Nouns, also known as naming words, are essentially the building blocks of a language. They are the words that we give things, the names of the objects, animals, people, places and concepts that enable us to express our reality in language. Nouns are the subjects and objects in the sentences around which they are formed.
Types of noun
Nouns are classified in two ways: common, proper or abstract, and concrete or abstract.
Proper nouns
Proper nouns are specific names for people, times, places or animals such as Miss Smith, Sarah, Istanbul, Japan, February or Spot (the dog).
The names of the days of the week and the months of the year are also proper nouns because they, too, are names.
- See you on Monday.
- See you in November.
We know that a noun is classed as a proper noun because, in English, a proper noun is always written with a capital letter at the beginning of the word.
Abstract nouns
Abstract nouns are names for emotions, concepts or ideas such as beauty, knowledge, happiness, love and freedom.
These nouns are called abstract because the very meaning of ‘abstract’ is something that exists as an idea or feeling but does not have any physical form and is not a material object. See the Cambridge Online Dictionary definition: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/abstract
We know that a noun is an abstract noun if we can use the word the before it (though it may be preceded by any descriptive words):
- The love I feel.
- The beauty of the woman.
- The great knowledge of the professor.
Common nouns
Common nouns are all other nouns that are not capitalised names or intangible concepts. These are usually everyday items and beings such as cat, city, tree and table, or things such as summer, which can be still be seen and experienced through the senses and is far from an abstract concept.
A common noun can be either singular such as dog, or plural such as dogs.
We know that a word is classed as a common noun if we can use the words (articles) a, an or the before it when it is singular (though it may be preceded by any descriptive words):
- There is a dog – Noun
- It is a cold winter – Noun
- There is a big cat – Noun
- There is a wooden table – Noun
- There is a jumping – Not a noun!
- There is a slowly – Not a noun!
For more on other word classes (also known as parts of speech), please see the relevant post.
Of course, a common noun need not always be preceded by an article, but the possibility of doing so means that it must be a noun.
- Dogs are wonderful creatures.
- Winters tend to be frosty.
Note that spring, summer, autumn and winter are common nouns and not proper nouns. They are not names and do not begin with a capital letter, but one can place an article before them:
- See you in the winter.
- It is a stormy autumn.
Countable and uncountable nouns
An important grammatical feature of classes of noun is that, in contrast to common nouns, abstract nouns cannot be singular or plural but are called uncountable.
A common noun such as a cat, a dog or a person can be pluralised: cats, dogs, people:
- The person has a dog.
- The people have many cats.
Concepts or abstract nouns cannot be quantified in this way and therefore they are also represented by different quantifiers (many/much):
- A person possesses many dogs but much freedom.
- A person feels much love.
- Many people possess much knowledge.
For more on countable and uncountable nouns, and their quantifiers, please read the relevant article.
Be aware that what appear to be abstract nouns can sometimes also function as common nouns, in which case they can be pluralised. For more details, please see the sticking point described below under that heading.
Concrete nouns
Concrete nouns are simply those nouns that are not abstract. The category of nouns that is called concrete nouns means simply nouns that are physical (concrete) and tangible as opposed to abstract and intangible.
Both common nouns and proper nouns can be classed as concrete nouns since both Paris (proper noun) and trees (common noun) can be seen and touched. To class a noun as concrete is only to say that it is not abstract.
A sticking point for language learners: nouns that are abstract and common
It has already been shown that a common or proper noun can be classed as a concrete noun, and that a noun can be a proper noun and classed as an abstract noun, such as Monday.
However, a noun cannot be simultaneously common and abstract. As stated at the beginning of this post, a noun must be classed as concrete or abstract, and it must be classed as common, proper or abstract; these are two separate classification systems.
The reason a noun cannot be both common and abstract, even if it appears to be the same word, is due to the countable/uncountable facet of abstract nouns:
- There are many beauties on display = common noun representing beautiful people.
- She is in possession of much beauty = abstract noun representing an intangible concept.
- I have seen you many times = common noun that can be pluralised and counted.
- Much time has passed since we saw each other = abstract noun representing the uncountable and intangible concept of time.
- There are still some spaces left in the carpark = common noun that can be pluralised and counted.
- The vastness of space goes on infinitely = an abstract noun, the concept of space that cannot be counted or pluralised.
The above examples show clearly that common nouns are countable entities and abstract nouns refer to intangible concepts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nouns are things. Nouns are naming words that can be people, animals, objects or concepts. These nouns can be categorised as concrete, such as dogs, or abstract intangible concepts such as love.
Nouns are also categorised more narrowly as common nouns, proper nouns and abstract nouns. As previously stated, abstract nouns are intangible and uncountable concepts, proper nouns are those naming words that begin with a capital letter and represent an actual name such as Leo, London, Dr Johnson and September, while common nouns are all those remaining nouns that are more than concepts and can be experienced: dogs, people, trees, autumn, games.
- Nouns such as trees can be both common and concrete at once.
- Nouns such as Miss Austen can be both proper and concrete at once.
- Some nouns such as Tuesday can even be both proper and abstract at once.
However, nouns cannot be both common and abstract at once; they must be one or the other. This is due to the fact that common nouns are countable and abstract nouns are uncountable.
If you have any questions, please do enter them below. Otherwise, try the following exercises to consolidate your knowledge.
Exercises to practise
BIBLIORAPHY
Börjars, Kersti, and others. Introducing English Grammar, 2nd edn (Routledge, 2010)
Burton-Roberts, Noel. Analysing Sentences: An Introduction to English Syntax, 4th edn (Routledge, 2016)
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 3rd edn (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
Dreyer, Benjamin. Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style (Penguin Random House, 2020)
Gwynne, N. M. Gwynne’s Grammar: The Ultimate Introduction to Grammar and the Writing of Good English (Ebury Press/Random House, 2013)
Hewings, Martin, and others. Cambridge English Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
Huddleston, Rodney, and others. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
Parrott, Martin. Grammar for English Language Teachers, 2nd edn (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
Pinker, Steven. Words and Rules (W&N/ Science Masters, 2001)
Quirk, Randolph, and others. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, reprint edn (Pearson, 2011)
Roach, Peter. English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course, 4th edn (Cambridge University Press, 2009)
Robinson, Andrew. The Story of Writing: Alphabets, Hieroglyphs and Pictograms, 2nd edn (Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2007)
Seely, John. Oxford A – Z of Grammar & Punctuation (Oxford University Press, 2020)
New Hart’s Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors (Oxford University Press, 2005)
This is such a great resource for anyone looking to improve their understanding of English grammar! The breakdown of different types of nouns is really clear and easy to follow. It’s fascinating how something as fundamental as nouns can have so many classifications and nuances. Learning about the differences between common, proper, abstract, and concrete nouns can really help in making our language usage more precise and expressive. Great stuff! 📚✏️🌟
Thank you, Cloud. Happy to read this!