LoginAbstract and Concrete Nouns
Explore abstract and concrete nouns in-depth with detailed explanations. Examples include 'justice' and 'book', plus a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Concrete and Abstract Nouns?
Concrete nouns refer to tangible objects that can be perceived through the senses, such as touch, taste, smell, sight, or hearing. Abstract nouns, on the other hand, refer to intangible concepts, ideas, or qualities that cannot be perceived through the senses or touched in the physical world.
Concrete Nouns
A concrete noun refers to a tangible or physical thing that can be perceived by one of the five senses. Let's see some examples:
We trimmed the trees.
I heard his voice but I did not pay attention.
Concrete nouns represent living things, places, objects, and even microscopic organism that cannot be easily seen but nonetheless have physical form. Here is a list of some concrete nouns based on the sense they are perceived with. Keep in mind that some concrete nouns represent things that can be perceived by more that one sense. For example, you can hear, see, and touch a bird or, but can only smell a perfume.
Things we can see: a flower, a book, the sun, our house, the Eiffel Tower, Al Pacino
Things we can touch: a hand, a fork, a car, a key, a mug, a MacBook
Things we can hear: a voice, a honk, a siren, Mozart's 41st Symphony
Things we can smell: perfume, odor, gas
Things we can taste: coffee, bread, sugar, honey
How to Recognize Concrete Nouns in a Sentence
When encountering a noun in a sentence, you can determine if it is a concrete noun by considering whether you can physically experience what it represents through one or more of the five senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, or hearing. If what the noun refers to can be perceived in this way, it is likely a concrete noun.
I ate pasta in an expensive restaurant.
In this sentence you can taste the 'pasta' and see the 'restaurant' so, they are both concrete nouns.
I listened to the music you recommended.
In this sentence, you can hear the sound of the music, as a result, music is a concrete noun.
His religion is Jainism, I guess.
In this sentence neither 'religion' not 'Jainism' are concrete nouns because you cannot feel them by your physical senses.
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns, such as those referring to ideas, concepts, feelings, and qualities, do not have physical forms and qualities and cannot be perceived through our senses. The following list represents different categories of abstract nouns:
Feelings and emotions: sadness, happiness, depression, envy, fear
States: death, marriage, womanhood
Qualities: beauty, generosity, honesty, trust
Concepts: religion, motivation, opportunity, Relativity
Ideas and beliefs: wisdom, friendship, knowledge, Buddhism
Events: birthday, holiday, Christmas, days of the week, the Great Depression
How to Recognize Abstract Nouns
When encountering a noun, we can determine whether it is abstract or concrete by considering whether it can be perceived through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. If the answer to this question is 'no,' the noun is likely an abstract noun. Abstract nouns typically refer to concepts that are understood or imagined by the mind.
Holidays are my favorite parts of the year.
You cannot sense the 'holidays,' so it is an abstract noun.
Trust is hard to earn.
Abstract Nouns: Common Forms
In many cases, concrete nouns, adjectives, or verbs can be transformed into abstract nouns by adding a suffix or modifying the root of the word. Some of these suffixes are presented in the following:
-ness: happiness, sadness
-hood: childhood, neighborhood
-tion: creation, intention
-ship: relationship, friendship
-ability: likability, capability
-acy: adequacy, bureaucracy
-ance: defiance, intolerance
-ment: ailment, argument
-ness: fitness, fondness
-ence: deference; violence
Deciding Whether a Noun Is Concrete or Abstract
Some words can be used in different senses and represent concrete objects in one sense, while referring to abstract concepts in another sense. Here are some examples:
His works are amazing, especially the classic ones. → concrete noun
Here, the speaker is referring to a piece of art which can be seen.
Finishing this project requires hard work. → an abstract noun
In this example, the speaker is referring to the effort needed to finish the project.
Global warming is not going to be beneficial for the atmosphere. → a concrete noun
In this example, the atmosphere is made of different gases, so it is a concrete noun.
I went to the party and they were really friendly, it was a welcoming atmosphere. → an abstract noun
Here, 'atmosphere' is not a physical entity, but an abstract state.
Abstract or Concrete?
Determining whether a noun is abstract or concrete can be challenging in some cases. For instance, words like 'job' and 'laughter' can be ambiguous. Some argue that 'job' is an abstract noun because it cannot be seen directly, while others consider it concrete because a person can be seen working at a job. Similarly, 'laughter' is sometimes regarded as abstract, but it can also be heard, which suggests that it may be a concrete noun.
Review
Based on whether we can or cannot perceive something through our five senses, we can categorize nouns into two groups
Abstract nouns
Concrete nouns
Concrete nouns | Abstract nouns |
|---|---|
a noun that refers to something we can perceive through our five senses. | a noun that represents something we cannot perceive through our five senses. |
-ness | -hood | -tion | -ship | -ability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forming abstract nouns | happiness, sadness | childhood, neighborhood | depression, intention | relationship, friendship | likability, capability |
Quiz:
Which of the following is not a concrete noun?
The aroma of freshly baked bread
The sound of children laughing
The belief in Christianity
The texture of silk fabric
Complete the table by choosing concrete or abstract for each noun.
rain | |
childhood | |
freedom | |
chocolate | |
textbook | |
ambition |
Use the common suffixes to form abstract nouns from the words in parentheses and complete the sentence.
Her genuine
(kind) made her popular.
Their
(friend) lasted for decades.
Her
(defy) of the rules led to trouble.
His
(child) was filled with adventure.
The
(create) of the artwork took months.
In which sentence is the word "light" used as an ABSTRACT noun?
"Turn off the light before leaving the room."
"The light from the lighthouse guided ships safely."
"She saw a glimmer of light on the distant shore."
"His explanation shed new light on the problem."
Choose True or false for each statement.
Concrete nouns refer to things that can be perceived through the senses. | |
"Friendship" is a concrete noun because friends are physical people. | |
A "book" is an abstract noun because it contains ideas. | |
The word "music" is always an abstract noun. |
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