Definition and Examples of Abstract Nouns in English

Definition and Examples of Abstract Nouns in English In English grammar, an abstract noun  is a  noun or noun phrase  that names an idea, event, quality or concept - for example, courage, freedom, progress, love, patience, excellence and friendship.  An abstract noun names something that cant be physically touched. Contrast that with a  concrete noun. According to A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, abstract nouns are typically non-observable and nonmeasurable.†Ã‚  But, as James Hurford explains, the distinction between abstract nouns and  other common nouns is relatively unimportant, as far as grammar is concerned. (James Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994) Examples and Observations Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.(Robert Frost)Her face, which was long and dark chocolate brown, had a thin sheet of sadness over it, as light but as permanent as the viewing gauze on a coffin.(Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969)Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.(Erich Fromm)Silence can be  a source of great strength.Men say they love independence in a woman, but they dont waste a second demolishing it brick by brick.(Candice Bergen, quoted by Catherine Breslin in The Mistress Condition. Dutton, 1976)When love is gone, theres always justice.And when justice is gone, theres always force.And when force is gone, theres always Mom.Hi, Mom!(Laurie Anderson, O Superman. 1981)Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.(Bertrand Russell, An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish. Unpopular Essays. Simon Schuster Inc., 1950) More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.(Woody Allen, My Speech to the Graduates. The New York Times, 1979) The Nature of Abstract Nouns Abstract and concrete are usually defined together or in terms of each other. The abstract is that which exists only in our minds, that which we cannot know through our senses. It includes qualities, relationships, conditions, ideas, theories, states of being, fields of inquiry and the like. We cannot know a quality such as consistency directly through our senses; we can only see or hear about people acting in ways that we come to label consistent. (William Vande Kopple, Clear and Coherent Prose. Scott Foresman Co., 1989) Countable and Uncountable Abstract Nouns Although abstract nouns tend to be uncountable (courage, happiness, news, tennis, training), many are countable (an hour, a joke, a quantity). Others can be both, often with shifts of meaning from general to particular (great kindness/many kindnesses).(Tom McArthur, Abstract and Concrete. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992) Inflection of Abstract Nouns [M]any abstract nouns are generally not inflected for number (lucks, nauseas) or they do not occur in the possessive (the commitments time). (M. Lynne Murphy and Anu Koskela, Key Terms in Semantics. Continuum, 2010) The Grammatical Unimportance of Abstract Nouns [R]ecognizing abstract nouns is relatively unimportant, as far as grammar is concerned. This is because there are few, if any, particular grammatical properties that affect just the set of abstract nouns. ... One suspects that the reason for the recurrent mention of abstract nouns is the clash between their (abstract) meanings and the traditional definition of a noun as the name of a person, place or thing. The existence of obvious nouns such as liberty, action, sin and time is a sore embarrassment to such a definition, and the pragmatic response has been to apply a distinctive label to the problematic words. (James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994) The Lighter Side of Abstract Nouns It represents Discipline, said Mr. Etherege. ... And to the uninstructed mind, Uniformity. His abstract nouns were audibly furnished with capital letters. But the latter notion is fallacious.No doubt, said Fen. He perceived that this incipient homily required punctuation rather than argument.Fallacious, Mr. Etherege proceeded, because the attempt to produce Uniformity inevitably accentuates  Eccentricity. It makes Eccentricity, as it were, safe. (Bruce Montgomery [aka Edmund Crispin], Love Lies Bleeding. Vintage, 1948)

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Facility and venue management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facility and venue management - Essay Example The external environment of a venue can include the infrastructure, availability of social amenities, reliability of the means of transport to get into or out of the venue, and the security of the area within which the venue is established. All these factors are not the main ones in the establishment of a venue in a place but are a crucial consideration (Kronenburg 6). This implies that a combination of internal factors and external factors assure success of a venue established in a place to serve people, guarantees its success. How internal factors affect success of a venue Success for a venue means that it has put in place different systems that ensure profitability in its different context without compromising its future productivity. This means that a venues that has to succeed, needs to implement various systems that will ensure that they are able to exploit the environment efficiently. In this aspect of the a company, a management can implement different plans that will establi sh different personnel in the management of the venue are actively involved and are giving their maximum to attain the success of it. This means that the management of venues should streamline itself to optimize the productivity of all the workers within it and all human resource personnel who it depend on for success (Kronenburg 11). Another aspect of the internal factors that a venue should consider is the technological development which it puts in place to process different data, or to optimize use of resources within it. For example, to ensure that a venue is able to make profits, it can implement a technology of energy saving which will ensure that they do not use the expensive energy and implement use of solar energy, which is very sustainable. On the other hand, a venue do not have to process the entry of the people through manual operation as it takes long and very inaccessible when there are large crowd. To ensure they solve this, the venue management will can establish an internet based system through which people can book their tickets for entry and pay for them from wherever there are without necessarily visiting the premises. Another thing that can attract customers into a venue is its level of cleanliness and environment that ensure that occupants are able to access all the needs within short time (Kronenburg 31). How external factors influence the success of a venue There are different external factors are not the main things a venue is based but which pose important implication on its performance at any given time in different areas. For example, in establishing a venue, initiators need to understand that policies of a reigning power, which could be a government or other organization responsible, guide people in an environment to ensure orderliness in the area. The government has their policies that dictate how business can be done in such areas and they impose on them venue opened. This means that if the taxation is heavy, the amount of profit a venue ought to make is scale down limiting its success (Kronenburg 79). Another aspect of the external environment that is important to a venue is the demographic differences of the people living within as could be related to their economic power, age as well as their gender differences and

