Imagine you’re helping a friend promote their film. You want everyone to think it’s the best movie of the year, but something feels off. Maybe your words aren’t strong enough to convince people. That’s where modality comes in!
Modality is all about how we express certainty, possibility, or necessity in our language. It’s like a tool that helps us make our statements stronger or softer, depending on what we want to say. For example, if you say, “I might go to the party,” you’re using low modality, which sounds unsure. But if you say, “I will go to the party,” you’re using high modality, which sounds more certain.
There are different types of words that show modality:
Let’s say you’re in a debate about whether cats or dogs make better pets. You might start with, “I think cats are better pets than dogs.” To make your argument stronger, you could say, “I believe cats are better pets than dogs,” or even, “I know cats are better pets than dogs.” Each version uses a different level of modality to make your point more convincing.
Now, let’s talk about nominalisation. This is when we turn verbs (action words) or adjectives (describing words) into nouns (things or ideas). It helps make our writing sound more formal and less like personal opinion.
For example, take the verb “play.” You can say, “I play the guitar,” which is an action. But if you use nominalisation, you can say, “Guitar playing is a good talent to have.” Here, “playing” becomes a noun, making it sound more like a general truth.
Nominalisation can make your writing clearer and more persuasive. It turns actions into concepts, which can help you communicate ideas more effectively. For instance, instead of saying, “I will speak about cats,” you can say, “I will make a speech about cats.” This sounds more formal and convincing.
By using both modality and nominalisation, you can make your arguments stronger and your writing more impactful. Whether you’re debating about pets or writing a film promo, these tools can help you express your ideas clearly and persuasively.
So, next time you’re writing or speaking, think about how you can use modality to show certainty and nominalisation to turn actions into powerful ideas. You’ll be amazed at how much more convincing you can be!
Imagine you’re a movie critic. Write a short review of a film using different levels of modality. Try using words like “might,” “will,” “must,” and “should” to express varying degrees of certainty. Share your review with a partner and discuss how the modality changes the tone of your review.
Take a list of simple sentences and transform them using nominalisation. For example, change “She decided to run” to “Her decision to run.” Work in pairs to see who can come up with the most creative transformations. Share your sentences with the class and discuss how nominalisation changes the formality of the sentences.
Participate in a class debate on a fun topic, like “Which is better: summer or winter?” Use different levels of modality in your arguments to make your points more convincing. Pay attention to how your choice of words affects the strength of your argument.
Write a short story using nominalisation to describe actions and emotions. For example, instead of saying “He was happy,” say “His happiness was evident.” Share your story with a classmate and discuss how nominalisation changes the style and tone of your writing.
Create a poster that explains modality and nominalisation. Include examples of modal verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and nominalisation transformations. Use visuals to make your poster engaging and informative. Display your poster in the classroom to help others understand these concepts.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any informal language and ensuring clarity while maintaining the original context:
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[Music] If I could just finalize the promotional material for my friend’s film, it may be the best film of the year. It should impress you. Some critics have appreciated it, but it feels like it’s missing something. I have conducted research and believe I know what I want to convey about cats in the grammar debate, but my argument lacks power and persuasiveness.
That’s right; I have the modality all wrong. I should be using high-modality words to give my film promotion a persuasive impact.
How did you become familiar with modality?
I have no idea what you’re referring to.
Impressive! You could have said you were unsure, but your language left no doubt. That’s the kind of high modality I need.
Enough with modality for now; I have the grammar debate this afternoon, and I don’t think my argument that cats are better pets than dogs is strong enough to win. Can you assist me?
Modality will definitely help us both. You sound confident. That’s the benefit of high modality; we all need it in our lives.
Could you please explain modality?
It involves the use of low-modal words to politely ask a question.
You’re a natural at this! While not everyone knows what modality is, we use it all the time in writing and conversation. Modality is a grammatical term that refers to the mode in which the writer expresses probability, possibility, necessity, obligation, permissibility, ability, or desire.
It’s state-of-the-art grammar technology, right?
Precisely! The finest modality not only gives the writer the ability to adjust the strength or power of the expression but also the degree of certainty or force with which they deliver the statement. So, modality is like a spectrum of choices from weak to strong.
There are modal verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and nouns. Depending on the situation, you may wish to use low-modality words that are more moderate, balanced, or tentative. On the other hand, high-modality words express strength, certainty, or absolutes.
Okay, give me your opening line.
I think I should tell you why cats are better pets than dogs.
Good, but we want to make your introduction sound stronger and more authoritative.
Authoritative?
To have authority. Here are some commonly used modal verbs: may, might, can, could, shall, should, will, would, must. Each has a different sense of urgency or obligation.
Now let’s adjust the sentence and see how we can strengthen it.
I would like to tell you…
Hmm, it has a polite tone, nice and friendly.
I will tell you…
Sounds stronger! “Will” is more definite.
Or I must tell you…
That might be too strong for the situation. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t tell them.
Yes, they might get a dog instead of a cat.
Cats must be registered with the council; if the owner doesn’t, they will receive a fine. “Must” indicates obligation or necessity.
Next sentence: “My cat sometimes does amusing things when I am unhappy.”
This uses “sometimes,” which is low on the modality spectrum. Let’s ramp up the frequency and use “always.”
I love it, but he doesn’t always do amusing things.
Oh, it’s not so much a statement of fact, but for impact, you want to win the audience over. Now, get to it.
[Music]
Izzy, come here. Sit down; we have to talk about adjectives.
Yeah, sure, why not?
Okay, adjectives are describing words that modify nouns to provide more details. “Cared” and “skinny” could describe a cat in your sentence. The adjective “amusing” is used to describe the things your cat does. “Amusing” is a bit humorous; you could change it to “My cat always does funny things” or “My cat always does the most hilarious things.”
