STRUCTURE

Aside from language, sentences need to be constructed in such a way that they show a level of
complexity that reflects the sophistication of an academic writer. Combining ideas such as
nominalization and passivation are some ways to achieve structure for academic writing.

In combining ideas effectively, you will need to avoid redundancy and at the same time, make sure that
ideas are packed effectively.

Consider the following examples:

1. The earthquake caused loss of life.

2. The earthquake caused massive property damage.
3. The earthquake changed the landscape of the village.

Though the sentences abovementioned are grammatically correct, they do not possess the
sophistication of academic writing. They can be improved by continuing similar ideas expressing them
through a more complex construction.

Hence, they can be rewritten this way:

1. The earthquake was a disaster that caused loss of life, property damage, and permanent
changes in the landscape.
 There are two ways on how to combine ideas to avoid redundancy and to make the structure
better fit for academic writing.

1. Nominalization - the verbs are made central as they denote action. Transforming verbs into
nouns helps readers focus on the action and not on the doer of the action.

EXAMPLES:

a. The company created software to manage the transactions successfully.

Nominalization: The creation of software to manage transactions was a success.

Explanation:

The verb “created” in the 1st sentence is changed to “creation” making it as a noun in the 2nd
sentence. That’s how nominalization works.

b. The president announced a three-day holiday this September.

Nominalization: The president’s announcement of a three-day holiday this September was released.

c. The mall distributed several free items to consumers in the hope to boost sales.

Nominalization: Distribution of free items for consumers was done in the hope to boost sales.

2. Passive construction - the result of actions are highlighted.

EXAMPLES:

a.) The researchers conducted experiments to validate the hypothesis.

Passive Construction: Experiments were conducted to validate the hypothesis.

Explanation: Experiment/s is the result of what the researchers have done and so in the passive
construction, the result of the action is highlighted making it as the subject of the sentence.

b.) An engineer built a saltwater lamp to help communities with no electricity.

Passive Construction: A saltwater lamp was built to help communities with no electricity.

c.) Several scientists conducted experiment to examine the effects of algae on biodiversity.

Passive Construction: An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of algae on biodiversity