Nominalisation (Nominalización) en el Nivel C2 de Cambridge
La nominalización es un proceso gramatical que implica convertir un
verbo o un adjetivo en un sustantivo, o una cláusula entera en
una frase nominal. Es una característica distintiva del inglés formal y
académico, ya que permite expresar ideas complejas de manera más
concisa y abstracta.
¿Qué es la Nominalización?
Básicamente, es el acto de transformar elementos que normalmente
describirían acciones o cualidades (verbos o adjetivos) en sustantivos.
Ejemplos sencillos:
Verb: The committee decided to approve the project.
o Nominalised: The committee made a decision to
approve the project. (Aquí, 'decided' se convierte en el
sustantivo 'decision').
Adjective: The economic situation is stable.
o Nominalised: There is stability in the economic
situation. (Aquí, 'stable' se convierte en el sustantivo
'stability').
Clause: When people pollute the environment, it causes harm.
o Nominalised: Pollution of the environment causes
harm. (Toda la cláusula se condensa en la frase nominal
'Pollution of the environment').
Cómo funciona la Nominalización (Patrones Comunes):
Hay varios patrones para nominalizar, y a menudo implican cambios
en la preposición o el uso de verbos genéricos como "make", "take",
"give", "have", "do" o "be".
1. Verbo a Sustantivo:
Muchos verbos tienen una forma sustantiva relacionada.
Explain (verb) → explanation (noun)
o Verb: They explained the process.
o Nominalised: They gave an explanation of the process.
Improve (verb) → improvement (noun)
o Verb: The quality improved significantly.
o Nominalised: There was a significant improvement in
quality.
Develop (verb) → development (noun)
o Verb: The city developed rapidly.
o Nominalised: The city underwent rapid development.
Analyse (verb) → analysis (noun)
o Verb: We analysed the data.
o Nominalised: We performed an analysis of the data.
Agree (verb) → agreement (noun)
o Verb: They agreed on the terms.
o Nominalised: They reached an agreement on the terms.
2. Adjetivo a Sustantivo:
Similar a los verbos, muchos adjetivos tienen formas sustantivas
correspondientes.
Responsible (adj) → responsibility (noun)
o Adjective: Everyone is responsible for their actions.
o Nominalised: Everyone has a responsibility for their
actions.
Difficult (adj) → difficulty (noun)
o Adjective: The task was difficult.
o Nominalised: The task presented difficulty.
Stable (adj) → stability (noun)
o Adjective: The prices are stable.
o Nominalised: There is stability in prices.
3. Cláusulas o Frases a Sustantivos:
Aquí es donde la nominalización es más poderosa para la concisión.
When people migrate → human migration
o Original: When people migrate to new countries, they
often face challenges.
o Nominalised: Human migration to new countries often
presents challenges.
That the climate is changing → the belief that the climate
is changing
o Original: Many people believe that the climate is
changing.
o Nominalised: There is a widespread belief that the
climate is changing.
If you cooperate → cooperation
o Original: If you cooperate, the project will succeed.
o Nominalised: Cooperation is essential for the project's
success.
Uso de Verbos "Vacíos" o Genéricos con Nominalización:
A menudo, al nominalizar, el significado principal de la acción se
transfiere al sustantivo, y un verbo más "vacío" o genérico toma el
papel de verbo principal.
To decide → to make a decision
To affect → to have an effect on
To discuss → to have a discussion about
To explain → to give an explanation of
To solve → to find a solution to
To perform → to carry out a performance / to conduct a
performance
Ejemplos Avanzados y Contextos:
Original: The government decided to impose stricter
regulations on environmental pollution.
o Nominalised: The government's decision to impose
stricter regulations on environmental pollution was met
with mixed reactions. (Aquí, 'decided' se convierte en
'decision' y el enfoque se mueve hacia la acción en sí,
'decision', en lugar del acto de decidir del gobierno).
Original: The study showed that there was a strong
correlation between exercise and mental well-being.
o Nominalised: The study demonstrated a strong
correlation between exercise and mental well-being.
(Aquí, 'showed' se convierte en el sustantivo 'correlation',
y 'demonstrated' se usa como el verbo principal).