Nominalisation for Formal Register
Turning verbs into nouns — how formal English gets its distinctive shape.
1. Informal: "They decided to reduce costs." Formal: "A ___ was made to reduce costs."
2. Informal: "The company failed, and this surprised everyone." Formal: "The company’s ___ surprised everyone."
3. Informal: "They will announce the results tomorrow." Formal: "The ___ of the results will take place tomorrow."
4. Informal: "He arrived late, which annoyed the manager." Formal: "His late ___ annoyed the manager."
5. Informal: "The government will implement the policy next year." Formal: "The ___ of the policy will occur next year."
6. Informal: "They analyzed the data carefully." Formal: "A careful ___ of the data was conducted."
7. Informal: "The committee will discuss the proposal." Formal: "A ___ of the proposal will be held by the committee."
8. Informal: "They will develop the new product next year." Formal: "The ___ of the new product will take place next year."
9. Informal: "The board approved the merger." Formal: "The ___ of the merger was given by the board."
10. Informal: "They will investigate the incident thoroughly." Formal: "A thorough ___ of the incident will be carried out."
Answer key — Nominalisation for Formal Register (C2)
- B — decision. Nominalisation turns the verb decide into the noun decision for a more formal register.
- B — failure. The verb fail becomes the noun failure.
- B — announcement. The verb announce becomes the noun announcement.
- B — arrival. The verb arrive becomes the noun arrival.
- B — implementation. The verb implement becomes the noun implementation.
- B — analysis. The verb analyze becomes the noun analysis.
- B — discussion. The verb discuss becomes the noun discussion.
- B — development. The verb develop becomes the noun development.
- B — approval. The verb approve becomes the noun approval.
- B — investigation. The verb investigate becomes the noun investigation.
Practice this live with a tutor
Work through tricky points like this one with an independent English tutor — they'll explain what the answer key can't. No commission, free to browse.
Find a tutor →