During the rainy season, teams of volunteers
planted 6.3m mangrove seed pods over an area of about 1,260 hectares. The
scheme, which took months of preparation, far exceeded its goal, and plans for
next year’s campaign are already in hand.

Forming noun phrases

To convert verbal expression into a noun phrase, the verb must be changed into its noun form and any adverb must be
changed into an adjective.