Advanced Grammar
Master passive voice, nominalisations, and sentence variety — three powerful tools that lift your writing from competent to sophisticated.
Passive Voice
In an active sentence, the subject does the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action. Passive voice is formed with a form of "to be" + past participle.
Active Voice
"The scientist discovered a new species."
Subject (scientist) performs the action.
Passive Voice
"A new species was discovered by the scientist."
Subject (species) receives the action.
When to use passive voice:
- When the doer of the action is unknown: "The window was broken."
- In scientific and academic writing to sound objective: "The results were recorded."
- To emphasise the thing being acted upon: "The ancient ruins were finally excavated."
Nominalisations
Nominalisation is the process of turning a verb or adjective into a noun. It is a key feature of formal and academic writing because it creates a more impersonal, dense, and authoritative tone.
| Verb / Adjective | Nominalisation (Noun) | Suffix used |
|---|---|---|
| decide | decision | -ion |
| develop | development | -ment |
| argue | argument | -ment |
| analyse | analysis | -is |
| effective | effectiveness | -ness |
| responsible | responsibility | -ity |
Without nominalisation
"We decided to argue about how to develop the plan."
With nominalisation
"The decision followed an argument about the development of the plan."
Sentence Variety
Sophisticated writers vary their sentence structures to control pace, emphasis, and rhythm. Using only simple sentences makes writing feel choppy; using only complex sentences makes it feel dense. The key is deliberate variation.
Simple Sentence
One independent clause. Used for impact and clarity.
"The war ended. Nothing was the same."
Compound Sentence
Two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so — FANBOYS).
"The evidence was compelling, but the jury remained undecided."
Complex Sentence
One independent clause + one or more subordinate clauses. Shows relationships between ideas.
"Although the policy was well-intentioned, its implementation proved disastrous."
Fronted Adverbial
Starting a sentence with an adverbial phrase or clause to vary rhythm and add emphasis.
"Despite warnings from scientists, governments continued to delay action."
Key Vocabulary
Passive Voice
A grammatical construction where the subject receives the action, formed with "to be" + past participle.
Nominalisation
The conversion of a verb or adjective into a noun, creating a more formal and abstract register.
Subordinate Clause
A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence but adds meaning to the main clause (e.g., "although it was raining").
Fronted Adverbial
An adverb, prepositional phrase, or clause placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis or rhythm variation.
Worked Examples
Convert to passive voice: "The government rejected the proposal."
Step 1: Identify the object that will become the subject — "the proposal".
Step 2: Use "to be" in the correct tense + past participle of "reject" — "was rejected".
Result: "The proposal was rejected by the government." (The agent "by the government" can be omitted if unknown or unimportant.)
Nominalise this sentence: "Scientists decided to investigate the effect."
Step 1: Turn "decided" into "decision" and "investigate" into "investigation".
Step 2: Restructure: "The scientists' decision led to an investigation of the effect."
Effect: More formal and impersonal — appropriate for academic writing.
Improve this paragraph with sentence variety.
"Climate change is real. Scientists have proven this. Governments must act. The evidence is clear. People are suffering."
Improved:
"Climate change is real. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence confirming this, governments continue to delay meaningful action. The consequences — rising seas, intensifying storms, and displaced communities — make clear that people are already suffering."
Knowledge Check
Select the best answer for each question.
Question 1
Which sentence is in the passive voice?
Question 2
What is the nominalisation of the verb "argue"?
Question 3
Which sentence uses a fronted adverbial correctly?
Question 4
When is passive voice most appropriate?
Question 5
What is a compound sentence?
Key Concepts Summary
- ●Passive voice (to be + past participle) shifts focus from the doer to the thing acted upon — useful in academic writing.
- ●Nominalisations turn verbs/adjectives into nouns (investigate → investigation), creating a formal, impersonal tone.
- ●Vary your sentences: use simple, compound, complex, and fronted adverbial structures deliberately.
- ●Use short, simple sentences for impact; complex sentences to show relationships between ideas.
- ●FANBOYS = For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — the coordinating conjunctions used to join independent clauses.