Abstract noun

 What is abstract noun? 

An abstract noun differs from a concrete noun. It refers to something which has no physical form, something which we can't see or touch. It usually refers to ideas or feelings. 

1. Abstract nouns stand for general feelings, ideas or concepts

1.1. For feelings

Love is the name of a feeling we have for certain people, things, ideas, or animals. We can't touch love, but we feel it. 

1.2. For ideas

Sadness is the main root cause of depression. Every person has sadness, but we can't touch and see it.

2. Abstract nouns mostly depend on the meanings of adjectives and verbs

Particular:

1. A brave boy
2. I know that guy

General:

1. Brave actions
2. People know lots of languages

Abstract noun:

1. Bravery
2. Knowledge

3. Types of abstract noun

Although we can't see what an abstract noun describes, we can divide them into different types or classes. There're three types of abstract noun. 

3.1. Nouns which describe qualities

Example: ability, truth, length, strength, beauty, honesty, freedom, etc.,. 

Most of these abstract nouns are related to adjectives. They can be used as uncountable nouns. However, some of them can be used as countable nouns too. Example: able => ability / abilities ; free => freedom; honest => honesty 

For more details, you can see the lesson Countable and Uncountable nouns.

3.2. Nouns which describe states (states of mind)

Example: belief, emotion, knowledge, hope, judgement, permission, etc.,.

Most of these concrete nouns are related to verbs. They can be used as uncountable nouns, but some can be used as countable nouns too. Example: believe => belief / beliefs ; know => knowledge etc.,. 

3.3. Nouns which describe events or actions

Example: act, answer, attempt, examination, change, cost, reply, fight, etc.,.

Generally, these are countable nouns, and re usually related to verbs. In fact, most of them have the same form as the verbs. Example: My father wants to change his car. Or: A change is good if every person understands the political issues. 

4. Endings of abstract nouns

Many abstract nouns can be recognized by their endings. Example:

1. ance/ence: appearance, difference, 

2. al: trial, refusal, proposal, 

3. hood: childhood, manhood,

4. ing: feeling, meaning, sharing, singing,

5. ion: Action, invitation, attraction, examination,

6. ity: ability, quality, unity,

7.  ment: judgement, treatment, statement, development,

8. ness: happiness, weakness, 

9. th: strength, width,

10. ty: honesty, difficulty,

5. Countable and uncountable abstract nouns

Some abstract nouns are countable. They have both a singular and a plural form. Example: action => actions; judgement => judgements etc.,. 

5.1. Countable

Example: accident, event, example, form, month, etc.,. 

5.2. Uncountable

Example: advice, information, music, news*, research, weather, etc.,.

These abstract nouns can't have a plural form or an indefinite article. 

* Although news ends in -s, it's uncountable and always singular. 

5.3. Countable and uncountable

Example: 

How many times have you visited Australia? (countable)

Or: 

How much time did you spend in Australia? (uncountable)

We hope this article helps you understand about abstract nouns. If you have any question, just leave a comment below.