Nothing like fine-tuning a sentence to accurately express your thoughts and ideas. So, I guess “unhappy” would be at the lower end of modality. I could use low words like “upset,” “down,” “sad,” or even “depressed.”
Okay, let’s move on to modal nouns. Here’s where you can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary or vice versa.
Okay, I will then argue that cats are brave. My cat saved three kittens from a fire—certainly not a scaredy cat.
“Fire” is good, but let’s use a more sensational noun like they do in the news media. Let’s turn up the modality. How about “My cat saved three kittens from an inferno”?
Oh, my fearless cat rescued three innocent little white kittens from the raging inferno.
Picture that! And my next point is that a pet cat is a necessity for people who are lonely and in need of companionship.
Good, but “necessity” may be too strong. How can we make it sound less like an obligation and more like a suggestion?
How about “A pet cat is an option for people who are lonely and in need of companionship”?
You know what, Izzy? I think your speech will be a success.
Oh, I disagree; I know my speech will be a triumph.
[Music]
Elmo, Izzy, what else do you have for me?
Then I want to move on to talking about qualities that cats possess, like balance.
Great! What have you got?
My cat was perfectly balanced as he walked along the top of the fence.
I want to talk about how cats in general have good balance. Balance is a quality and not just an action.
I know exactly what you mean. “Balance” is a verb because it describes the action to balance. We can, however, use it as a noun to talk about balance as a concept if we change a few words here.
“Balance is very important to a cat.”
Well, that’s what I wanted to say, but what did you do? The word has completely changed from a verb to a noun.
I’ll let you in on an industry technique I often use to make statements more informative and persuasive: nominalization.
Who’s a what now?
Nominalization! It is the forming of nouns from verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. It makes a thing—whether a concept, idea, or quality—out of an action or description of an action.
Sounds like an absolute snooze fest.
It seems you already have some understanding of nominalization.
Okay, I think I need an example.
Let’s use “play.”
“To play” is an action; it could be to play football, the guitar, or a trick on your cat. By using the genius of nominalization, “playing” becomes a thing a person does.
We can say “Guitar playing is a good talent to have,” where the idea of guitar playing rather than the action is being referred to. We do that because it can help simplify meaning in statements, making it sound less like personal opinion and more like an abstract and formal general truth.
Have many words been nominalized?
Oh, you bet! There are many nominalized words in English that we often don’t recognize.
Let’s nominalize a few words here. We’ll start with verbs: “Cats frequently groom themselves.”
“Grooming is important to a cat because they like to look good.”
“I will speak about cats this afternoon” can be changed to “I will make a speech about cats.”
That does sound more convincing!
You want to communicate well in order to persuade the audience. Now let’s nominalize “communicate.”
Good communication will help persuade the audience.
That’s it! You got it.
[Music]
Hey, Elmo, I think I’m going to head off.
Excellent! One more thing: did you know that many words can be changed into nouns simply by adding a suffix?
Here are some nouns derived from adjectives: “I am a happy person when I’m with my cat” can be changed to “Happiness is being with my cat.”
We can do the same with adverbs: “Slow” becomes “slowness,” “soft” becomes “softness,” “quiet” becomes “quietness.”
In some cases, nominalization occurs by using the verb as it is without changing its form.
Give me a sentence.
“I love my cat.”
Excellent! Now I’ll use it as a noun: “Love makes the world go around.”
And what about words like “blog”?
“I blog about cats once a week” can be changed to “I write a blog about cats.”
You’re ahead of the game now!
Often, the nominalization can function as both a noun and a present-tense verb.
“Counting” is one example: “She was counting the cats in the pet store window,” and “Counting is a skill all high school students should possess.”
Fantastic! I now have modality and nominalization at my disposal. I will not merely defeat them; I will excel in the debate.
I’ve created a monster!
Remember, sometimes you need to go easy on the high modality. Make sure it’s appropriate for the situation.
Back to work! Now, how can I improve this film promo and make it more exciting?
[Music]
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This version maintains the educational content while ensuring clarity and professionalism.
Modality – Modality refers to the way in which a writer expresses attitudes towards the likelihood, necessity, or obligation of an event or action. – Example sentence: In persuasive writing, using modality can help convey how certain or uncertain you are about your arguments.
Nominalisation – Nominalisation is the process of turning verbs or adjectives into nouns, often used to make writing more formal. – Example sentence: The nominalisation of “decide” to “decision” can make your writing sound more academic.
Writing – Writing is the act of forming letters and words to communicate thoughts and ideas on paper or digitally. – Example sentence: Good writing requires practice and attention to detail.
Arguments – Arguments are reasons or sets of reasons given to persuade others that an action or idea is right or wrong. – Example sentence: In a debate, each team presents arguments to support their position.
Verbs – Verbs are words that describe actions, states, or occurrences, and form the main part of the predicate of a sentence. – Example sentence: In the sentence “She runs every morning,” the word “runs” is the verb.
Adjectives – Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, giving more information about them. – Example sentence: The adjective “colorful” in “a colorful painting” describes the painting.
Adverbs – Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, often ending in -ly, and provide more detail about how something is done. – Example sentence: She quickly finished her homework, where “quickly” is the adverb.
Certainty – Certainty is the state of being sure or confident about something. – Example sentence: The teacher spoke with certainty when explaining the math problem.
Communication – Communication is the process of sharing information, thoughts, or feelings between people through speaking, writing, or other means. – Example sentence: Effective communication is key to working well in a team.
Pets – Pets are domesticated animals kept for companionship or pleasure. – Example sentence: Many people find that having pets like dogs or cats can bring joy and comfort to their lives.
