Practice
Abstract nouns: rules and examples
Trust can change a working relationship, but you cannot put trust on a desk. The word names an idea. That is the kind of meaning an abstract noun carries.
Identify abstract nouns and use them accurately when a sentence names an idea, feeling, quality, state, or event rather than a physical object.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
abstract noun /ˈæbstrækt naʊn/
The short answer
Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings, qualities, states, or events. They can do the usual jobs of nouns in a sentence.
Patience helped Amir finish the repair carefully.
Why it works: Patience names a quality, so it is an abstract noun and the subject of the sentence.
5 more examples
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Honesty matters when a team discusses a mistake.
Honesty names a quality, so it is an abstract noun and the subject of the sentence.
Not this:The honest
employeeexplained the mistake. What changes: Employee names a person. Honest is an adjective that describes that concrete noun. -
The sudden arrival of the bus ended our wait.
Arrival names an event rather than the bus itself.
Not this:The
busarrived at the stop at noon. What changes: Bus names the physical vehicle, while arrived is the verb for the event. -
Her kindness made the new neighbor feel welcome.
Kindness names a quality shown by the neighbor.
Not this:Her kind
neighborcarried the boxes upstairs. What changes: Neighbor names a person. Kind describes that person. -
We need more information before we choose a supplier.
Information names knowledge or facts. In this meaning, it is normally uncountable.
Not this:The folder contains three information
sheets. What changes: Sheets are countable physical items. The phrase measures the uncountable noun information. -
The child remembered her first day of school with excitement.
Excitement names a feeling, not an object that the child held.
Not this:The excited
childopened the classroom door. What changes: Child is a concrete noun. Excited is an adjective that describes the child's feeling.
Read the full guide
Look for a noun that names a concept rather than the person, place, or object connected with that concept. In The team showed courage, courage names a quality. The team members are concrete people, but courage is an abstract noun.
Name an idea, feeling, quality, or event
An abstract noun gives a name to something that is not a particular physical object. It may name a feeling, such as fear; a quality, such as courage; an idea, such as justice; a state, such as childhood; or an event, such as departure.
Freedom matters to the people in the story.
Freedom names an idea. It is the subject of the sentence.
Which noun names a feeling in this sentence: Relief filled the room after the results arrived?
Relief is the abstract noun because it names the feeling.
Choose by meaning, not by a touch test
The phrase you cannot touch it can help as a first idea, but it does not solve every sentence. Use the noun's meaning. A painting is an object you can see and hold. Beauty names the quality that the painting may have.
The painting brought beauty to the empty wall.
Painting names the object. Beauty names the quality connected with it.
Which word is abstract in this sentence: The old key gave Lina hope?
Hope is abstract because it names an idea or feeling. Key is a concrete object.
Use endings as clues, not rules
Some endings often appear in abstract nouns. Kindness, movement, education, ability, and childhood are common examples. The ending does not guarantee the category, so read the whole word and sentence before deciding.
Education opened new choices for her.
Education names a process and the knowledge connected with it, not a particular object.
The committee discussed the movement of the funds.
Movement names the action or change of position.
Does the ending -ness always make a word abstract?
No. An ending is useful evidence, but the word's meaning decides its category.
Match the article and number to the meaning
Abstract nouns can follow the same grammar patterns as other nouns, but their meanings matter. Information and advice are normally uncountable, so we say some information or a piece of advice. A fear can be countable when it means one particular fear, and memories can be plural when they mean separate remembered experiences.
The guide gave us useful advice before the interview.
Advice is normally uncountable in this meaning, so do not say an advice.
She wrote down two fears before the flight.
Fears is plural because the sentence names two separate worries.
Which phrase is correct for one suggestion: an advice or a piece of advice?
Use a piece of advice because advice is normally uncountable.
Build a sentence around the abstract noun
An abstract noun can be the subject, object, or object after a preposition. Once you identify it, ask what job it does. This helps you make a complete sentence and choose any needed article, determiner, or plural form.
Confidence grew after three successful practice sessions.
Confidence is the subject. The verb grew describes the change in that feeling.
The supervisor praised her confidence.
Confidence is the object of praised.
Which word names the quality in this sentence: Her patience helped the group finish the task?
Patience is the abstract noun. It names the quality that helped the group.
Before you go
Remember this
Use an abstract noun for an idea, feeling, quality, state, or event: courage, freedom, patience, and arrival. Then choose its grammar from the meaning. Some abstract nouns are normally uncountable, while others can name separate cases or experiences.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Abstract nouns: rules and examples"
What is an abstract noun?
An abstract noun names an idea, feeling, quality, state, or event rather than a particular physical object. Honesty, freedom, patience, and arrival are abstract nouns. They can be subjects or objects just like other nouns, because grammar depends on the noun's job in the sentence.
Honesty matters when a team discusses a mistake.
How can I identify an abstract noun?
Start with the noun's meaning. Ask whether it names a concept, feeling, quality, state, or event. In Her kindness made the new neighbor feel welcome, kindness names a quality. Do not rely only on a touch test, because the sentence's meaning gives the more reliable answer.
The honest employee explained the mistake.
Which endings can an abstract noun have?
Many abstract nouns end in -ness, -tion, -ment, -ity, or -hood. Kindness, education, movement, ability, and childhood are examples. These endings are clues, not rules. A word such as hope is also abstract even though it has none of those endings.
The sudden arrival of the bus ended our wait.
Are abstract nouns countable or uncountable?
Either pattern is possible, depending on the word and meaning. Information and advice are normally uncountable, so use some information or a piece of advice. Fears and memories can be countable when a sentence means separate worries or separate remembered experiences.
The bus arrived at the stop at noon.
Can an abstract noun be plural?
Yes, when the noun names separate instances, types, or experiences. A writer can describe two fears, several memories, or different ideas. Do not add a plural ending to every abstract noun. Use the plural only when the meaning is countable and the sentence refers to more than one.
Her kindness made the new neighbor feel welcome.