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Beware of nominalizations (AKA zombie nouns) - Helen Sword

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Few mistakes sour good writing like nominalizations, or, as Helen Sword likes to call them, zombie nouns. Zombie nouns transform simple and straightforward prose into verbose and often confusing writing. Keep your nouns away from elongating nominalizations!

The Ecclesiastes passage is filled with concrete language, but it also contains abstract nouns such as race, battle, riches, time, and chance. How do these abstract nouns differ from nominalizations in their effect on the reader?

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Meet The Creators

  • Animator Bran Dougherty-Johnson
  • Sound Designer Hatfarm
  • Educator Helen Sword
  • Narrator Helen Sword

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