Representing actions with nouns
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Students' problems | page 7 of 7 |
Summarising nouns
Generally, students are able to use summarising nouns quite well, to summarise what they have written in a previous stretch of writing. However, sometimes there are problems with the meanings associated with the noun used; for example normally, the summarising noun claim is used when reporting something that cannot be proved, and which may even be false, as in this example from a newspaper article:
The African National Congress has accused the police of complacency in dealing with the right wing, charging that the police force itself houses members of right-wing paramilitary groups. General Stadler dismissed this claim as, in his words, "absolute nonsense". (Bank of English)
Compare this usage with the following:
Hong Kong is an international city built on freedom. Hong Kong people work hard and have the right to keep what they have. Recently, it was proposed that car ownership should be restricted in Hong Kong. I totally disagree with this claim because it will have a negative impact. (TeleNex Students)
The problem here is that what was referred to was "proposed", not "claimed". The writer in this case should substitute proposal for claim or omit a noun altogether.
For further information about summarising nouns, see 
Representing
actions with nouns: Reasons for representing actions with nouns (p 5).
Introduction
Summarising nouns
