Section 4.4 Morphemes and Writing: Strategic Word Choice
The affixes introduced in Section 4.2 do more than build vocabulary—they give writers choices at the sentence level. Understanding how derivational morphemes work allows you to reshape sentences for clarity, concision, and emphasis. This section explores two ways morphological knowledge improves writing: using affixes for economy and understanding the trade-offs of nominalization.
Affixes for Economy.
Many common affixes let you express in one word what might otherwise require a phrase. Consider these pairs:
| Descriptive Phrase | Affixed Form | Morpheme |
|---|---|---|
| read again | reread | re- (repetition) |
| judged wrongly | misjudged | mis- (error) |
| not happy | unhappy | un- (negation) |
| in a careful manner | carefully | -ly (manner) |
| one who teaches | teacher | -er (agent) |
| before the war | prewar | pre- (temporal) |
The affixed forms are often more concise and direct. Compare:
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I read the report for a second time. (8 words)
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I reread the report. (4 words)
The second version says the same thing in half the words. When you recognize that re- means "again," you can deploy it strategically rather than spelling out the concept with a phrase.
However, the longer form is sometimes preferable. Consider emphasis: “I read that report yet another time” stresses the repetition more than “I reread” does. The phrase also allows modification—“I read it one more time” or “for the third time”—that the prefix cannot accommodate. And some affixed forms sound awkward: “She worked unusually diligently” is clunkier than “She worked with unusual diligence.”
The choice depends on context. Ask yourself: Is concision the priority? Does the longer form add emphasis or information? Does the affixed form sound natural?
Nominalization: A Special Case.
Nominalization occurs when a verb or adjective is converted into a noun, typically through suffixes like -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, and -ance. You encountered these in Section 4.2 as noun-forming morphemes. Now consider how using them affects your prose.
Compare these sentences:
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The committee examined the evidence. (verb: examined)
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The committee conducted an examination of the evidence. (nominalization: examination)
The first version is more direct—the action sits in the verb where readers expect it. The second buries the action inside a noun phrase, requiring extra words ("conducted," "of") to make a complete sentence.
Excessive nominalization creates what writing scholar Helen Sword calls "zombie nouns"—abstract nouns that drain the life from prose. Consider this heavily nominalized passage:
“The implementation of the new system led to an improvement in the efficiency of operations and a reduction in the occurrence of errors.”
Revised with verbs restored:
“Implementing the new system improved operational efficiency and reduced errors.”
The revision is clearer, more direct, and nearly half as long.
When Nominalization Strengthens Writing.
Despite these cautions, nominalization serves legitimate purposes:
Creating necessary concepts.
Some ideas exist primarily as nouns: justice, education, democracy, freedom. You cannot easily express “We value education” using the verb “educate” without changing the meaning.
Building cohesion.
Nominalizations help connect sentences by letting you refer back to previously mentioned actions:
“The researchers analyzed the data thoroughly. This analysis revealed unexpected patterns.”
Here, “analysis” refers to the analyzing just described, creating a smooth bridge between sentences.
Managing emphasis.
Placing a nominalization in subject position can foreground an action:
“The discovery of penicillin transformed medicine.”
The nominalization “discovery” emphasizes the finding itself, whereas “Fleming discovered penicillin, which transformed medicine” emphasizes Fleming.
Meeting genre expectations.
Academic and professional writing often favors nominalized style for its formal, objective tone. Scientific articles, legal documents, and policy reports frequently use constructions like “the elimination of variables” rather than “we eliminated variables.” Understanding this convention helps you adapt to different writing contexts.
When Nominalization Weakens Writing.
Nominalization becomes problematic when it obscures meaning or adds unnecessary words:
Burying the action.
Verbs carry energy; converting them to nouns diffuses that energy. “We decided” is more direct than “We reached a decision.”
Adding words.
Nominalizations often require support words—articles, prepositions, weak verbs like make, give, conduct:
| Nominalized | Verbal |
|---|---|
| make a recommendation | recommend |
| give consideration to | consider |
| conduct an investigation | investigate |
Hiding agents.
Nominalization can obscure who performed an action. “Mistakes were made” (passive) becomes even more evasive as “The making of mistakes occurred.” If accountability matters, verbal forms with clear subjects are preferable.
Making Strategic Choices.
Neither "always use affixes" nor "always avoid nominalization" is good advice. The goal is intentional choice rather than unconscious habit.
When revising, ask yourself:
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Is the action important enough to be a verb? Core actions usually belong in verb form.
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Does the nominalization serve cohesion? Using a noun to refer back to a previous idea can strengthen flow.
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Is concision the priority? Affixed forms and verbal constructions are typically shorter.
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Does the longer form add useful emphasis or precision? Sometimes spelling things out has rhetorical value.
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What does my audience expect? Academic writing tolerates more nominalization than journalism or business communication.
Chapter 19 will return to nominalization as a revision strategy. For now, recognize that the morphemes you have learned are not merely analytical tools—they are choices that shape how your sentences read.
