Nomi

linalised forms; do, give, have, ma

ening

You are going to listen

to a radio news report.
Look at the pictures.
What do you t h i n k the
report is ahout?

® 22 Listen and check whether y o u were right. As you listen, number these events i n
the order the repórter mentions t h e m .
a Two power stations were built cióse to Lake Taal.
b People were evacuated f r o m around Lake Taal.
c The Taal volcano erupted and around a hundred people were killed.
d Scientists found that the temperature of Lake Taal was increasing.
e The Taal Emergency Strategy was introduced.
f A state of high alert was declared.
g The Taal volcano erupted and over a thousand people were killed. i

® 2 2 Listen again. Complete each extract f r o m the news report w i t h a n o u n i n the

first space and a preposition i n the second.
1 The J?T£ftk&W!? if! communication cost at least a hundred lives.
2 There has been an the number of people living cióse to
the lake.
3 The the power stations would leave thousands of homes
and businesses without electricity.
4 There was also a dramatic the level of radon gas i n the
soil.
5 Their concerns increased w i t h the thousands of dead fish.
6 Two days ago the around 30,000 people began.

Write new sentences w i t h similar meanings to those i n Exercise 3. I n each case, use a
verb related to the n o u n i n the f i r s t space.
1 CommxtSiüxtion brotar down a n d tWe cosi a t l<zast a Vuxúfcá. !iv<zs.

201
 do, give, have, make, take * n o u n
We can sometimes use a form w i t h do I give I have I make I take + noun instead of a verb:
The authorities took immediate action. or The authorities acted immediately.
1 Nominalisation The decisión was made to evacúate an área of 5 km around the entere lake. or
¡t was decided to evacúate an área of5 km around the entire lake.

There has been anincrease in the number of people living cióse to the lake. or The number of people living cióse to ¡he Often, the do I give I have I make I take + noun patterns are less formal than using a verb alone:
lake has increased. ]0ien my mother was ül, I had to cookfor thefamily. (more formal)
We can sometimes use a noun or noun phrase for an idea usually expressed by a verb. This process is referred to I had to do all the cooking last week because Mum was away. (less formal)
as nominalisation. Common informal alternatives include:
do + the cooking, the gardening, the ironing, the shopping, the washing-up
give + a cali, an explanation, a hug, a kiss, a look, a ring, a shout, a sigh, a warning, a welcome
Nominalised forms can also be used instead of other parts of speech: have + a chut, a drink, afall, afeeling, aguess, influence, a look, résped, a rest, a shower, a slecp,
The danger of the situation made it necessary to bring in the army to oversee operations. or a talk
The situation ivas so dangerous that it was necessary to bring in the army to oversee operations. take + action, aim, a (deep) breath, a decisión, a (quick) glance, a look, shelter, a shower, a walk
or more complex stretches of language: make + an arrangement, an assumption, a comment, contad, a decisión, a discovery, progress, a
Evacuees wül remain in temporary accommodation for the duración ofthe emergeney. or Evacuees recommendation, a start, use (of)
mil remain in temporary accommodation for as long as the emergeney continúes.
A n adverb modifying a verb changes to an adjective i n a nominalised form:
Scientists noticed a sudden ríse in the temperature of the lake. or
Grammar exercises
Scientists noticed that the temperature of the lake had « s e n suddenly.
Noun phrases i n nominalised forms are commonly made up of two nouns w i t h a preposition:
Make these conversations more informal where possible, replacing the parts i n italics
The industrial development ofthe área has increased the number of people living near the lake,
w i t h appropriate do I give I have I make I take + noun forms.
There was also a dramatic ríse in the level of radon gas in the soil.
1 A : Have you (1) washed up yet?
c We use nominalisation for a number of reasons:
B: Tve (2) started on it. But there's such a lot to do, and you know how much I hate i t .
P • to avoid mentioning the agent (the person or thing that performs the action); for example,
if we want to be impersonal or to make the agent less important. Compare: A: Well, I'm going outside to (3) work in the garden.
Two days ago the authorities began to evacúate 30,000 people. (agent = the authorities) B: (4) Shout i f you need any help.
Two days ago the evacuation of around 30,000 people began. (no agent mentioned) A: No, thanks. You just concéntrate on the washing-up!
• to express two clauses more concisely as one clause: 1 á^..Íh&.!W&!C£7VJi> 3
The building of two power stations just a few kilometres away was strongly criticised by
environmentalists. or Two power stations were huilt just a few kilometres away. 'This was 2 4
strongly criticised by environmentalists. 2 A: Well, Tve (1) decided. I ' m going to apply for a job at Raggs.
This is parücularly a feature of a formal style such as in academic writing and newspapers B: Good for you. I (2) feel you'd really get on there.
to give a düíerent focus to the sentence. Compare: A: Tve (3) arranged to see their head of personnel next Friday.
The provisión of temporary shelter in a safe location for those displaced is the army's top B: A n d how w i l l you tell Terry you're thinking of leaving the company?
priority. (New, important information is usually placed at the end of the sentence. The A: Well, i t won't be easy, b u t I suppose I'll just have to (4) breathe deeply and
focus here ¡s on 'the army's top priority'.) (5) explain to him why I want to go.
Temporary shelter in a safe location for those displaced is heingprovided. and this is the
1 4
army's top priority. (no particular focus)
2 5
3

