nouns

Question

Hi there members,
Could you please help me with the following exercise? I have put down what I think as well but I am not sure if I am correct. So, I need your suggestions, please.

Here is the exercise and I have to underline the abstract nouns:

1) The sight of her friend filled Jill with happiness.
2) The London Olympics were a great success.
3) Ben thought of a brilliant idea for his story.
4) The blue team were filled with hope as more pupils won the races.
5) Lucy found the courage to admit that she was responsible for the broken window.

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I am confused about #3 (story) and #4 (races). The site which I found this exercise on says that only "success" is an abstract noun in #3, but I'd like to ask you if "story" could be referred to as an abstract noun as well. And I'm having the same sort of problem with #4 where only the "hope" is an abstract noun according to the site. But, isn't "races" also an abstract noun, please?, since we can't see, touch, or measure a 'race', can we?

Thank you all.

Philip · Accepted Answer

The abstract nouns in your sentences are: happiness, success, courage, hope. I interpret "measure" to include "count", so idea, story, friend, window, pupils, team, Olympics are concrete. The one exception I see here is that hope could be concrete in a difference context.

Laborious · Answer

Philipso idea, story, friend, window, pupils, team, Olympics are concrete

Thank you, Philip, for your reply! You say you consider words such as "idea" and "story" as concrete nouns. But most of the sites which give information about "concrete" and "abstract" nouns say this -- A concrete noun names something that can be perceived with our senses, i.e., we can touch, see, taste, hear, smell, and we could even measure it if we wished to; while, an abstract noun is something that cannot be perceived with our senses, for e.g. we can't see, touch, taste,hear, smell, or measure it. These (the words "idea" and "story") are not tangible things, are they, please?

Is this way of defining "concrete nouns" and "abstract nouns" correct to native speakers like you, please?
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I'd also like to know whether the word "smell" is an abstract noun or a concrete noun, please. Because If I follow the definitions that I've read of these nouns, this (smell) should be neither a concrete noun, nor an abstract one. We can smell a "smell". which is one of the features of "concrete nouns"; on the other hand, it could also be an abstract noun, because we cannot see, touch, measure, or taste it.

Though I've read a few different pages (from different sites), I still can't distinguish clearly between "abstract nouns" and "concrete nouns". Please help me understand this concept if someone has time.

Thanks to all of you once again!

nouns

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