Question on abstract nouns...

Question

Ok im a bit confused about abstract nouns.
So the pure definition of a noun is
The http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/part%20of%20speech that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

The idea is the part that totally confuses me.

Idea means: any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity

so...technically that means every single word in the language is a noun, because they're all ideas. The word 'since' a preposition is a concept in our minds related to time, so how is it not a noun...or every word out there for that matter...its super confusing the heck out of me....

Thanks in advance

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Let's try a simple approach.

Try writing a few simple sentences using an abstract noun in each one, and we can help you with comments. OK?

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Well see...the issue isn't that i don't understand what the dictionary considers an abstract noun...its why everything isn't labeled as one.

Its easy to say, "He was moral." And there i've used an abstract noun...i think. But it doesnt make sense to me why the word 'was' isn't an abstract noun. The word itself implies an existance or take place, but isn't that an idea, a concept.

I'm thinking that using the word 'idea' is a bad way to explain it because i take its definition so literarly...but i honestly can't figure it out any other way

Anonymous · Answer

gah i replied but my post didnt make it through for some reason...sigh

well in short here's the sentence to make you happy..

"The man carried out justice."

So justice being the abstract noun. Now...my question is, why isn't 'out' an abstract noun. It implies a concept of something being done...and idea...

I just think that the word 'idea' is a bad word to use to explain abstract nouns, but sadly i dont know any better way to explain it to myself to make it more clear. Its been confusing me for a loooong time sadly.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

"He was moral." And there i've used an abstract noun...i think. Actually, 'moral' is considered an adjective here. Just like 'red' is an adjective in 'The car is red'.

I understand your concerns, and to some extent I agree with them. An 'idea' is a hard thing to define.

I rather prefer to try to use the term 'thing' - some things you can touch, see, hear, and so forth, and other things you can't.

I think your concerns are somewhat philosophical rather than simply grammatical. Do you find this is causing you any problems when you speak or write English, or is it just a matterr of understanding definitions?

Whayt is your first language? If not English, does its grammar involve defining what a noun is, and do you have the same problems in understanding?

Best wishes again, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Ok sorry, so how about, "He displayed justice". Justice being the abstract noun.

I was too thinking my difficulty was coming more from a philosphical point of view, however one that impedes my understanding of simple grammar.

English is my first language, I don't have any trouble writing or speaking but I want to have a better grasp on proper sentence structure, grammar etc, as I want to write a book. I know how to use the words I know but if I grab a dictionary and find a totally new word I've never heard of before, I wouldn't know how to properly use it in a sentence because of my lack of knowledge of grammar.

So i guess its a matter of understanding definitions. I do find it easier to understand it when defined as a 'thing' but how can a word like justice be a thing. Isn't it more of a concept of what we percieve as justice? Which I suppose if you look at the first sentence I gave with the word moral, I saw that word as a concept of what we think is moral and so to me it was the same as justice...

Sure I know how to use both those words in a sentence for it to make sense but had they been words i've never seen before I'm almost certain I would have thought that its ok to say, "He was justice" rather then "He displayed justice".

Errr anyways, if maybe you could help me better distinguish between what falls under an abstract noun and what doesn't it would make things a world easier to understand when moving to other words.

Much thanks again...

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Possibly it might help if you could look up the definition of the word 'thing' in your dictionary.

What about your native language? Does it have the concept of abstract nouns, like happiness, justice? Do you have the same problem?

I don't really think I can say much more about this topic. I think your problem will resolve itself, in time. I hope.

Clive

Repharim · Answer

Hey, ok I was the person who made this post. I decided to sign up

I was thinking today to help myself better understand the whole abstract noun thing and here's what came into my head...let me know if it makes sense.

Since an abstract noun is something we cannot detect without 5 senses, it is something that we can 'act out'.

So even though the word "in" for example(He went in the room), is a concept, an idea of a sort...we cannot 'act out' the word "in". So I think that solves the philisophical issue I've been having...What do you think does that makes sense? Are there any abstract nouns I'm not thinking of that we cannot 'act out'

Clive · Answer

Hi,

It depends on how good you are as an actor, I suppose.

Whatever works for you, works for you.

Good luck, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

The word "in" in not a noun at all.  It is a preposition.  The prepostional phrase is "in the room"... "in" being the prepostion, "the" being a article adjective, and "room" being the object of the prepostion and a concrete noun.

BillJ · Answer

Hi

I checked my Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, as well as Merriam-Webster, but found no reference to 'idea' in their definitions of a noun, so I don't know where you got your definition from. You might find it better to think of a noun as being a word that refers to a person, thing, event, substance or quality.

It's not helpful to think of every word in the language as being an idea, but many words do represent ideas (mental impressions) which can be represented by abstract nouns such as sincerity, hatred, loyalty etc.

Remember, there is no absolutely perfect definition of an abstract noun, though a useful working one might be: 'a noun which refers to unobservable notions (difficulty, music, remark, beauty etc). But then some abstract nouns stray into concrete territory: beauty, for instance, is an abstract quality, but you might also refer to 'a bathing beauty' or 'the beauties of the Peak District', the first one definitely concrete, the second one at least debateable.

You could certainly make a case for ‘I love the beauty of the Peak District’ being abstract and ‘I photographed some of the beauties of the Peak District’ being concrete. One noun from ‘king’ is definitely abstract: ‘kingship’, the quality required for a king, but ‘kingdom’ is a grey area. It can be used in an abstract way, but how about, ‘In 1485 Henry Tudor once more set foot in the Kingdom of England’?

Best Wishes

Bill J

Question on abstract nouns...

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions