Nominalization, Base Word Classes, Noun Formation and Recognition of Nominalized Forms for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: Third Term
Week: 1
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: English Language Studies
Curriculum Theme: Grammatical Accuracy
Focal competence: Nominalizing words appropriately
Key competencies/values: Communication; Collaboration; ICT and Digital Competencies; Digital Competencies; Information Literacy
Skills:

• define nominalization

Previous Lesson: Affixation, Base Words, Root Words and Affixes
Topic: Nominalization
Subject Matter: meaning of nominalization, base word classes, forming nouns, recognising nominalized forms

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• define nominalization;
• identify base word classes from which nouns are formed;
• form nouns from verbs and adjectives;
• recognise nominalized forms in sentences.

Affective Domain

• appreciate the importance of nominalization in formal writing;
• participate actively in group activities to nominalize words.

Psychomotor Domain

• construct sentences using nominalized forms;
• correctly transform verbs and adjectives into nouns.

Social Domain

• collaborate effectively with peers to complete nominalization tasks.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Standard English dictionary
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work For The New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• O’Level English Course books
• Standard English dictionary
• Online resources (if available)
• Flash cards with verbs, adjectives, and their nominalized forms
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard
• Markers/Chalk

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson on nominalization is important as it equips students with the ability to transform verbs and adjectives into nouns, enhancing their vocabulary and sentence structure. Mastering nominalization helps students write more formally and concisely, which is a valuable skill for academic and professional communication. It also improves their comprehension of complex texts where nominalized forms are frequently used.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of word classes, specifically nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and be able to identify them in sentences.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Nominalization

Meaning of Nominalization

Nominalization is the process of forming a noun from another word class, typically a verb or an adjective. This transformation allows ideas, actions, or qualities to be treated as things or concepts.

For example:

1. The verb “decide” becomes the noun “decision.”
2. The adjective “happy” becomes the noun “happiness.”

Base Word Classes for Nominalization

Nominalization primarily involves converting words from the following base word classes into nouns:

1. Verbs: Words that describe actions or states of being (e.g., “analyse,” “develop,” “explain”).
2. Adjectives: Words that describe qualities or characteristics of nouns (e.g., “beautiful,” “strong,” “ignorant”).

Forming Nouns from Verbs

Nouns can be formed from verbs by adding suffixes or changing the word structure. Common suffixes include:

1. -tion / -sion:
   1. Educate → Education
   2. Discuss → Discussion
   3. Decide → Decision
2. -ment:
   1. Develop → Development
   2. Agree → Agreement
   3. Employ → Employment
3. -ance / -ence:
   1. Perform → Performance
   2. Exist → Existence
   3. Resist → Resistance
4. -al:
   1. Arrive → Arrival
   2. Propose → Proposal
   3. Refuse → Refusal
5. -ing (Gerunds):
   1. Read → Reading
   2. Swim → Swimming
   3. Write → Writing
6. No change (sometimes):
   1. Run (verb) → Run (noun)
   2. Walk (verb) → Walk (noun)
   3. Hope (verb) → Hope (noun)

Forming Nouns from Adjectives

Nouns can be formed from adjectives by adding suffixes or making slight changes. Common suffixes include:

1. -ness:
   1. Happy → Happiness
   2. Kind → Kindness
   3. Dark → Darkness
2. -ity / -ty:
   1. Able → Ability
   2. Active → Activity
   3. Cruel → Cruelty
3. -dom:
   1. Free → Freedom
   2. Wise → Wisdom
4. -th:
   1. Long → Length
   2. Strong → Strength
   3. Wide → Width
5. No change (for some abstract qualities):
   1. Poor (adjective) → The Poor (noun phrase referring to a group)
   2. Rich (adjective) → The Rich (noun phrase referring to a group)

Recognising Nominalized Forms

To recognise nominalized forms, look for words that:

1. End with common noun suffixes like -tion, -sion, -ment, -ance, -ence, -al, -ness, -ity, -ty, -dom, -th.
2. Function as the subject or object of a sentence, or after determiners (a, an, the) or prepositions.
3. Represent an action, state, or quality as a concept or thing, rather than as an active verb or descriptive adjective.

