Question

Choose the correct abstract noun form of the underlined adjective.
The robbers met at a secret place. All of them had promised to maintain the _______ of the place.
a) secretness
b) secrecy
c) secretive
d) secret

Answer 1

Hint: With the appropriate suffix, ‘secret’ can be converted into a noun.

Complete step by step answer:
Abstract nouns are nouns denoting an idea, quality, or state rather than a concrete object. It denotes intangible things such as happiness, anger, etc. We now know what an abstract noun is. An adjective can be converted into a noun, with the addition of the required suffix. These suffixes are very difficult to guess, so it is necessary to learn them.
Let’s look at our options one by one:

a) secretness - This word has a suffix that is commonly used to convert words into nouns i.e. ‘-ness’. However, it is a grammatically incorrect word. So, it is an incorrect option.
b) secrecy - This word has one of the rarer suffixes of a noun i.e. ‘-cy’. It is grammatically correct and is the right abstract noun form of the adjective ‘secret’. So, it is the correct option.
c) secretive - This is an adjective, as it is very clearly a describing word. It is not the part of speech that is required. So, it is an incorrect option.
d) secret - This word is an adjective as well as a noun. However, it is not an abstract noun. So, it is an incorrect option.

Note: Use the elimination method to identify the correct noun form.