Everyday Grammar TV: Business, Word Choices - Nouns, Verbs

John: Hi Faith! What’s on your mind today? Faith: Hi John! I was thinking about a comparison between grammar and business. John: Really? Faith: Business owners want to have employees doing the job they are best fitted for. John: Sure, that makes sense. But how does it connect with grammar? Faith: In grammar, we want to put words in the right positions. Just like a business owner would want to put the right person in a position. The idea is this: the subject position is very important. For example: The boy threw the ball Subject verb object Subjects that are concrete – meaning they can act – are clearer than subjects that are abstract. Abstract words or phrases cannot act. John: Abstractions are often a result of noun forms that would be better used as verb forms. Consider these two examples. 1.The man took a walk. 2.The establishment of a better tax policy will take place after the elections. Faith: The first sentence is much easier to understand. The subject is concrete – the man. The second sentence is much more difficult to understand because the subject is abstract: “the establishment of a better tax policy.” John: How might we change the sentence so that it is clearer? Here is one possibility: Council members will establish a better tax policy after the elections. And that’s Everyday Grammar TV.