Examples in sentences:

1. The development of the new vaccine was rapid. (from “develop”)
2. Her happiness was evident to everyone. (from “happy”)
3. The teacher demanded an explanation for the noise. (from “explain”)
4. His arrival at the event caused a stir. (from “arrive”)

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Question and Answer, Group Work, Guided Practice, Individual Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Elicitation/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them to identify the word classes of simple words like “run,” “beautiful,” “book.” The teacher then introduces the idea that words can sometimes change their form and function.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions, identifying word classes.

Learning Point: Review of word classes

Step 2: Meaning of Nominalization

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines nominalization as the process of forming nouns from other word classes, especially verbs and adjectives. The teacher gives simple examples like “decide” to “decision” and “happy” to “happiness” and writes them on the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively, ask questions for clarification, and copy the definition and examples.

Learning Point: Definition of nominalization

Step 3: Base Word Classes

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Identification/Categorisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that verbs and adjectives are the primary base word classes for nominalization. The teacher provides examples of verbs and adjectives and asks students to identify them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify verbs and adjectives from the examples provided by the teacher.

Learning Point: Identifying base word classes

Step 4: Forming Nouns from Verbs

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Formation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains how to form nouns from verbs using common suffixes like -tion, -sion, -ment, -ance, -ence, -al, and -ing. The teacher provides several examples and guides students to form the nominalized versions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practice forming nouns from verbs with the teacher’s guidance and contribute their own examples.

Learning Point: Verb to noun formation

Step 5: Forming Nouns from Adjectives

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Formation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains how to form nouns from adjectives using suffixes like -ness, -ity, -ty, -dom, and -th. The teacher provides examples and guides students through the process.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils practice forming nouns from adjectives, noting the suffix changes.

Learning Point: Adjective to noun formation

Step 6: Recognising Nominalized Forms (Group Work)

Time: 9 minutes

Teaching Skill: Collaboration/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides students into groups and provides flashcards or a list of sentences containing nominalized forms. The teacher guides students to identify the nominalized words and their base word classes.

Pupils’ Activity: Students work in groups to identify nominalized forms and discuss their base words, then share their findings with the class.

Learning Point: Identifying nominalized words

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is nominalization?
2. Give two examples of verbs that can be nominalized.
3. Give two examples of adjectives that can be nominalized.
4. Nominalize the word “explain.”
5. Nominalize the word “kind.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Understanding nominalization

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on the meaning of nominalization, base word classes, and noun formation into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the key points of the lesson, reiterating the importance of nominalization in making writing more concise and formal. The teacher encourages students to pay attention to nominalized forms in their reading.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and ask any final questions.

Learning Point: Nominalization concept reinforced

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Complete the following tasks in your notebook:

1. Nominalize the following verbs:
   1. Argue
   2. Confuse
   3. Observe
   4. Protect
   5. Inform
2. Nominalize the following adjectives:
   1. Weak
   2. Responsible
   3. Punctual
   4. Anxious
   5. Silent
3. Use three of the nominalized words you formed in sentences.

Lesson Keywords

• Nominalization – The process of forming a noun from another word class, usually a verb or an adjective.
• Verb – A word that describes an action, state, or occurrence.
• Adjective – A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.
• Suffix – A morpheme added at the end of a word to form a derivative.
• Base word – The original word from which other words are formed.

Differentiation

For struggling learners: Provide a list of common verbs and adjectives with their nominalized forms for direct matching exercises. Focus on the most common suffixes (-tion, -ness). Allow them to work in pairs for all activities.

For advanced learners: Challenge them to find nominalized forms in newspaper articles or short stories and explain the effect of using the nominalized form instead of the original verb or adjective. Encourage them to create complex sentences using multiple nominalized words.

Suggested Lesson Videos

Search on YouTube for: nominalization english grammar SS1