English Grammar: Concept of Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns as the name implies, exist in the abstract. They are nouns that you cannot touch physically. Students of English must note that sentence formation with abstract nouns also require verbal agreement. For instance, to make sentence with the word ' knowledge' , the verb must be singular: one can say 'Knowledge is power' . Here the verb ' is ' agrees with the subject ' knowledge ' which is an abstract noun.

Next, look at the following sentence: ' Wisdom is required for success in any human endeavour ' . For the purpose of this discussion , ' wisdom ' and ' success ' are abstract nouns placed in the above grammatical context. They obey all the rules guiding sentence formation with nouns. In the above sentence ' wisdom ' is the subject of the verb ' is ' . And ' success ' is the object of the preposition ' for ' . A person who puts the verb ' succeed ' in place of the noun ' success ' in the above grammatical context would have committed a grammatical blunder. Equally if the verb ' wise ' is substituted for the abstract noun ' wisdom ' in the above sentence, then the student has made an incorrect sentence, grammatically speaking.

It is therefore to be very carefully noted by all speakers and users of the English Language that basic grammatical rules of agreement must be observed when making sentences involving abstract nouns.