Nominalization
Nominalization is turning a verb or adjective into a noun, which flattens sentences and hides who is doing what. Writers reach for it to sound official, at a cost.
Also known as:
Zombie noun, Abstract noun
What is nominalization?
Nominalization takes a perfectly good verb like "decide" and turns it into a noun like "decision" so the sentence orbits the noun instead of the action. For example, "We reached a decision about the launch" is nominalized, while "We decided when to launch" is direct. The nominalized version looks polished but asks the reader to do more work for the same information.
Nominalized: We reached a decision about the launch of the new feature.
Direct: We decided when to launch the new feature.
Why does nominalization matter?
Nominalization bloats business writing and hides the actor. "The implementation of the new policy was completed" buries the team that did the work. That matters for brand voice, because readers lose trust when content feels bureaucratic. Clear verbs make writing easier to scan, easier to translate and easier to believe. Nominalized prose tends to feel passive even when it is technically active.
How do you use nominalization?
Scan each paragraph for abstract nouns ending in -tion, -ment, -ance or -ence, then rewrite using the verb form.
Keep a nominalized noun when it names a formal concept your audience already knows, such as "depreciation" in accounting.
Add a nominalization rule to your Brivvy brand voice so every draft catches the pattern automatically.
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