We know that nouns name people, places, and things. Nouns also name ideas.
Nouns that name ideas are called abstract nouns.
You can’t see an abstract noun. You can’t touch an abstract noun. They are not objects. They are ideas.
Look at these abstract nouns. Each of these words names something that can’t be seen.
admiration
love
anger
hope
hopefulness
fear
disaster
horror
excitement
You might think you can see love or draw a picture of love – but what you are really seeing or drawing is someone doing something to express their love. Love itself is not an object. It is an abstract idea.
Remember – even when we can’t see something, it can still be a noun.
A noun names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. When a noun names an idea – a concept, a feeling, or an emotion – then that noun is called an abstract noun.