202 203
 Nominalisation

3 A: Did you (1) talk with Natasha about the holiday? 4 The petrol companies have reduced the price of petrol, which is good news for drivers.
B: Yes, I (2) called last night and we (3) chatted about i t then.
A: A n d how did she react when you said we weren't going w i t h her?
5 The council abolished parking charges in the city centre, and as a result shops have
B: She just (4) sighed and said That's okay'. But she was obviously upset.
reported increased business.
1 3
2 4
6 Parent organisations are demanding healthier food i n schools, and this results from
4 A: I'm exhausted. I'm going to (1) shower and (2) rest before we growing concerns about childhood obesity.
(3) cook.
B: I'm pretty tired, too. I ' l l (4) look at what's i n the freezer, or maybe we could eat out?
7 The train will depart half an hour late because of engine problems.
1 3

2 4
8 A new college principal has been appointed, and staff may leave as a consequence.
Rewrite the sentences to remove the agent. Use a nominalised f o r m of the underlined
verb and make any other changes needed.
R Complete the extracts f r o m newspaper arricies using the i n f o r m a t i o n i n the box.
1 The government released the prisoners unexpectedly.
I n each sentence, use a nominalised f o r m .
2 They organised the conference very professionally.
vahjable-beok-s-have disappeared people have responded to its recruitment drive
3 Spectators turned out i n huge numbers for the match.
the English spelling system is complex people are strongly resisting increased taxation
4 The army withdrew the troops immediately. the damage to property is extensive the situation is threatening animal and plant species
5 We need to shake up top management for the company to be successful again.
6 The banks increased interest rates for the third time in two months. 1 Detectives were last night questioning a man about M . d i s a p R e a r a ^ . . . c ^ . a . m m b c r . o f .
7 They agreed on extra funding for the project. .V&lu^lé.books. from the National Library over recent months.

8 The prisoners broke out of the jail during a power cut. 2 'The teaching method we have developed acknowledges , and guides
9 The companies announced the merger last week. children towards a better understanding i n carefully controlled stages.'

10 They decided to postpone the race at the last moment. 3 Hospitals will launch another bid to f i l l 40 more vacancies w i t h experienced nurses.
Last night the Health Minister said was 'excellent', with 7000 calis i n
1 Tne releo.se of Vn¿ prisoners ujas unexpected. / Tnere was an anexpected reléase of
prisoners.
two days.
4 Chínese remedies are rooted i n 4000 years of tradition, but growing Western interest
Rewrite each sentence using a nominalised f o r m at the beginning. Leave out the agent.
in alternative medicines has increased Products confiscated by
1 After scientists identified the H I V virus in the mid-1980s, there were enormous efforts
environmental officers included some using the root and seedpods of a rare orchid.
to produce a vaccine.
5 The extra public spending w i l l need to be paid for and, with borrowing ruled out, that
The identifoatipn of f^e t+IV virus in Vrc rrAri3%üt led +o / resulted in erorrxus
can only mean putting up taxes. Given , this could undermine the
íf.fíTt.?.. t<?. RCíÜÍíííí?. &. .Ví-ír! ^:....
1

government's chances of being re-elected.

2 John is obsessed w i t h cars, and this started when he was quite young.
6 Residents of the south coast are beginning to return to their homes after the recent
severe flooding. However, means that some will be living in
3 The government has expanded the nuclear power programme, but this has been
temporary accommodation for many months.
criticised by opposition politicians.

