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Introduction
All of us are very familiar with nouns. Nouns are naming words that are used to describe or denote either an object or intangible concept. It is a part of speech. There are five types of nouns. They are proper nouns, common nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns and material nouns. We shall look at abstract nouns and their functions in more detail in this basic guide to Abstract Noun.
Abstract Noun- Definition:
An abstract noun is a naming word that denotes or names intangible things like ideas or emotions. These concepts have external markers of expression but cannot be seen or touched. Courage, sadness, happiness, envy etc. are feelings or emotions that cannot be touched or seen but we still feel them. To describe such a thing, we use an abstract noun.
Cambridge Online Dictionary defines an abstract noun as “a noun that refers to a thing that does not exist as a material object.”
Examples
There are many familiar words in the English language which are abstract noun examples. We have already looked at some of them. Let us now see some more abstract noun examples and their usage in sentences.
Abstract Noun | Usage in sentence |
Honesty | Honesty can never be compromised. |
Freedom | Many people have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their nations. |
Cruelty | The cruelty of people’s hearts always does not show on their faces. |
Patience | A little patience may yield unexpected results. |
Hatred | There is no hatred for anyone in this heart. |
Sorrow | Her sorrows were boundless. |
Luxury | He was raised in luxury. |
Anger | Their anger was baseless. |
Love | Her love for her son made her blind to his wrongdoings. |
Justice | They said that they would bring justice to the grieving family. |
Abstract nouns and Adjectives
Abstract Noun | Adjective |
weakness | weak |
boldness | bold |
courage | courageous |
cruelty | cruel |
newness | new |
difference | different |
jealousy | jealous |
apathy | apathetic |
envious | envy |
hunger | hungry |
An abstract noun often has an adjective form that is more commonly used in English. For example, we often use the word ‘sorry’ which is the adjective form of the abstract noun ‘sorrow’. This way they are even easier to remember. An adjective is also a part of speech that describes how a noun or pronoun is used in a sentence, e.g., “The man is sad”. If we question the subject with how, or how the man is, we get the answer sad. Now, the adjective “sad” has a noun form too. The noun form of sad is sadness, and it is an abstract noun. Below is a list of some abstract nouns and their adjective forms.
Abstract Noun | Adjective |
beauty | beautiful |
confidence | confident |
anger | angry |
honesty | honest |
terror | terrible |
fear | fearsome |
sadness | sad |
love | loved |
kindness | kind |
strong | strength |
Abstract Nouns and Verbs
Verbs are a part of speech that denotes an action in a sentence. He goes to the market every morning. In this sentence, the action is denoted by the word “goes”. Hence, it is a verb. Many abstract nouns have verb forms too which are more frequently used in English than abstract nouns. Consider the word “do”, we willy-nilly use the word in our daily conversation. Compared to the usage of the word “do”, the noun form of it, i.e., “deed” is less used. “Deed” is an abstract noun. Others are more or less frequently used, such as knowledge. Let us look at some of the verbs and their abstract noun forms.
Abstract Noun | Verb |
knowledge | know |
employment | employ |
growth | grow |
behaviour | behave |
permission | permit |
loss | lose |
sale | sell |
freedom | free |
appearance | appear |
negligence |
Conclusion
Among several types of nouns, abstract nouns are used to denote things or concepts that cannot be seen or touched. Mostly, abstract nouns are uncountable since they are intangible. But it is always not the case. There are some usages of abstract nouns that are also countable. E.g., “deed” is an abstract noun, but it is countable.
The basic difference between a concrete noun and an abstract noun lies in the fact that the former means naming words that are used to describe tangible things, things that can be touched or seen. But the latter means the exact opposite. Physical objects such as books, tables, and windows do not count as abstract nouns, but emotions and ideas such as bravery, activity, and anger are examples of abstract nouns.
