Transcript The Abstract Subject

The Abstract Subject
Anna Zaklis
Audrey Moningka
Colette Webb
Nominalizations :]

Nominalizations are:
 Verbs that have been turned into nouns
Ex. : Megan created a masterpiece.
Megan’s creation is a masterpiece.
Alyssa
Googled this assignment last night.
Alyssa researched this assignment on Google last night.
Martin
danced with Britney Spears last night.
Martin and Britney Spears shared a dance.
Nominalizations Con’t
 Adjectives that have been turned into
Ex. : Tammy went on Pimp My Ride
verbs.
and had her normal car
turned into a modern car.
Tammy went on Pimp My Ride, who modernized her normal
car.
Or
Tammy went on Pimp My Ride and had her normal car
modernized
***Nominalizations are common and easy to produce They
can easily become a trap. They can take away from your
writing.
More Nominalizations…
Something to Remember:
**** Adjectives that turn into verbs almost always
end in IZE.
**** Verbs that turn into nouns almost always end
in IONS.
Nominalizations Con’t:
 Sometimes
nominalizations aren’t so bad…
 Ex: The Governor’s opposition to abortion has caused
many pro-choice organizations to work against his
reelection.
This is softer in wording to say than for example:
*The Governor opposes abortion, which caused many
pro-choice organizations to work against his
reelection.
VeRb PhRaSe OR a CLaUsE…as a
subject


Another source of abstraction is a sentence with a verb phrase or a
clause as a subject rather than the usual noun phrase.
The source of the problem may be that a missing or misplaced
agent.
 Example: The buying of so many action figures and so much toy
cars by children is the result of the popular movie The
Transformers.
• Buying is misplaced and does not fit the context of the
sentence. A better sentence would be:
- Example: The children who are buying so many toy cars and
action figures is a result of the movie Transformers.
Why Teach Your Students:
Shows
them different sentences and
sentence structures.
When they know one word, they end up
knowing more.
Gives them power over their own
vocabulary.
They will become better writers.
How To Teach Them:
 Teach
after they have a clear understanding of
verbs, adjectives, affixes, etc.
 Give them worksheets and have them underline
the affixes such as -ions and
-ize and explain to them the differences in the way
they are used in sentences.
**Be creative: games, worksheets, visuals etc.