abstract

Everyday

1. (adjective) Being an idea or feeling rather than a thing you can touch or see: love, fairness and time are abstract. tree →
2. (art) Not showing real things but using shapes, colours and lines: an abstract painting. tree →
3. (noun) A short summary at the start of a science article or report. tree →
4. (verb, formal) To take something out, or to pick out the main ideas. tree →

In the lessons

In English grammar lessons "abstract nouns" name ideas and feelings (happiness, bravery, freedom) as opposed to concrete nouns (table, dog). In art lessons abstract art uses shapes and colours, like works by Kandinsky. In maths, numbers are abstract: "three" is not a thing but an idea. In science, the abstract of a paper tells you quickly what was found. Phrases: abstract noun, abstract art, in the abstract.

Examples

• "Happiness" is an abstract noun. tree →
• The painting was abstract: just red squares and blue lines. tree →
• Bravery is abstract; you can't hold it in your hand. tree →
• Read the abstract to see what the experiment found. tree →
• Fractions felt very abstract until we used pizza slices. tree →
• We made abstract art with splashes of paint. tree →
• "Chair" is concrete, but "comfort" is abstract. tree →
• [239] Kruchina, as an abstract idea, is of the feminine gender. tree →

Note

Stress: adjective and noun AB-stract; verb ab-STRACT. Opposite of abstract (adjective) is concrete. Trap: abstract nouns can be countable (an idea, ideas) or uncountable (happiness).

In Jewish tradition

In English grammar lessons "abstract nouns" name ideas and feelings (happiness, bravery, freedom) as opposed to concrete nouns (table, dog). In art lessons abstract art uses shapes and colours, like works by Kandinsky. In maths, numbers are abstract: "three" is not a thing but an idea. In science, the abstract of a paper tells you quickly what was found. Phrases: abstract noun, abstract art, in the abstract.

Note

Stress: adjective and noun AB-stract; verb ab-STRACT. Opposite of abstract (adjective) is concrete. Trap: abstract nouns can be countable (an idea, ideas) or uncountable (happiness).