How to Identify Concrete and Abstract Nouns

GrammarSongs by Melissa

This educational video provides a clear and engaging explanation of the difference between concrete (tangible) and abstract (intangible) nouns. Using a whiteboard animation style, the narrator first reviews basic concrete nouns that can be perceived through the five senses. The video then introduces abstract nouns by categorizing them into events, emotions, and ideas/concepts, explaining that while these cannot be physically touched or seen, they are still nouns because they represent "things." The video explores three main categories of abstract nouns in depth. It distinguishes events (like parties or weddings) from the places they occur, defines emotions (like love or anger) as abstract nouns, and explains complex ideas (like friendship, freedom, or permission). The explanation uses concrete examples to anchor these abstract concepts, such as showing how specific symbols or people represent the idea of "freedom." The final segment of the video features an interactive guided practice session. The narrator walks students through analyzing two sentences to identify every noun. This "noun detective" work models a step-by-step process of elimination: first finding the concrete nouns that create mental images, and then questioning the remaining words to find abstract concepts, emotions, or events. This scaffolded approach makes the video an excellent tool for introducing or reviewing this grammar concept in upper elementary classrooms.