Have Your Verbs Become Dull Nouns? The Nominalizations
One of the most common challenges to clarity in legal writing comes from the overuse of nominalizations. These verbs-turned-into-nouns drain the life from sentences and are often a poor choice because
- nouns cannot carry the action in the sentence in the same way a verb can
- the sentence usually ends up with a weak verb
- the passive voice usually pairs up with a nominalization
- more words are needed to support the weak verb
- nominalizations almost always cloud the clarity
Getting rid of most of the nominalizations will instantly improve the clarity and power of your text.
| You can find nominalizations in all their glory by doing a computer search for words ending in: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ment | ion | ence and ance | ure |
| ity | al | ancy and ency | ant and ent |
Be warned: you won’t recognize all nominalizations by their endings. Some nominalizations look exactly the same as the verb; for example, claim, increase, change, use, approach, request, and study. These you will have to find the old-fashioned way: reading each sentence carefully.
| be dependent upon | make a recommendation | ||
| be in violation of | make an argument | ||
| bring suit against | make an assumption | ||
| come to a resolution | make an inquiry | ||
| conduct an analysis | make an objection | ||
| conduct an examination | perform a review | ||
| enter into a settlement | place emphasis on | ||
| give notice | provide an explanation | ||
| make a claim | take into consideration | ||
| make a payment | give a statement | ||
But look what happens when you chop out nominalizations:
- You save words. Relying on nouns means you need to add other words to prop up the sentence.
- Your sentence is almost always clearer, easier to read, and more forceful.
- Your reader can see the action, not just things.
Check out these examples and see how we revised.
| Sentence | Revised |
|---|---|
| The tribunal came to the decision that the applicant was not eligible for employment benefits. (15 words) | The tribunal decided that the applicant was not eligible for employment benefits (11 words) |
| After a lengthy examination of the facts, the conclusion was reached by the judge that the plaintiff gave a false description of his injury. (24 words) | After examining the facts at length, the judge concluded that the plaintiff falsely described his injury. (16 words) |
Bonus: getting rid of the nominalization also eliminates the passive voice.
| Sentence | Revised |
|---|---|
| His client made a claim that his right to privacy was breached by the disclosure of his financial information by the bank. (22 words) | His client claimed the bank breached his right to privacy by disclosing his financial information. (15 words) |
What about the word information? Certain nominalizations just don’t need to changed to a verb. You do not need to contort the sentence just to eliminate a nominalization where it is a common word or standard legal term.
Here are other standard legal terms that you often do not need to change from nouns to verbs:
- litigation
- action
- liability
- discovery
Read and edit these sentences. Decide whether getting rid of nominalizations makes the sentence stronger, and possibly shorter and clearer. Then have a look at how we revised them. Now, go back to your document and find nominalizations you can revise as forceful verbs.
Sentence 1
Nominalizations lead to writers effecting a reduction in the utilization and incidence of verbs.
Word Count:Nominalizations mean writers use fewer verbs. (6 words)
Sentence 2
The intention of Parliament was expressed in the announcement by the Minister that the interpretation of the statute was to be made broadly by the courts.
Word Count:The Minister announced that Parliament intended the courts to interpret the statute broadly. (13 words)
Sentence 3
As per your instructions, an agreement by the parties was signed to achieve the implementation of the terms of reference.
Word Count:As you instructed, the parties agreed to implement the terms of reference. (12 words)
Sentence 4
The assessment of the advisability of the commencement of an appeal must take into account the cost of litigation and the availability of the client's financial resources.
Word Count:We must take into account litigation costs and the client's financial resources. (17 words) We did not change "litigation" because it is a standard legal term that works well as a noun in this sentence.
Sentence 5
Litigation is not always the best option.
Word Count:Litigation is not always the best option. (7 words)
Litigation and options are both standard legal terms and do not need to change in this sentence.