Choosing nominal or verbal clauses

In Indonesian, the choice between nominal and verbal clauses is a matter of register, cohesion, and lexical density.

1. Nominal Style (Gaya Nominal)
This style relies on nominalization—turning verbs or adjectives into nouns primarily using affixes like peN-...-an, per-...-an, or ke-...-an. Generally, there is a morphological correlation: verbs with the meN- prefix become peN-...-an nouns (indicating processes), while verbs with the ber- prefix become per-...-an nouns (which indicate events, results of actions like pertanyaan, or locations/collectives like perkampungan). To see this contrast on a single root, compare satu (one): menyatukan (to unite) becomes penyatuan (the process of uniting), while bersatu (to be united) becomes persatuan (the state of unity or an association). Crucially, when a verb ending in the suffix -kan or -i is nominalized with peN-...-an, the suffix is dropped (e.g., menyatukan becomes penyatuan, not penyatukanan). Note that the per-...-an circumfix undergoes the same regular morphophonemic spelling changes as the ber- prefix (e.g., dropping the 'r' before roots with 'er' as in bekerja -> pekerjaan, or changing to 'pel-' as in belajar -> pelajaran). Crucially, the N in peN-...-an has nasal alternations broadly parallel to those as the meN- prefix (e.g., tulis -> penulisan, baca -> pembacaan). To complete the picture, contrast this process noun with the simple suffix -an, which forms nouns representing the result, object, or instrument of an action (e.g., tulisan means the written work itself, and bacaan means reading material). Finally, the circumfix ke-...-an forms nouns from several classes of bases (e.g., bebas -> kebebasan). Its meanings also include events, so it is not a universal state-versus-process opposition to peN-...-an and per-...-an.

• Function: It increases lexical density, packing more information into fewer clauses. This is achieved mechanically by shifting from conjunctions linking full clauses (verbal style, e.g., karena harga naik) to prepositions linking noun phrases (nominal style, e.g., akibat kenaikan harga). It lets a writer refer to an action as a topic or participant. This can support cohesion, but does not establish the truth of the event or require omitting its actor.
• Argument Structure: When an active transitive verb is nominalized, its object usually attaches directly to the nominalized word as a noun phrase modifier (e.g., pembuatan kue). Prepositions like terhadap or atas are grammatically standard for introducing the object of an abstract nominalization (e.g., penolakan terhadap RUU). To include both the object and the actor, two useful patterns are: 1) Nominalization + Object + oleh + Actor (e.g., pembuatan kue oleh ibu-ibu), and 2) Nominalization + Actor + terhadap + Object (e.g., penolakan presiden terhadap RUU).
• Negation: Nominal concepts are typically negated using ketidak-...-an (e.g., ketidakmampuan), tidak adanya + noun, or by retaining tidak inside a -nya nominalization (e.g., tidak meningkatnya harga). If a nominalized word acts as the predicate of a sentence, it must be negated with bukan (e.g., Ini bukan penolakan, melainkan penundaan).
• Context: High-level formal writing, government reports, and academic papers.

2. Verbal Style (Gaya Verbal)
This style uses active meN- verbs or di- passive forms.

• Function: It emphasizes the progression of events or the action itself. While active forms highlight the actor, passive forms focus on the patient or the result. It is the direct and standard way to communicate actions.
• Negation: These clauses are negated with tidak.
• Context: Daily conversation, fiction, and standard instructions where clarity and directness are preferred.

3. The '-nya' Pattern
A common formal technique is using -nya to nominalize a verb (e.g., Meningkatnya...), which allows the writer to present a cause-and-effect relationship efficiently. Crucially, this pattern requires a strict word order: in this model the subject of the underlying predicate follows the predicate bearing -nya; the suffix does not automatically mean possession (Verb-nya + Subject, e.g., Meningkatnya harga beras... = the rising of rice prices, not Harga beras meningkatnya...).