Abstract Nouns
Concrete nouns are physical things that you can see, touch etc. (like an egg, a car, a person). Abstract nouns are nonphysical ideas that you cannot perceive through your senses (like fun, happiness, anger).
What are abstract nouns?
Abstract nouns are a category of nouns that you cannot experience with your five senses:
- sight—You cannot see them.
- hearing—You cannot hear them.
- touch—You cannot touch them.
- taste—You cannot taste them.
- smell—You cannot smell them.
These nouns are things that we cannot see, touch, hear, taste or smell. Unlike concrete nouns, which refer to physical objects or things that we can experience directly, abstract nouns represent ideas, emotions, qualities and concepts that exist in our minds.
Abstract nouns often refer to:
- Feelings and emotions: words like happiness, sadness, love, anger—Her happiness was evident when she received the good news.
- States and conditions: words like freedom, childhood, peace, chaos—After years of hard work, they finally achieved freedom.
- Qualities and characteristics: words like honesty, bravery, kindness, wisdom—His honesty earned him great respect among his peers.
- Ideas and concepts: words like justice, time, beauty, knowledge—The pursuit of justice is a fundamental principle of our society.
Examples in sentences
- Courage helped her succeed.
- He needed peace to finish his writing.
- Love inspired her to continue.
- She displayed great wisdom.
- Does happiness truly matter above all else?
- Truth prevailed, fortunately.
- Finally justice arrived and he was freed.
- Fear nearly paralyzed him but he overcame it.
- They felt hope, which sustained them.
- She values honesty above everything.
Abstract noun formation
Some abstract nouns (but certainly not all) are formed with certain suffixes, for example:
- -ance/-ence—assistance, attendance, existence
- -cy—privacy, efficiency, accuracy
- -dom—freedom, kingdom, wisdom
- -hood—childhood, brotherhood, adulthood
- -ity—activity, possibility, curiosity
- -ment—development, enjoyment, improvement
- -ness—darkness, happiness, weakness
- -ship—citizenship, friendship, leadership
- -tion/-sion—creation, decision, explosion
- -tude—altitude, gratitude, solitude
Any word that becomes a noun through the addition of a suffix is an abstract noun.
Capitalization
In general, abstract nouns are not names of people or places and are not capitalized. However, there may be some times when abstract nouns can be capitalized:
- philosophical concepts or political movements based on names of real people, for example:
Platonism (from the philosopher Plato) or Trumpism (from the politician Trump) - titles of books, movies etc, for example:
The Pursuit of Happiness, War and Peace - personification, where abstract concepts are treated like actual people, for example:
They say Death waits for no one. - named events or periods. When abstract concepts like "depression" or "renaissance" refer to specific historical periods, they become proper nouns and are capitalized, for example:
The Great Depression, The Renaissance
Some nouns can be concrete or abstract, depending on context and meaning
Some nouns can indeed be both concrete and abstract, depending on their exact meaning. Here are a few examples:
- dream
concrete: I had a strange dream last night.
abstract: Her dream is to become a successful author. - light
concrete: The light in the room was too dim to read by.
abstract: I hope to shed some light on the matter for you. - mind
concrete: He has a sharp mind for solving puzzles.
abstract: She changed her mind about going. - power
concrete: The power in the building went out during the storm.
abstract: The power of love can transform lives. - space
concrete: The space between the two buildings is narrow.
abstract: He needed some space to think about his future. - time
concrete: The time on the clock read 3:00 PM.
abstract: Time heals all wounds. - will
concrete: He signed his will before going abroad.
abstract: Her will to succeed was unbreakable.
Key points to remember:
- Abstract nouns are intangible. They refer to things that cannot be physically touched or seen.
- We often make abstract nouns from adjectives, verbs or other nouns. For example:
- bravery comes from the adjective brave
- knowledge comes from the verb know - Abstract nouns play an important role in language. They let us express complex thoughts, emotions and ideas that go beyond the physical world.
By understanding and using abstract nouns, you can add depth and richness to your language, making your communication more meaningful and expressive.
Contributor: See also: