Practice
Abstract nouns: identify ideas, qualities, and states
Sign in to saveYou can point to a bicycle, but you cannot point to courage or patience. English uses nouns for both physical things and ideas.
Identify abstract nouns and choose them when an idea, quality, feeling, action, or state is the thing you want to name.
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
Her courage impressed the audience. /hɜː ˈkʌrɪdʒ ɪmˈprest ði ˈɔːdiəns/
The short answer
Use an abstract noun when you need to name an idea, feeling, quality, action, or state. In Her courage impressed the audience, courage names a quality rather than a person or object.
Her courage impressed the audience.
Why it works: Courage names a quality that people can notice but cannot touch.
4 more examples
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The neighbor's kindness made the evening easier.
Kindness names the quality shown by the neighbor.
Not this:The neighbor's
kindmade the evening easier. What changes: Kind is an adjective here. Use the noun kindness when the quality is the subject of the sentence. -
Her knowledge of the rules saved time.
Knowledge names what she knows.
Not this:Her
knowof the rules saved time. What changes: Know is a verb. Knowledge is the noun form that can follow her. -
Freedom matters to many people.
Freedom names a state or condition.
Not this:
Freematters to many people. What changes: Free is usually an adjective. Freedom is the noun used as the subject here. -
Their decision surprised us.
Decision names the result of deciding.
Not this:Their
decidesurprised us. What changes: Decide is a verb. Decision names the choice that was made.
Read the full guide
Start with one question: does the noun name something you can physically see or hold? If it names an idea, feeling, quality, action, or state instead, it is often an abstract noun. The sentence around it will show what role the idea has.
Name an idea instead of an object
A concrete noun names something physical, such as a phone, a tree, or a cup. An abstract noun names something you understand or experience but cannot hold, such as hope, fear, or success.
Hope kept the group calm during the delay.
Hope names a feeling or expectation, not a physical object.
The box held six clean cups.
Box and cups are concrete nouns because they name physical things.
Which word is abstract: jacket or happiness?
Happiness is abstract because it names a feeling.
Use nouns for qualities and feelings
Qualities and feelings can become the main topic of a sentence. Use an abstract noun when you want to talk about the quality or feeling itself, rather than describe a person.
Honesty builds trust between colleagues.
Honesty names a quality, while honest describes a person or statement.
Anger made it hard for him to listen.
Anger names the feeling that affected his behavior.
Choose the noun that names a quality: honest or honesty?
Choose honesty when the quality itself is the topic.
Notice nouns made from verbs and adjectives
English often forms abstract nouns from verbs and adjectives. Decide becomes decision, grow becomes growth, and kind becomes kindness. The new word can take the normal place of a noun in a sentence.
The city has seen steady growth in recent years.
Growth names the process or result of growing.
His refusal changed the plan.
Refusal names the act or result of refusing.
Which word can follow the: decide or decision?
Use decision. It is the noun form.
Use the abstract noun as a subject or object
Abstract nouns follow the same basic grammar as other nouns. They can be the subject of a sentence, the object of a verb, or part of a longer noun phrase.
Patience is useful when a task takes longer than expected.
Patience is the subject because the sentence says something about it.
We discussed the importance of clear instructions.
Importance is the object of discussed and the main noun in the phrase.
In We discussed the problem, what is the object?
The problem is the object of discussed. Abstract nouns can work in the same position.
Choose the form that matches your meaning
A noun, adjective, and verb may come from the same family, but they have different jobs. Use a noun to name the idea, an adjective to describe a noun, and a verb to show an action or state.
The speaker gave a clear explanation.
Explanation is a noun that names the information the speaker gave.
The speaker explained the rule clearly.
Explained is the verb because it shows the speaker's action.
Do you need to name the idea, describe a noun, or show an action?
Choose the noun, adjective, or verb that has that job in your sentence.
Before you go
Remember this
Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings, qualities, actions, and states. Use courage, kindness, knowledge, freedom, or decision when the idea itself is the topic. Check the sentence to make sure you need a noun rather than an adjective or verb.
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: identify ideas, qualities, and states"
What is an abstract noun?
An abstract noun names an idea, feeling, quality, action, or state instead of a physical object. Common examples include courage, kindness, knowledge, freedom, and decision. It can be the subject or object of a sentence.
Her courage impressed the audience.
How can I tell whether a noun is abstract?
Ask what the noun names in the sentence. If it names something you think about, feel, do, or experience rather than an object you can touch, it is probably abstract. Context helps when a word has more than one meaning.
Her courageous impressed the audience.
What is the difference between an abstract noun and an adjective?
An abstract noun names the quality or idea, while an adjective describes a noun. Courage names a quality, but courageous describes a person or action. Use the noun when the quality itself needs to be the subject or object.
The neighbor's kindness made the evening easier.
Can abstract nouns come from verbs?
Yes. Many abstract nouns are related to verbs. Decision is related to decide, and growth is related to grow. The noun can name the action, process, result, or idea connected with the verb.
The neighbor's kind made the evening easier.
Can abstract nouns be plural?
Some abstract nouns can be plural when you mean separate types, events, or examples. Decisions can mean several choices, and experiences can mean several events. Others are more often used as uncountable ideas, depending on their meaning.
Her knowledge of the rules saved time.