Process and functions of nominalization for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: Third Term
Week: 2
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: English Language
Curriculum Theme: Grammatical Accuracy
Focal competence: Nominalizing words appropriately
Key competencies/values: Communication; Collaboration; ICT and Digital Competencies; Digital Competencies; Information Literacy
Skills:

• give examples of nominalized words

Previous Lesson: Prefixes in Affixation
Topic: Nominalization: Process And Functions Of Nominalization
Subject Matter: Process and functions of nominalization

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Define nominalization.
• Identify nominalized words in sentences.
• Explain the process of nominalization.
• State the functions of nominalization in writing.
• Give examples of nominalized words.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of nominalization for clarity and formality in writing.
• Participate actively in group discussions on nominalization.

Psychomotor Domain

• Transform verbs and adjectives into their nominalized forms.
• Construct grammatically correct sentences using nominalized words.

Social Domain

• Collaborate effectively in groups to nominalize words from given texts.

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
• A suitable English Language textbook for SS 1
• 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 · Dictionary
• Course books
• Standard English dictionary
• Online resources
• Flash cards
• Whiteboard and markers
• Charts showing examples of nominalization
• Other relevant materials

Rationale for the Lesson

Understanding nominalization helps students to write more formally, concisely, and academically. It is a crucial skill for improving grammatical accuracy and expressing complex ideas clearly, which is essential for success in higher education and professional communication.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of word classes, specifically nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and how they function in sentences.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Nominalization: Process And Functions Of Nominalization

What is Nominalization?

Nominalization is the process of forming a noun from another word, most commonly from a verb or an adjective. It involves changing a word’s class to a noun, often by adding suffixes, to express an action, quality, or state as a concept or entity.

Examples:

1. Verb “decide” becomes noun “decision”.
2. Adjective “happy” becomes noun “happiness”.
3. Verb “analyse” becomes noun “analysis”.

Process of Nominalization

Nominalization often involves adding specific suffixes to verbs or adjectives. The process can vary depending on the base word.

1. From Verbs: Many verbs can be nominalized by adding suffixes such as -ion, -tion, -ation, -ment, -ance, -ence, -al, -ure, -age, -ing.

   Examples:

   1. Explain → Explanation
   2. Develop → Development
   3. Perform → Performance
   4. Exist → Existence
   5. Arrive → Arrival
   6. Fail → Failure
   7. Marry → Marriage
   8. Read → Reading
   9. Discuss → Discussion
   10. Judge → Judgment

2. From Adjectives: Adjectives are often nominalized by adding suffixes like -ness, -ity, -ce, -cy, -th, -dom.

   Examples:

   1. Happy → Happiness
   2. Able → Ability
   3. Important → Importance
   4. Private → Privacy
   5. Long → Length
   6. Wise → Wisdom

3. Without Suffix Change (Zero Derivation): Some words can function as both verbs/adjectives and nouns without any change in form.

   Examples:

   1. Run (verb) → Run (noun, e.g., “a long run”)
   2. Hope (verb) → Hope (noun, e.g., “full of hope”)
   3. Study (verb) → Study (noun, e.g., “a detailed study”)

Functions of Nominalization

Nominalization serves several important functions in English, particularly in formal and academic writing:

1. To make writing more formal and objective: By converting actions into nouns, the focus shifts from the doer of the action to the action itself, making the text sound more impersonal and authoritative.

   Example:

   1. Less formal: “The committee decided to approve the proposal.”
   2. More formal: “The committee’s decision was to approve the proposal.”

2. To condense information and achieve conciseness: Nominalization allows complex ideas or processes to be expressed in a shorter, more compact form, often combining several clauses into a single noun phrase.

   Example:

   1. Wordy: “When they investigated the problem, they found many issues.”
   2. Concise: “Their investigation of the problem revealed many issues.”

3. To create abstract concepts: It allows for the discussion of actions, qualities, or states as abstract entities, which is common in academic and scientific discourse.

