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We are surrounded by concrete nouns. Although you might think this is limited to objects and the like, it is not. Concrete nouns are a large category of noun, which together with the abstract noun can cover all forms of nouns. Concrete nouns are frequently described in order to create vivid imagery.
Although concrete nouns often come in the form of objects, this is not strictly the case. Here is an effective, testable definition for concrete noun:
Concrete nounsare forms of matter and energy.
This includes anything from people to objects to air to sound waves to light. The term “concrete” can trip people up, because it sounds very physical, as though only solids and liquids are concrete nouns. However, concrete nouns encompass anything in the scientifically quantifiable spectrum of things: in other words, all forms of matter and energy.
Nouns that are not concrete are abstract nouns.
Abstractnounsare nouns that are not forms of matter and energy.
These are emotions such as "love" and concepts such as "accountability."
Before we get into further distinguishing the two, it's important to understand all the forms that a concrete noun can take. This will provide a stronger point of reference for delving into the concrete vs. the abstract, which despite these clear definitions can get murky.
There are various kinds of concrete nouns, which can be clustered in a few subcategories.
Countable nouns can be counted directly.Examples includeperson,car,ball, andlamp.
There is one person, two cars, three balls, and four lamps.
可数名词不需要物质的东西,however. They can be other forms of matter or energy and still be concrete.
This beaker containstwo distinct gases.
Three lights从码头出来。
I only heardone sound. Did you hear something besides those footsteps?
Uncountable nouns cannot be directly counted.Examples includeluggage,water,money, andcoffee. These nouns require other words in order to be counted.
An easy way to check if a noun is uncountable is to try topluralizeit. If it just doesn't work in a plural form, it's uncountable.
There is a piece ofluggagein here.
It doesn't make sense to saythere is a luggage in hereorthere are luggages in here.
The track team has forty gallons ofwater.
It doesn't make sense to saythe track team has forty waters.
I haven’t seen the two stacks ofmoney.
It doesn't make sense to sayI haven't seen the two monies.
Collective nouns indicate groups of nouns.Examples include: team, cluster, family, and stack.
Theteamplayed well tonight.
Theclusterof tables vibrated.
It was once a happyfamily.
This is a bigstackof old CDs.
In American English, the collective noun generally agrees with a singular verb. This is because of the singular construction of collective nouns
The footballteamisreally good.
Collective names for animals:动物分为一些非常有趣的猫egories. Obviously, you will have heard of “flocks” and “herds,” but have you heard of a congress of ravens or a murder of crows? When playing with descriptions using collective nouns, explore some of these interesting words to describe groups of all kinds of things.
Finally, proper nouns are the proper names of people and places.
Ben Franklinjust lept out of that time machine!
The Leaning Tower of Pisashould not have a rooftop restaurant, for obvious reasons.
Dustyis my pet cat.
Note, however, that all of these noun types can appear as abstract nouns as well.For instance, the word “idea,” which is not a form of matter or energy, is a counting noun (one, two, three ideas). To give another example, the Pythagorean theorem is a proper noun, as it is the name of something, yet it also is not a form of matter or energy.
The differences between concrete and abstract nouns are not always straightforward, so it is well worth the time to examine them in detail.
While concrete nouns are forms of matter and energy, abstract nouns are the inverse.Abstractnouns are nouns that are not forms of matter and energy.
Abstractnouns are not scientifically quantifiable, such as "fear." There is no scientific way to quantify “fear” into units, the way you can with solids, liquids, gases, and energy.
Virtually all concepts are abstract nouns. For example, “thought” is an abstract noun. On the other hand, brain waves are concrete nouns because they are themselves a form of matter or energy and can be detected by scientific equipment.
Some words can be both concrete and abstract. As such, whether a given noun is concrete or abstract might depend on thecontext.
Is the underlined word a concrete noun or an abstract noun?
Therailroadthrough her mind was long and dark.
Metaphors are tricky. In this example, although the “railroad” is obviously not real, it does functionally exist in the sentence as aconcrete noun. Think of it this way. A railroad is not a concept on its own; it can only be employed as a concept through metaphor.Abstractnouns can and do exist independently from metaphor. Use this same process to break down a simile.
At the end of the day, terms like “concrete” and “abstract” exist to understand the rhetoric of the English language. Thus, 99 times out of 100, a close call will be determined by function rather than form.Rhetoricis more about “how” than “what.”
Is the underlined word a concrete noun or an abstract noun?
Thestatisticfrightened her.
Because a statistic is not a form of matter or energy, it is anabstract noun. Yes, the word "statistic" might be written somewhere, but what's frightening is the statisticas an idea,not the statistic as a sketch of graphite. Besides, this example contains no suchcontext. Read into only what is written, not what you think is implied.
Is the underlined word a concrete noun or an abstract noun?
After what I went through that day, the rain was like aslapin the face.
Because a “slap” has no physical properties, it is anabstract noun. A slap is anaction noun.Action nouns describe actions in the form of nouns.A “shout,” a “leap,” and a “lick” are all action nouns because they refer only to an action, not to any lasting physical presence. Action nouns includegerunds, which are verb-to-nouns ending in -ing such as my “asking,” the “dancing,” and your “sleeping.”
Any noun that refers to an action is an abstract noun.
Concrete nounsare forms of matter and energy.
Concrete nounsare forms of matter and energy.Abstract nounsare nouns that are not forms of matter and energy, such as ideas or conditions.
Usually concrete nouns, but they can be abstract depending on the context.
A ball, a light, a man, a sound, and a smile are concrete nouns. These are all real things that exist in the form of matter or energy.
They are not mutually exclusive.Concrete nounsare forms of matter and energy. Examples include: a ball, a light, a man, a sound, and a smile.Collective nounsindicate groups of nouns. Examples include: team, cluster, family, and stack. Collective nouns can be concrete, but also abstract depending on what they refer to.
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