Question

Select the concrete and abstract nouns in the following sentence:
The man argued for his innocence.
A. Man, innocence – Abstract Noun
B. Man – Abstract Noun; innocence – Concrete Noun
C. Man – Concrete Noun; innocence – Abstract Noun
D. Man, innocence – Concrete Nouns

Answer 1

Hint: Concrete Noun and Abstract Noun are usually illustrated in terms of one another.

Complete Solution:
A Concrete Noun is a noun that denotes a material object.
Examples – dog, tree, building, etc.
An Abstract Noun is a noun that denotes an idea, quality, state, etc.
Examples - danger, truth, etc.
Concrete Nouns can be perceived by senses i.e., they can be seen, touched, felt, tasted, heard, etc. Concrete Nouns are tangible.
Example:
The teacher is teaching his students.
Teacher, students – Concrete Nouns.
Abstract Nouns can only be felt. Abstract Nouns are intangible.
Example:
Weekend holidays are the source of great joy for an IT employee.
Joy – Abstract Noun.
The only confusion between the two is when the same word is treated with a different meaning when used in different sentences.
Example:
Art is the source of life for humans.
Art – Abstract Noun (Art is used as a sense of concept)
My art was hung on the wall of the living room.
Art – Concrete Noun (Art is used as a piece of work)
Man is a tangible matter while innocence denotes a quality of a person.
In option a, treatment of innocence of abstract nouns is correct but the same treatment to the man is incorrect. So, this option is incorrect.
In option b, man is considered as an abstract noun and innocence is considered as a concrete noun when the case is just the opposite. So, this option is also incorrect.
In option c, man is rightly referred to a concrete noun and innocence is considered as an abstract noun. So, this option is correct.
In option d, both the man and innocence are treated as concrete nouns when only the man is a concrete noun and innocence is abstract. So, this option is also incorrect.

Note: The difference between the two given nouns must be understood clearly.