Make main character the subject

Make important actions the verb

Abstract nouns tend to end in:: tion, ment, ence

3.1

Many voters oppose nuclear power plants because they believe the plants threaten human health.

3.2

Analyze, suggest, express, decrease, emphasis, belief, approach, fail, improvement, explain, attempt,
compare, intelligent, increase, describe, conclude, definition, thorough, accurate, clarity, evaluation,
discussion, appear, carefulness, examination.

How to diagnose: ignoring introductory phrases, underline the first seven or eight words

Did you underline abstract nouns that are simple subjects

Did you reach beyond seven or eight words before getting to a verb

Analyze:

Who’s the main character, what’s the action

Rewrite

Make use of because, if, when, although, why, how, whether, or that

Common patterns:

Subject of empty verbs such as be, seems, has: the intention of the committee is to audit the records

Nominalization follows an empty verb: the agency conducted an investigation.

One nominalization is the subject of an empy verb and a second follows: our loss was a result of their
expansion

A nominalization follows there is or there are: there is no need -> we need not]

Many nominalizations joined by prepositions

We did a review of the evolution of th ebrain

X because Y, Since X, Y; if X then Y; although x y; x and/but/so Y

Go to passages you found hard to write!!!

We understand our writing too well.

Useful nominalizations:

Sort subject that refers to a previous sentence: these arguments, this decision
A short nominalization that replaces the fact that: Her acknowledgment of the problem impressed me
but can also be changed to she impressed me when

Nominalization names what would be the object: I accepted her request

Sh requested assistance

What it’s a concept super familiar: re==there is demand for a repeal of the inheritance tax

We demand that congress repeal the inheritance tax