   Example:

   1. “He is able to perform.”
   2. “His ability to perform is impressive.”

4. To link ideas and create cohesion: Nominalized forms can act as subjects or objects in subsequent sentences, helping to connect ideas smoothly and create a coherent flow in a text.

   Example:

   1. “The government implemented new policies. This implementation led to significant changes.”

5. To avoid repetition of verbs or adjectives: Instead of repeating actions, nominalization provides a noun form that can be referred to.

   Example:

   1. “They discussed the issue. The discussion was fruitful.”

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Explanation, Discussion, Question and Answer, Group Work, Guided Practice, Examples.

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 class of “run” in “I run every morning” and “I went for a run.” The teacher then introduces the topic of nominalization as changing words into nouns.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the questions and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Introduction to nominalization

Step 2: Definition of Nominalization

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines nominalization as the process of forming a noun from another word, typically a verb or an adjective. The teacher provides simple examples like “decide” to “decision” and “happy” to “happiness,” writing them on the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, ask questions for clarity, and copy the definition and examples into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Meaning of nominalization

Step 3: Process of Nominalization (Verbs)

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Elaboration/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains how verbs are nominalized, focusing on common suffixes like -ion, -tion, -ation, -ment, -ance, -ence, -al. The teacher provides multiple examples and writes them on the board, encouraging students to suggest more.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify suffixes, give examples, and note down the process and examples.

Learning Point: Nominalizing verbs process

Step 4: Process of Nominalization (Adjectives and Zero Derivation)

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Elaboration/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher continues by explaining how adjectives are nominalized using suffixes like -ness, -ity, -ce, -cy. The teacher also introduces zero derivation with examples like “run” (verb/noun) and “hope” (verb/noun).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, provide examples, and record the information.

Learning Point: Nominalizing adjectives, zero derivation

Step 5: Functions of Nominalization

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the main functions of nominalization: making writing formal, condensing information, creating abstract concepts, linking ideas, and avoiding repetition. The teacher uses clear examples for each function.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, ask questions, and try to understand the practical applications of nominalization.

Learning Point: Functions of nominalization

Step 6: Group Activity and Reinforcement

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Collaboration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides the class into groups and gives each group a short paragraph or a list of verbs and adjectives. The teacher instructs them to identify words that can be nominalized and then nominalize them, discussing the effect on the sentences. The teacher monitors and provides guidance.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in groups to nominalize words and discuss their functions, then share their findings with the class.

Learning Point: Applying nominalization in context

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. How can adjectives be nominalized?
4. State two functions of nominalization in writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Understanding nominalization concepts

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 definition, process, and functions of nominalization into their notebooks.

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

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarization

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reiterates that nominalization is a powerful tool for making writing more formal, concise, and academic, and encourages students to practice using it.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and prepare for the next lesson.

Learning Point: Consolidation of nominalization

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Complete the following tasks in your notebook:

1. Nominalize the following words and use each nominalized form in a sentence:
   1. Observe
   2. Educate
   3. Strong
   4. Argue
   5. Dark
2. Rewrite the following sentences using nominalization to make them more formal or concise:
   1. The government decided to implement new policies.
   2. When they investigated the cause, they found many errors.
   3. He is able to communicate effectively.

Lesson Keywords

• Nominalization – The process of forming a noun from another word, typically a verb or an adjective.
• Suffixes – Letters added to the end of a word to form a derivative.
• Verb – A word that describes an action, state, or occurrence.
• Adjective – A word that describes or modifies a noun.
• Formal writing – Writing that adheres to standard conventions and is often used in academic or professional contexts.
• Conciseness – Expressing much in few words; brevity.

Differentiation

For students who grasp the concept quickly, encourage them to find examples of nominalization in newspaper articles or academic texts and explain their functions. For students needing more support, provide flashcards with common verbs/adjectives and their nominalized forms, and offer more guided practice with sentence transformation exercises.

Suggested Lesson Videos

YouTube search: nominalization english grammar SS1