Nominalization and capitalization – basic principles
How it works
Nominalization means that words from other parts of speech, e.g. verbs or adjectives, are used as nouns. Then they are capitalized, for example in ‹das Laufen› or ‹das Gute›. Nominalizations are often recognized by signal words such as articles, for example ‹der›, ‹die›, ‹das›, by prepositions with articles such as ‹beim› or ‹zum›, by pronouns or by adjective attributes. Capitalization also applies to proper names, sentence beginnings and fixed terms. Correct capitalization is important for spelling and text comprehension.
If a verb or adjective is used as a noun, it is capitalized, e.g. in ‹das Schwimmen›, ‹beim Lesen› or ‹das Neue›. Nominalized words are often recognized by articles, by prepositions with articles, by pronouns or by adjective attributes before them.
An example
Which word in ‹Das schnelle Laufen fiel ihm schwer.› is nominalized and must be capitalized?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: German. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.