Free Nominalisation Activity

Overview

Nominalisation is a powerful tool for making writing clearer, more formal, and more impersonal, but it can feel abstract to students at first. This activity makes the concept concrete and hands-on.

Through matching tasks and flashcards, students practise forming nouns and noun phrases from verbs and adjectives. The differentiated activities and paired formats keep students engaged while reinforcing the skill at their own level.

It fits naturally into writing, grammar, and language lessons, and works just as well for individual practice as it does for partner work.

What this activity pack provides

• Clear concept explanation – A simple definition of nominalisation with worked verb-to-noun and adjective-to-noun examples.
• Differentiated activity levels – Foundation, Stepping up, and Stretch tasks so you can pitch the activity to suit your students.
• Matching activity – A set of ten verbs and adjectives for students to pair with their nominalised forms.
• Twelve flashcard pairs – Print-and-play cards covering common nominalisations for quick recall practice.
• Flexible practice format – Designed for solo or paired work, giving you options for how to run the activity.
• Print-ready design – A clean, classroom-friendly layout that is ready to download and use straight away.

Teaching Tips

• Start with the examples: Walk through the verb and adjective tables as a class before students attempt the matching task, so the pattern is clear.
• Differentiate with purpose: Use the Foundation, Stepping up, and Stretch options to challenge students at the right level or to scaffold across a lesson.
• Apply it in writing: Ask students to rewrite an informal sentence using nominalisation, showing how it changes the tone and formality.
• Use the flashcards for recall: Have pairs quiz each other regularly to build quick, confident recognition of common noun forms.