Understanding Intangible Abstract Nouns
at GrammarSongs by Melissa. You have learned that a basic noun can be a
person, place, or thing. You've also learned that a basic noun is something
you can see, hear, smell, touch, or taste, but maybe not all at once. These nouns
are physical, or tangible, because you can detect them by using your five senses.
Here are some examples of some physica,l or tangible, nouns. Some people also call
these nouns concrete, but not all nouns are concrete. Some nouns are intangible,
or non-physical. You can't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste them. They are abstract. I
can't show you what they look like, but I can give you some real-world examples. Events are examples of abstract or
intangible nouns. Imagine you go to a friend's house. Of course there are basic
concrete nouns everywhere. You see decorations and balloons, and a table with
presents. You see, smell, and can taste a cake, punch, and other foods. You hear
music and can feel the vibrations. You see other friends dancing and having fun.
What event is this? Of course it's a party. You can't see, hear, smell, touch, or
taste a party, but you can detect all of the concrete physical nouns that make up
an event. As you know, a place is a basic concrete noun. An event is an intangible
or abstract noun. Events usually happen at places. For example, a wedding is an
event that can happen at a place like a church. A picnic is an event that can
happen at a place like a park. And a parade is an event that can happen at a
place like a city. Events are made up of people, places, or things you can
experience with your five senses, but the event itself is an abstract noun.
Emotions can also be examples of abstract nouns. Love, anger, joy, fear, and
sadness are all nouns, but you can't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste them. Ideas are
also examples of abstract nouns. You can't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste
friendship itself, but you can enjoy spending time with your friends who are
people, or concrete nouns, just like you! And you can't see, hear, smell, touch, or
taste freedom, but certain people or objects stand as symbols to express this
abstract concept. So now that we've explored some abstract nouns, such as
events, emotions, and ideas, let's see if we can find some nouns in some sentences.
We will look for nouns that are either concrete or abstract. Remember, concrete
nouns are physical. They can be people, places, or things, and you can see, hear,
smell, touch, or taste them. Abstract nouns are intangible, or non physical. They can
be events, feelings, ideas, or concepts. Here we go! The boy had permission to go
to the park. First, let's look for concrete nouns. Concrete nouns form
the picture in my head when I read. The boy had permission to go to the park. I
get a picture of a boy and a park. A boy is a person and a park is a place. The boy
went to the park. People and places are basic concrete nouns. We can circle "boy"
and "park" since they are nouns. But, are there any other nouns in this sentence?
Let's look at the remaining words in the sentence. Remember, abstract nouns are
intangible or non physical. They don't make pictures in my head because I can't
see, hear, smell, touch, or taste them. So how can I recognize abstract nouns?
Remember, abstract nouns can be events, like a parade, emotions like fear and
love, or ideas or concepts like friendship. Let's check for abstract
nouns. Is "the" an event, emotion, or concept?
No. Is "had" an event, emotion, or concept? No. Is "permission" an event, emotion. or
concept? Permission is an idea or concept! It's a thing needed to be permitted to
engage in an activity or pursue an ambition, like going to the park. And a
thing is a noun, so we should circle permission. Let's keep going. Is "to" an
idea, event, or emotion? No. Is "go" an event, emotion, or idea? No. Is "to" an event,
emotion, or idea? No. Is "the" an event, emotion, or idea?
No. Hooray! We've circled all the nouns! Great detective work! Let's explore
another sentence. The cookie brought joy to the toddler. First, let's look for the
concrete nouns. Concrete nouns form a picture in my head when I read. The
cookie brought joy to the toddler. I get a picture of a cookie and a toddler. A
cookie is a thing, and a toddler is a young person. The cookie brought joy to
the toddler. Things and people are basic concrete nouns. We can circle "cookie" and
"toddler" since they're nouns, but are there any other nouns in this sentence?
Remember, abstract nouns are intangible, or non-physical. Abstract nouns can be
events like a wedding, emotions like shyness or anger, or concepts like
confusion or wisdom. Let's check for abstract nouns. Is "the" an event, emotion,
or concept? No. Is" brought" an event, emotion, or
concept? No. Is "joy" an event, emotion' or concept? Joy is an emotion! An emotion is
a feeling or thing, and things are nouns! We should circle" joy" since "joy" is a noun.
Let's see... Is "to" an event, emotion, or concept? No. Is" the" an event, emotion, or
concept? No. Hurray! We've circled all the nouns! Great detective work! You get an
a-plus on abstract nouns! Thank you for joining me at GrammarSongs by Melissa.
