Concrete Noun: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what a concrete noun is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on concrete nouns, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What is a concrete noun?

According to 7ESL, a concrete noun is a person, place or thing that can be experienced with the five senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing, or smell. As opposed to an abstract noun, a concrete noun is something tangible. Concrete nouns or tangible objects can be either common nouns or proper nouns. A common noun is a general person, place, thing or idea. A proper noun or proper name is a noun that refers to a specific person, place, or material object. 

Examples of abstract nouns in English grammar might be emotions like sadness, an uncountable noun (as opposed to a concrete noun which is usually a countable noun or physical thing), attributes like creativity, courage, resourcefulness and wisdom, and other intangible things like friendship. 

Many different languages also contain words that mean concrete noun. You may notice that some of these translations of concrete noun look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of concrete noun is provided by Word Sense

  •  Mandarin: 具體名詞‎, 具体名词‎ (jùtǐ míngcí)
  •  Dutch: concreet substantief‎ (neut.), concretum‎ (neut.)
  •  Finnish: konkreettinen substantiivi‎
  •  French: nom concret‎ (masc.)
  •  German: Konkretum‎ (neut.), konkretes Substantiv‎ (neut.), Gegenstandswort‎ (neut.)
  •  Japanese: 具象名詞‎ (ぐしょうめいし, gushōmeishi)
  •  Russian: конкре́тное существи́тельное‎ (neut.)
  •  Spanish: sustantivo concreto‎ (masc.)
  •  Swedish: konkret substantiv‎ (neut.)
  •  Turkish: somut ad‎, somut isim‎

What are examples of concrete nouns?

A concrete noun can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are many examples of concrete nouns from 7ESL that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use.  Try to use the term concrete noun today or notice when someone else is using a concrete noun. 

