Abstracts Types of Language Concrete Terms Abstract Terms

Abstracts

Types of Language • Concrete Terms • Abstract Terms

Concrete Terms • Definition: refer to objects or events that are available to the senses. • E. g. : spoon, table, velvet eye patch, nose ring, sinus mask, green, hot, walking. • Because these terms refer to objects or events we can see or hear or feel or taste or smell, their meanings are pretty stable.

Abstracts • Definition: Terms that refer to ideas or concepts; they have no physical referents. • They name things that are not available to the senses. • They can identify concepts, experiences, ideas, qualities, and feeling. • E. g. : love, success, freedom, good, moral, democracy, and any -ism ( Communism, feminism, racism, sexism).

If someone says “I want freedom” • The word is familiar enough, but what are they talking about? divorce? self-employment? summer vacation? paid-off debts? their own car? looser pants? The meaning of freedom won't stay still.

love • You've heard and used that word since you were three or four years old. Does it mean to you now what it meant to you when you were five? when you were ten? when you were fourteen (!)? The word will probably change meanings when we marry, when we divorce, when we have children, when we look back at lost parents or spouses or children. The word stays the same, but the meaning keeps changing.

Importance of Abstract Nouns Abstract terms are useful and necessary • when we want to name ideas (as we do in thesis statements and some paragraph topic sentences), but they're not likely to make points clear or interesting by themselves.

When using abstract nouns, not the following… *Being able to recognize and use abstract nouns is important, especially in written communication. *While abstract nouns can convey deep emotion, the writer runs the risk of not clearly expressing his or her meaning. Things get lost in translation so to speak. *Since abstract words are by definition abstract, they can mean different things to different people, so take care to make sure your writing using concrete nouns for clarification.