204 205
 NomiBalisation

B The Maths Gene by Keith Devlin D The Undiscovered Mind by John Horgan
This exercise tests
For those who are mathematically challenged it's How cióse are we to a full understanding of the
grammar from the
rest of the book an attractive notion that everybody possesses a workings of the human brain and of human
Reading a s weii the
a s latent talent for maths and that it is just a question consciousness? If you listened to, and believed,
of finding the right key to access it. Devlin, despite many of those working in the neurosciences, you
You are going to read five reviews of popular science books. Answer the questions thisunij
the title of his book, is not suggesting that there would imagine that answers lay just around the
by choosing from the reviews (A-E). The reviews may be chosen more than once.
is a gene for maths that the Human Genome córner. Not so, according to John Horgan, former
project might identify but he is saying that we journalist on Scientific American and author of
Which review mentions ... ? have a natural ability to do maths, that it exists The End of Science, another witty and provocative
in everybody and there are sound evolutionary examination of the pretensions of some scientists.
1 a recent technological development that has become important for many people
reasons why this is the case. The ability to To all the important questions about the mind
2 scientists who had the ability to imagine the future accurately do maths, clearly, means an ability to handle - what processes in the brain allow us to see,
abstract ideas and relationships and this provides hear, learn, remember, reason, etc - only the
3 an ability to think in general terms
advantages in evolutionary terms. As human most rudimentary answers have been offered. A
4 the unexpected effects of scientific developments language emerged, so also did a new capacity unified theory of consciousness, far from being
5 for abstraction and this formed the foundations just within our grasp, seems a long way off. Our
a scientist who began an área of scientific investigation important today
on which mathematical thought has been built. attempts to heal the troubled mind are equally
6 experiments conducted over a long time with great attention to detail Some readers might find Devlin's account of the hampered by a lack of true understanding.
7 evolution of language debatable but his ideas Using the same mixture of sharp, informativo
an author's view that some people are likely to disagree with
about the nature of our mathematical powers and prose and incisive pen portraits of many of the
8 explanatlons that are basic and undeveloped his practical suggestions about how to improve people involved that characterised The End of
them are constantly stimulating. Science, Horgan has produced another immensely
9 someone whose most influential work was done in the early part of their life
readable study of science, its practitioners and
C Why Things Bite Back by Edward Tenner
10 a book aimed both at people who approve of technology and those who don't their all too human hubris.
Subtitled 'Technology and the Revenge of
11 scientific investigations whose valué was only later understood Unintended Consequences', Tenner's book is an E A BriefHistory ofthe Future by John
entertaining look at the myriad ways in which Naughton
12 a book that both entertains and makes the reader think
advances in science and technology seem to recoil So rapidly has the Internet become an integral
13 an author who combines practical experience with an ability to write well against us. What we gain on the roundabouts we part of many people's lives that it is easy to
lose on the swings. Antibiotics promise reléase forget that only a few years ago it was known
14 a skill that people are born with rather than leam
from the perils of major diseases and end up to the general public, if at all, as a playground
15 a book critícising scientists for making exaggerated claims encouraging microorganisms to develop resistance for nerdy academics and that it is one of the
to them. Widespread use of air conditioning most astonishing of all man's inventions. John
A A Monk and Two Peas by Robin Marantz results in an increase in the temperature Naughton, fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge
published in obscure journals, he was eventually
Henig outdoors, thus requiring further cooling systems. and regular journalist on The Observer and other
led away from science by administrative duties at
The work of an Augustinian monk from Brno American Football safety helmets become more newspapers, has been on the net for many years
the monastery and it was only some years after
laid the foundations of the science of genetics. efficient but this heralds an increase in more himself and is the ideal person to write a history
his death that the significance of his work was
Gregor Mendel was born in what is now the Czech violent play and injuries actually rise. Tenner of what he calis this 'forcé of unimaginable power'.
appreciated. MendePs life was a quiet one, but a
Republic in 1822 and entered the monastery at mounts up the evidence in a book designed to Starting with three little-known visionaries at MIT
very important one to the science of the twentieth
the age of nineteen. In the mid-1840s he began to century. A Monk and Two Peas tells the story very appeal to technophile and technophobe alike. in the 1930s, Naughton traces the story through
conduct a series of experiments with pea plants well, explaining clearly MendePs experiments and And remember, the disaster at Chernobyl was the engineers like Tim Berners-Lee who realised
grown in the monastery garden and he continued drawing out their significance. triggered during a safety test. Ironies like that just their visión, and on into what the future may hold.
these for twenty years. Over this period, by aren't funny. Written with the skill one might expect from a
crossing pea plants which had clear differentiations fine journalist and informed with the knowledge
in height, colour etc and by carefully logging the of an engineering professor, this is among the first
resulte, Mendel was able to formúlate the basic histories of the net but is likely to remain among
principies behind heredity. MendePs work was only the best for some time to come.

206 207
Nominalised forms often have the pattern noun phrase + of + noun phrase. I n six of
the following extracts f r o m the reviews the preposition that filis the gap is of. W i t h o u t
looking back at the reviews, f i n d the two exceptions. What preposition is used i n these?
1 a full understanding the workings of the human brain
2 the foundations the science of genetics
3 advances science and technology
4 the significance his work
5 the knovvledge an engineering professor
6 widespread use air conditioning
7 an increase the temperature outdoors
8 a lack true understanding

Writtng
A new out-of-town shopping centre has
been built near your town. It includes over a
hundred shops, restaurants and a cinema.
You work for your town council. You have been
asked to write a report on the impact of the
centre on transport, on the environment, on
people's shopping habits and on shops and
recreational facilities in the town centre.

Write your report in 300-350 words.

r" , • . ...... .
Writing hints

The task gives you a chance to practise nominalised forms:

the aim of the report, the construction of the out-of-town shopping centre, the increase in
traffic
Useful language
environmental impact, transport facilities, ease ofaccess I easy access,
a significant negativo I positive impact

208