What are verbal nouns?

Decoding the verbal noun

Verbal, in this case, doesn’t mean “spoken” or “of words.” Think verbs, the action word. A verbal noun is a noun derived from a verb but doesn’t act like a verb at all. Instead, a verbal noun will do the normal things nouns do, like be modified by adjectives and be pluralized.

Write with Confidence using Editor

Elevate your writing with real-time, intelligent assistance

Learn more

One of the most common examples of a verbal noun is the word “building.” You can be building (verb) a building (noun), but it’s clear that the second use of building is a place, and therefore a noun. And, it can be a tall or colorful building, and there can be many buildings on a block, again showing that “building” here functions as a noun that can be modified with adjectives and pluralized.

Verbal nouns and how to spot them

• It is a thing, event or occurrence. If you go back to the beginning of this article, “writing” is both tangible, in the sense of words you have written, and possibly abstract, if you think about all the words you have written or will write, or your written work as a whole concept.
• It often has possessive qualities and may be preceded by “the” or a possessive pronoun. For example, “the director’s staging of a play”, “The staging of the set” or “your staging was simply marvelous” are all examples of “staging” used as a verbal noun. “Staging a play” on the other hand, is simply using staging as a verb, where staging is the action.
• It often ends in -ing or -ion. Adding -ing to a verb gives you two potential outcomes—a gerund, which is a type of noun that still can function as a verb; or the verbal noun, which is more solidly a noun. Examples of verbal nouns ending in -ion include “function,” “collision,” and “decision.”

A quick way to test if you’re working with a verbal noun or a gerund is to figure out if an adverb applied to the word in question makes sense or wildly changes the meaning. In the sentence, “Your writing will improve when you figure out their function,” adding “badly” in front of either “function” or “writing” renders the whole sentence nonsensical. However, in the sentence, “For me, writing serves a purpose, and that purpose is improving my mental health,” the first use of “writing” is a gerund; try throwing the word “quickly” before or after the word “writing” and you’ll discover that an adverb works there.

The importance of nouns being verbal

While there are common and practical uses of verbal nouns, sometimes they make sentences sound ever-so-slightly unnatural. Verbal nouns can sometimes lead to overusing passive voice, which has its own drawbacks. They also make your language a bit wordy, which isn’t great if you’re trying to keep under a word count or be succinct.

But that said, there are times when using a verbal noun is the best choice, and not just because a verbal noun is the only word for the job. Verbal nouns provide emphasis. In the examples above, “the staging” is the notable element of the play, the thing you want to focus on, critique, or compliment. Using verbal nouns also makes writing sound more formal, which can be helpful in business or academic communications or when you’re addressing serious subjects.

You’ve likely used verbal nouns without even thinking about them before. But now that you know their origin story and why we use them, your grammar knowledge has broadened and made you a better writer.