Norminalization

Lesson Notes

Grammar: Nominalization of Adjectives and Verbs

Nominalization is the grammatical process of forming a noun from another part of speech, usually a verb or an adjective. It is one of the commonest ways in which the English vocabulary is expanded, and it is very useful in formal and academic writing because it allows writers to compress ideas into noun phrases.

MEANING: To 'nominalize' a word means to change it into its noun form, usually by adding a suffix, although in some cases the word changes form completely (an irregular nominalization) or does not change at all (a zero nominalization).

THE PROCESS: Nominalization is achieved mainly by adding suffixes to the base word. Common noun-forming suffixes include: -tion/-sion, -ment, -ness, -ity/-ty, -ance/-ence, -ery/-ry, -th, -al, -age, -hood, -ship, -dom.

• Verb to noun (by suffixation): decide → decision; educate → education; govern → government; argue → argument; discover → discovery; arrive → arrival; marry → marriage; free → freedom.
• Verb to noun (zero/irregular change): to walk → a walk; to run → a run; to fly → flight; to speak → speech; to choose → choice; to sing → song.
• Adjective to noun (by suffixation): happy → happiness; honest → honesty; wide → width; long → length; strong → strength; equal → equality; stupid → stupidity; brave → bravery; loyal → loyalty; humble → humility.
• Adjective to noun (zero/irregular change): warm → warmth; deep → depth; true → truth; proud → pride; young → youth.

NOTE: When a verb or an adjective has been nominalized, the resulting noun can function as the subject or object of a sentence, e.g. 'The government's DECISION surprised many people' (from the verb decide) and 'Her HONESTY is well known' (from the adjective honest).

Oral English: Consonant Sounds – Voiced and Voiceless, Contrast and Correct Production

English consonant sounds are classified according to whether or not the vocal cords vibrate when the sound is produced. There are 24 consonant phonemes in English.

VOICED CONSONANTS are produced with vibration of the vocal cords. They include: /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /ð/ (as in 'this'), /z/, /ʒ/ (as in 'measure'), /dʒ/ (as in 'judge'), /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ (as in 'sing'), /l/, /r/, /w/, /j/.

VOICELESS CONSONANTS are produced without vibration of the vocal cords; only air is pushed out. They include: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/ (as in 'think'), /s/, /ʃ/ (as in 'ship'), /tʃ/ (as in 'church'), /h/.

CONTRASTIVE (MINIMAL) PAIRS help learners distinguish voiced from voiceless sounds because the two sounds share the same place and manner of articulation and differ only in voicing:

• /p/ and /b/: pin – bin; cap – cab.
• /t/ and /d/: tie – die; bat – bad.
• /k/ and /g/: coat – goat; back – bag.
• /f/ and /v/: fan – van; safe – save.
• /s/ and /z/: sip – zip; ice – eyes.
• /θ/ and /ð/: thigh – thy; teeth – teethe.
• /ʃ/ and /ʒ/: pressure – pleasure.
• /tʃ/ and /dʒ/: chain – Jane; batch – badge.

CORRECT PRODUCTION: To test if a sound is voiced, place a finger lightly on the throat (larynx). If vibration is felt while producing the sound, it is voiced; if no vibration is felt, it is voiceless. Learners of English in Nigeria commonly confuse /θ/ and /ð/ with /t/ and /d/ (e.g. pronouncing 'think' as 'tink'), and this should be corrected through deliberate practice and repetition.

Summary: Meaning, Features, Do's and Don'ts

MEANING: A summary is a shortened version of a passage, written in the summarizer's own words, which retains only the essential or main points of the original passage while leaving out illustrations, examples and repetitions.

FEATURES OF A GOOD SUMMARY: (i) It is shorter than the original passage. (ii) It contains only the main/relevant points. (iii) It is written in the writer's own words as much as possible, not copied word-for-word. (iv) It is written in continuous, connected prose, not in note or point form (unless specifically requested). (v) It is grammatically correct and coherent. (vi) It keeps to any word limit given.

DO'S OF SUMMARY WRITING: (i) Read the passage carefully, more than once. (ii) Identify and underline the main points. (iii) Group related points together. (iv) Use your own words (paraphrase) as far as possible. (v) Keep strictly to the number of words/sentences required. (vi) Check that your summary makes sense on its own, without the original passage.

DON'TS OF SUMMARY WRITING: (i) Do not include examples, illustrations or descriptive details. (ii) Do not copy long stretches of the original wording. (iii) Do not add your own opinion or information not found in the passage. (iv) Do not exceed the stipulated word/sentence limit. (v) Do not leave out any major point.

PRACTICE: Using the prepared 250-word passage, students identify the topic sentence of each paragraph, list the main points on the board, and then, working in pairs, compress the points into a continuous paragraph of not more than 80 words.

Vocabulary: Words of the Week

1. BOMBASTIC (adj.) – using long or grand words in order to sound impressive; pompous. E.g. 'The politician's bombastic speech failed to convince the electorate.'
2. DEARTH (n.) – a scarcity or lack of something. E.g. 'There is a dearth of good textbooks in the school library.'
3. HIATUS (n.) – a pause or gap in continuity; a break. E.g. 'After a two-year hiatus, the musician released a new album.'
4. IMPLACABLE (adj.) – unable to be appeased or pacified; relentless. E.g. 'He remained an implacable enemy of corruption.'
5. STINGY (adj.) – unwilling to spend or give; miserly. E.g. 'The stingy landlord refused to repair the leaking roof.'
6. DOUR (adj.) – stern, unfriendly and gloomy in manner. E.g. 'The dour-looking supervisor rarely smiled at his workers.'
7. EBULLIENT (adj.) – cheerful and full of energy; exuberant. E.g. 'The ebullient crowd celebrated the team's victory.'
8. IGNOMINIOUS (adj.) – deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. E.g. 'The army suffered an ignominious defeat.'
9. IMPINGE (v.) – to have an effect on, especially a negative one; to encroach. E.g. 'Loud music from the party impinged on our sleep.'
10. TOME (n.) – a large, heavy book, especially a scholarly one. E.g. 'The professor consulted an ancient tome on Nigerian history.'

Evaluation Questions

1. Define nominalization and give three examples of adjectives converted into nouns.
2. Form the nominal (noun) forms of the following words: decide, honest, free, choose, strong.
3. Distinguish between voiced and voiceless consonants, giving two examples of each.
4. Give three minimal pairs that illustrate the contrast between voiced and voiceless consonant sounds.
5. State four features of a good summary.
6. List three things a student should avoid when writing a summary.
7. Use any five of the following words in sentences of your own: bombastic, dearth, hiatus, implacable, stingy, dour, ebullient, ignominious, impinge, tome.