---
pattern: 26
type: success
name: Passive Nominalization Chains
pack: en-structure
language: en
---

# Pattern 26: Passive Nominalization Chains — Success

## Input Text

> A comprehensive assessment of the building's structural integrity was conducted by the engineering team. Significant deterioration of the load-bearing walls was identified during the inspection. A recommendation was made to the board that immediate repairs be undertaken, and approval was granted for a budget allocation of $2.4 million.

## Expected Output

> The engineering team assessed the building's structural integrity and found significant deterioration in the load-bearing walls. They recommended immediate repairs. The board approved a $2.4 million budget.

## Applied Pattern

- Pattern 26 (Passive Nominalization Chains): Four passive nominalization phrases in one paragraph — "assessment was conducted," "deterioration was identified," "recommendation was made," and "approval was granted." Each converts an active situation into abstract bureaucratic prose.

## Judgment

**Success** — The fire condition is met: 4 passive nominalization phrases far exceeds the 2+ threshold. Every sentence buries the actor behind a passive construction. The engineering team conducted, identified, and recommended — but the original text obscures this agency. The corrected version uses active verbs with varied subjects ("the team assessed," "they recommended," "the board approved") and cuts the word count by nearly half.
