Nominalstil (Nominal style in academic German)

C1 German grammar — Literature & Arts. Academic German prefers nouns over verbs. Verb phrases are 'nominalised' to make sentences denser and more impersonal.…

Open chapter: Literatur & Kunst

Rule explained

Academic German prefers nouns over verbs. Verb phrases are 'nominalised' to make sentences denser and more impersonal.

Examples

Use these mini-pairs as templates:

• Die Untersuchung der Daten zeigt… — The analysis of the data shows…
• Nach der Beendigung des Projekts… — After the completion of the project…
• Die Erhöhung der Preise führte zu… — The price increase led to…

Common mistakes

Watch out for these learner errors:

• Avoid OVER-nominalising in spoken German — it sounds bureaucratic.
• Genitive constructions are typical: 'die Analyse der Ergebnisse'.