Abstract Nouns
Explore concepts, emotions, and ideas that cannot be touched or seen
What Are Abstract Nouns?
Abstract nouns are words that name concepts, ideas, emotions, qualities, or states of being that cannot be perceived by the five senses. They represent things that exist in thought or feeling rather than physical reality.
Unlike concrete nouns (which you can see, touch, hear, smell, or taste), abstract nouns exist only in the mind and imagination.
Categories of Abstract Nouns
Emotions & Feelings
Internal states and emotional experiences
happiness, love, fear
anger, joy, sadness
excitement, anxiety, peace
Ideas & Concepts
Mental constructs and theoretical concepts
freedom, justice, democracy
beauty, truth, wisdom
creativity, imagination, logic
More Categories
Qualities & Characteristics
Attributes and traits of people or things
kindness, bravery, intelligence
patience, honesty, loyalty
strength, beauty, courage
States & Conditions
Situations and circumstances
health, wealth, poverty
youth, age, illness
success, failure, progress
Actions & Processes
Activities and ongoing processes
learning, growth, change
development, improvement, decay
movement, stillness, silence
Formation of Abstract Nouns
From Adjectives
Adding suffixes to adjectives
happy → happiness
brave → bravery
kind → kindness
wise → wisdom
From Verbs
Adding suffixes to verbs
learn → learning
grow → growth
move → movement
create → creation
Interactive Quizzes
Quiz 1: Identify Abstract Nouns
Which words are abstract nouns?
1. "The beauty of nature brings me happiness."
Answer: beauty, happiness (abstract nouns)
2. "Love and friendship are important in life."
Answer: love, friendship, life (abstract nouns)
Quiz 2: Abstract vs. Concrete
Classify each noun:
1. "The courage of the soldier impressed everyone."
Answer: courage (abstract), soldier (concrete), everyone (concrete)
2. "Wisdom comes with age and experience."
Answer: wisdom (abstract), age (abstract), experience (abstract)
Quiz 3: Form Abstract Nouns
Create abstract nouns from these words:
1. "brave" → _____
Answer: bravery
2. "learn" → _____
Answer: learning
Quiz 4: Categories
Which category does each abstract noun belong to?
1. "democracy"
Answer: Ideas & Concepts
2. "kindness"
Answer: Qualities & Characteristics
Important Notes
• Abstract nouns are often uncountable and don't have plural forms.
• They can be used with quantifiers like "much," "little," "some," and "a lot of."
• Abstract nouns help express complex ideas and emotions in writing and speech.
• Many abstract nouns can be made concrete by adding specific examples or contexts.
Pro Tip
To identify abstract nouns, ask yourself: "Can I see, touch, hear, smell, or taste this?" If the answer is no, it's probably an abstract noun.