You suspect nominal aphasia in a patient. Before revealing the answer, decide how you would assess for this.

Show the patient a series of common objects and ask them to name each one, noting whether they instead describe the object's function or appearance rather than producing its name. Assess grammar and sentence structure in spontaneous speech separately, since these should remain largely intact. Check whether copying written material remains possible, since this is a distinguishing pattern from more severe reading and writing disorders. Test verbal and written command-following and spontaneous writing, since difficulty here can accompany the naming deficit.