"The government’s aim is to make GPs more financially accountable ." Shell Noun: aim Shell Content: to make GPs more financially accountable . 2. Core Functions of Shell Nouns
Shell nouns typically appear in specific recurring patterns that trigger their "shell" behavior:
: They encapsulate large, unbounded ideas into "thing-like" entities with clear boundaries, making them easier for the brain to process. Textual
: They function like pronouns (anaphora) to link different parts of a text together, allowing writers to refer back to or look forward to complex ideas. 3. Common Lexico-Grammatical Patterns