Verbal Nouns

When verbs transform into nouns while keeping their verbal qualities

A verbal noun is a noun formed from a verb that retains some verb-like characteristics while functioning as a noun in sentences. Unlike gerunds, verbal nouns can:

  • Take articles ("a reading")
  • Have plural forms ("readings")
  • Be modified by adjectives ("quick thinking")

Key Characteristics

Verbal Nouns vs. Gerunds:
Feature Verbal Noun Gerund
Plural form Yes (readings) No
Articles Yes (a drawing) No
Adjectives Yes (careful planning) No (uses adverbs)
Direct objects No Yes (reading books)

Formation of Verbal Nouns

1. Common Suffixes

Productive suffixes:
  • -ing (most common):
    • build → building
    • write → writing
  • -tion/-sion:
    • inform → information
    • decide → decision
  • -ment:
    • develop → development
    • govern → government

2. Irregular Forms

No predictable pattern:
  • speak → speech
  • choose → choice
  • lose → loss
  • sell → sale

Functions in Sentences

1. As Subjects

Examples:
  • "Swimming is good exercise." (gerund)
  • "The swimming at this pool is excellent." (verbal noun)

2. As Objects

Examples:
  • "I enjoy reading." (gerund)
  • "I bought a reading about astronomy." (verbal noun)

3. After Prepositions

Examples:
  • "After running, I showered." (gerund)
  • "After the running of the race, we celebrated." (verbal noun)

Advanced Usage

1. With Possessives

Formal constructions:
  • "The writing of the report took hours."
  • "The defendant's pleading convinced the jury."

2. Compound Verbal Nouns

Common combinations:
  • housekeeping
  • sightseeing
  • brainwashing

3. Professional/Technical Terms

Specialized usage:
  • accounting (profession)
  • bleeding (medical term)
  • grounding (electrical term)

Common Mistakes

Avoid these errors:
  • Confusing with gerunds: ❌ "Quickly reading is important." (should be adverb + gerund) ✅ "Quick reading is important." (adjective + verbal noun)
  • Incorrect pluralization: ❌ "All the build are new." ✅ "All the buildings are new."
  • Wrong article usage: ❌ "She has excellent understanding of math." ✅ "She has an excellent understanding of math."

Practice Exercises

1. Identify Verbal Nouns

Which are verbal nouns in these sentences?

  • "The writing on the wall was clear." → verbal noun
  • "Writing essays improves skills." → gerund

2. Convert Verbs to Verbal Nouns

  • govern → government
  • reflect → reflection
  • arrange → arrangement

3. Correct the Errors

  • ❌ "She has good understand of physics." → ✅ "She has a good understanding of physics."
  • ❌ "The explain was unclear." → ✅ "The explanation was unclear."