Beware of Zombie Nouns

Sustainability, implementation, management—those are zombie nouns. The root words are verbs.

Tip: Use verbs for the main action in your sentences.

For example:

The management of public forests is the responsibility of government.

Rescue the verb (or choose a better one):

• The government manages public forests.

• The government oversees forest management.

• The government requires land users to develop forestry management plans.

We can't avoid every zombie noun—and we don't need to. The problem is when the main action is hidden as a noun. That's when our sentences become dull and cumbersome.