  •  Clock
  •  Chin
  •  Classroom
  •  Cabbage
  •  Thesaurus
  •  Flames
  •  Brush
  •  Bible
  •  Steak
  •  Automobile
  •  Ice Cream
  •  Neighborhood
  •  Puppies
  •  Cakes
  •  Bugs
  •  Son
  •  Lighter
  •  Shower
  •  Garage
  •  Glasses
  •  Turkey
  •  Water
  •  Foot
  •  Palm
  •  Nose
  •  Keyboard
  •  Table
  •  Umbrella
  •  Razor
  •  Back
  •  Photographer
  •  Sandals
  •  Peacock
  •  Guest
  •  Panda
  •  Composer
  •  Whale
  •  Television
  •  Wound
  •  Air Conditioner
  •  Heels
  •  Tea
  •  Cat
  •  Cinema
  •  Designer
  •  Film
  •  Crest
  •  Plane
  •  Sandals
  •  Bones
  •  Cravat
  •  Phone
  •  Notebook
  •  Vehicle
  •  Cooker
  •  Nurse
  •  Suitcase
  •  Jumper
  •  Brain
  •  Cow
  •  Snowman
  •  Dresser
  •  Sink
  •  Xylophone
  •  Gas station
  •  Carpet
  •  Boat
  •  Antlers
  •  Ginger
  •  Socks
  •  Bra
  •  Hen
  •  Hamburger
  •  Pipe
  •  Hospital
  •  Mango
  •  Guitar
  •  Suit
  •  Waiter
  •  Fan
  •  Cane
  •  Lamp
  •  Cabinet
  •  Watch
  •  Villa
  •  Blender
  •  Laptop
  •  Brother
  •  Stairs
  •  Flag
  •  Skirt
  •  Road
  •  Cap
  •  Computer
  •  Necklace
  •  Music
  •  Physician
  •  Purse
  •  Pig
  •  Estate
  •  Book
  •  Leggings
  •  Medicine
  •  Bikini
  •  Bird
  •  Grapes
  •  Castle
  •  Doctor
  •  Pencil
  •  Ankle
  •  Governor
  •  Petrol station
  •  Hammer
  •  Frog
  •  Mirror
  •  Shampoo
  •  Hat
  •  Drum
  •  Refrigerator
  •  School
  •  Desk
  •  Waist
  •  Police station
  •  Shorts
  •  Street
  •  Bookcase
  •  Sari
  •  Galaxy
  •  Heart
  •  Frock
  •  Pencil
  •  Tail
  •  Fish
  •  Rainbow
  •  Lemon
  •  Voice
  •  Chaise longue
  •  Newspaper
  •  Police
  •  Soup
  •  Desktop
  •  Wolf
  •  Monkey
  •  Parrot
  •  Moonlight
  •  Shoulder
  •  Head
  •  Oven
  •  Crow
  •  Chair
  •  Apro
  •  Professor
  •  Trousers
  •  Freezer
  •  Credenza
  •  Kangaroo
  •  Toy
  •  Potato
  •  Candy
  •  Mobile
  •  Boxers
  •  Chest
  •  Sparrow
  •  Factory
  •  Temple
  •  Car
  •  Neck
  •  Bitterness
  •  Sand
  •  Costume
  •  Cafe
  •  Watermelon
  •  Scissors
  •  Sandwich
  •  Panther
  •  Cheese
  •  Bookstore
  •  Oil
  •  Black
  •  Architect
  •  Parfume
  •  Dress
  •  Tiger
  •  Swimming pool
  •  Pad
  •  Veterinarian
  •  Grandmother
  •  Baby
  •  Slippers
  •  Radio
  •  Uncle
  •  Detective
  •  Stomach
  •  Sheep
  •  Ship
  •  Village
  •  Girl
  •  Ball
  •  Restaurant
  •  Wheelchair
  •  Luggage
  •  Pants
  •  Onion
  •  Model
  •  Zebra
  •  Shrimp
  •  Knife
  •  Mall
  •  Choker
  •  Gift
  •  Canoe
  •  Butter
  •  Theater
  •  Earrings
  •  Rice
  •  Mouse
  •  Woman
  •  Aunt
  •  Bulb
  •  Egg
  •  Park
  •  Hand
  •  Boy
  •  Wrist
  •  Flower
  •  Stadium
  •  Spaghetti
  •  Underwear
  •  Tissue
  •  Cookware
  •  Ocean
  •  Leg
  •  Bridge
  •  Ring
  •  Donkey
  •  Blazer
  •  Apartment
  •  Airport
  •  Cashier
  •  Teacher
  •  Scale
  •  Armchair
  •  Zoo
  •  Teen
  •  Sweater
  •  Grandfather
  •  Church
  •  Singer
  •  London
  •  Town
  •  Tablet
  •  Arrow
  •  Violin
  •  Wings
  •  Dog
  •  Kid
  •  Brass
  •  Plant
  •  Parfume
  •  Tie
  •  Senator
  •  Buckles
  •  Ostrich
  •  Pouch
  •  Bag
  •  Bucket
  •  Children
  •  Bakery
  •  Cardigan
  •  Turtle
  •  Rabbit
  •  Star
  •  Stove
  •  Cello
  •  Pyramid
  •  Paper
  •  Board
  •  Spoon
  •  Dentist
  •  Jewelry
  •  Pumpkin
  •  Shirt
  •  Forest
  •  Pigeon
  •  Vest
  •  Bermudas
  •  Trench coat
  •  Bread
  •  Taxi
  •  Cabin
  •  Father
  •  Lawyer
  •  Cheeks
  •  Lips
  •  Market
  •  Truck
  •  Remote
  •  Country
  •  Goat
  •  Couch
  •  Beans
  •  Milk
  •  Orange
  •  Bear
  •  Skyscraper
  •  Grains
  •  Guava
  •  Museum
  •  Train
  •  Lung
  •  Host
  •  Strawberry
  •  Horse
  •  Stairs
  •  Saxophone
  •  Dolphin
  •  Train station
  •  Swan
  •  Noise
  •  Gown
  •  Bill
  •  Finger
  •  Man
  •  Sun
  •  Noodles
  •  Juicer
  •  Spoon
  •  Bow
  •  Vase
  •  Owl
  •  Fork
  •  Pharmacy
  •  Hair
  •  Giraffe
  •  Sky
  •  Cave
  •  Lamb
  •  Judge
  •  Microscope
  •  Sunglasses
  •  Balloon
  •  Whisker
  •  Elephant
  •  Mother
  •  Lion
  •  Herbs
  •  Toothbrush
  •  Crib
  •  Ribs
  •  Buffalo
  •  Tunnel
  •  Belt
  •  Fruit
  •  Farm
  •  Pagoda
  •  Tongue
  •  Jersey
  •  Pharmacist
  •  Soap
  •  Boots
  •  Tree
  •  Piano
  •  Smoke
  •  Supermarket
  •  Ears
  •  Library
  •  Pancake
  •  Toothpaste
  •  Surgeon
  •  Sofa
  •  Apple
  •  Salt
  •  Garlic
  •  Bank
  •  Gloves
  •  Hostel
  •  Bat
  •  Aircraft
  •  Hotel
  •  Chicken
  •  House
  •  Alligator
  •  Bus stop
  •  Painter
  •  Telephone
  •  Shark
  •  Jacket
  •  Ambulance
  •  Sister
  •  Popcorn
  •  Toes
  •  Musician
  •  Deer
  •  Jaw
  •  Horn
  •  Eyes
  •  Washing machine
  •  Chocolate
  •  Bed
  •  Wallet
  •  Pen
  •  Pasta
  •  Tomato
  •  Daughter
  •  Fox
  •  Shoes
  •  Koala
  •  Coffee
  •  Blouse
  •  Smile
  •  Mouth
  •  Bow
  •  Casino

What are other literary techniques and devices?

There are many different literary and grammatical techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these terms because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of grammatical devices from OED and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you. 

  •  present participle
  •  concrete
  •  transitive
  •  anaphoric
  •  possessive
  •  collective noun
  •  stem
  •  bare infinitive
  •  causative
  •  construed (const., constr.)
  •  finite
  •  suffix
  •  prepositional object
  •  article
  •  optative
  •  double object
  •  pleonasm | pleonastic
  •  complement
  •  dual
  •  mood
  •  demonstrative
  •  premodify | premodifier
  •  perfect
  •  neuter
  •  impersonal (impers.)
  •  attributive
  •  nominative
  •  active
  •  filler

Overall, the word concrete noun refers to a specific person, place or thing. An abstract noun is something that is not tangible.

Sources:

  1. Glossary of Grammatical Terms | OED
  2. Concrete Nouns: Useful List of 400+ Concrete Nouns | 7ESL 
  3. Concrete Noun | Word Sense