Originally published by Wayne Schiess.
A nominalization is a noun that could have been a verb.
For example, when nominalized, the verb pay becomes payment. To function as a verb, the noun payment needs help, so we write make a payment. Legal writing is full of these nominalized constructions:
- enter a settlement > settle
- bring suit against > sue
- provide an explanation > explain
- achieve a reduction > reduce
- conduct an analysis > analyze
Nominalizations are so common in legal writing that experts have coined plainer terms:
Nominalizations aren’t wrong, just wordy. We lawyers like them, I think, because they sound serious and formal. But when you have a choice, the plain verb form is always more concise than the nominalized form. What’s more, the verb form is more energetic. So when you implement a revision (revise) for nominalizations, you get vigor as well as concision.
Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.
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