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Laborious Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
"concrete" vs "abstract" nous
Hi
In the definition which I just read here http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/Types-of-Nouns.html, a concrete noun is defined as a noun that can be touched, smelled, seen, felt, or tasted.
Further, it is given that concrete nouns can be perceived by at least one of our senses.
I need your help with how we should differentiate between "concrete nouns" and "abstract nouns", please. I think I don't get the difference between "concrete" and "abstract" quite rightly. For e.g. "hunger" is a feeling, and so is "anger", right, teachers? Should these (and many others like these, for e.g., 'jealousy', 'affection' etc.) be "concrete" nouns or "abstract" nouns?
Thank you.
In the definition which I just read here http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/Types-of-Nouns.html, a concrete noun is defined as a noun that can be touched, smelled, seen, felt, or tasted.
Further, it is given that concrete nouns can be perceived by at least one of our senses.
I need your help with how we should differentiate between "concrete nouns" and "abstract nouns", please. I think I don't get the difference between "concrete" and "abstract" quite rightly. For e.g. "hunger" is a feeling, and so is "anger", right, teachers? Should these (and many others like these, for e.g., 'jealousy', 'affection' etc.) be "concrete" nouns or "abstract" nouns?
Thank you.
Top answer
"hunger", "anger", "jealousy" etc. are all abstract. When it says "felt" it means literally felt using the sense of touch.
- "hunger", "anger", "jealousy" etc.
- are all abstract.
- When it says "felt" it means literally felt using the sense of touch.
- )
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5 Answers
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"hunger", "anger", "jealousy" etc. are all abstract. When it says "felt" it means literally felt using the sense of touch. (Though this seems redundant with "touched", so I don't really know why "felt" is included.)
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I have to say that I have never found these categories very useful in teaching/learning English.
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Thank you, GPY and Fivejedjon, for your replies!
Fivejedjon, could you please tell me how then you label different nouns in English? Do you call all of them just "nouns", please?
Fivejedjon, could you please tell me how then you label different nouns in English? Do you call all of them just "nouns", please?
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I use the labels common and proper nouns . group nouns and nouns usually used countably and nouns usually used non-countably - I prefer these long-winded terms to the traditional uncountable/non- count and countable/count nouns, which suggest that nouns must be either one or the other.
Those are the categories I find most useful.
Those are the categories I find most useful.
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GPY(Though this seems redundant with "touched", so I don't really know why "felt" is included.)I feel the lice crawling through my hair.
"Lice" is a concrete, common, plural noun.
I think that the abstract / concrete labeling is not very useful for teaching or learning English.
It is rather confusing. It makes no difference grammatically
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