Nominalisation and Noun Phrases Worksheets
35 worksheets · Advanced grammar
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Nominalisation & noun phrases worksheets
35 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
About Nominalisation & noun phrases
Nominalisation turns verbs and adjectives into nouns so that a process or quality can become the subject or object of a sentence. For example, The government decided to cut taxes, which surprised economists becomes The government's decision to cut taxes surprised economists. The resulting noun phrases are often expanded with pre- and post-modifiers: a significant long-term increase in energy prices.
This is a C1–C2 skill that is central to academic, report and essay writing. Learners struggle to choose the right noun form (analyze → analysis), with the prepositions that follow (an increase in, a reduction of), and with overusing nominalisation so heavily that texts become hard to read.
Here you will find printable nominalisation worksheets with answer keys, which can be printed as PDF or completed online via a class link, focusing on rewriting clauses as noun phrases and building complex noun phrases for academic style.
Teaching tips: Nominalisation & noun phrases
- Give learners a short spoken-style paragraph and ask them to rewrite it in academic style using nominalisation.
- Watch for wrong prepositions after nominalised forms, such as 'an increase of prices' when the intended meaning is 'an increase in prices'.
- Map verb–noun pairs with their prepositions on the board: depend → dependence on, reduce → a reduction in.
- Remind learners that nominalisation should improve clarity, not hide who did what; balance it with active verbs.
Questions teachers ask
Why is nominalisation common in academic writing?
It packs information densely, makes processes the topic of a sentence and gives a more objective, impersonal tone than verbs with personal subjects.
Can nominalisation be overused?
Yes. Long chains of abstract nouns make texts hard to process, so good academic writing balances noun phrases with clear verbs.
Is nominalisation useful for IELTS Writing?
It can help in Task 1 and Task 2, for example a sharp rise in unemployment, as long as the grammar and collocations are accurate.