Terrorism and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Terrorism and the Law - Essay Example An analysis of the problem of terrorism in USA, covering both the aspect of international and domestic has been considered and the study of the law incorporated by the government in handling matters of terrorism has been considered. Terrorism was largely held as an international and the foreign policy of the organizations. However various terrorist groups started focusing all its attention towards the United States from the beginning of this decade. In the year 2001, almost 63% of all the terror attacks were aimed at the citizens of the United States (Perl, 2003). Terror attacks have not only occurred in the United States but the citizens of the country have been massively affected in other parts of the world also. The catastrophic event in the World trade center is by far the worst terror attack which mankind has experienced. However US started experiencing the threat of terror much before the disaster in the World Trade Center. The country had also faced numerous cases of domestic terrorism, carried out by the citizens of US between the periods of 1980 to 2000. United States of America was seriously affected by domestic terrorism in various parts of Arizona, California, and Illinois. The areas were massively affected by such acts of terror and the government had a hard time bringing the situations under their control. Even the accused of the terror attacks which took place in California were convicted and several domestic extremist were arrested but such acts of terror were never under the control. Domestic terrorism spread in the country because of the right wing extremist and for the attainment of various political reasons in the country. However in recent times the act of domestic terrorism has been overshadowed by the international terrorism. The domestic terrorists based in US carry out the attacks not only on the human beings but

Articles related to Managerial Accounting Essay

Articles related to Managerial Accounting - Essay Example The cumulative cost, therefore, constitutes the job cost charged to the customer. The article successfully illustrates that a job order costing approach is utilized when the job in question is distinctive from other jobs or product batches. Just as learnt in the management accounting class, cost accounting is relatively simple in job order costing. This is because the cost of materials and labor are integrated on one job ticket. Further, other overhead costs are included in the total amount of money charged to a customer. The article clearly distinguishes job costing from process costing, by showing that their difference depends on the product being availed to a customer, hence the kind of production procedure followed. I therefore learned that while process costing involves charging costs incurred in the course of production, job costing involves charging a specific job. I also learned that, cost assignment strategies and record keeping in job order costing, have higher complexity than in process costing. This is especially the case, if there are multiple services or products being provided. Complexity is increased by the fact that different services or products result in different costs. This means that for high efficacy in job costing, a company must maintain detailed cost records for every job or product. Summary: This article recognizes the fact that in any business, there is a possibility of making profits, suffering losses or simply breaking even. The F&B establishment used as an example adopts a strategy of providing high quality soup at a fair price. Â  This means that the variable costs incurred are high because of using ingredients of high quality, yet the selling price stays at an average level. As a result, the contribution margin remains equally average. Therefore, fixed expenses and generate profit, the business compensates low margin with high sales volume. This involves making sure that its outlets are

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism Essay Example for Free

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism Essay Distinguish between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The name Theravada means â€Å"the way of the elders.† It is an austere religion that requires solitude, meditation, and self-mastery through which each member hopes to achieve Nirvana. Because of these requirements, the possibility of liberation is limited to a few. Many of its followers are monks and nuns who spend most of their time in meditation and teaching. Theravada Buddhism is sometimes called â€Å"Hinayana Buddhism,† Hinayana meaning â€Å"small vehicles,† but this term is not accepted by followers of the religion (Conze, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Mahayana means â€Å"large vehicle.† It is a less austere system than Theravada Buddhism and emphasizes liberation for everyone. Many Mahayana Buddhists believe in liberation through good faith and good works. Their object is not only to obtain a personal Nirvana, but to help others to that goal (Mizuno, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Mahayana branch has developed a system of ideal Buddhas, or enlightened ones. The most important Buddha is the Amitabha, or Amida, Budhha, to whom members can appeal for deliverance. Some Mahana Buddhists also believe in a goddess, a symbol of compassion, who is called Kwan Yin in China and Kwannon in Japan (Mizuno, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mahayana Buddhists have elaborate temples presided over by priests. They have colorful festivals and solemn rituals. Statues of the various Buddhas and Bodhisattras (Buddhas-to-be) play a part in their worship, but the statues themselves are not worshiped. Mahayana Buddhism is divided into many sects, including Zen, Jodo, Shin, Tendai, and Nichiren Shoshu (Soka Gakkai) (Carrithers, 2003). Reference: Carrithers, Michael. The Buddha (Oxford University 2003). Conze, Edward. A Short History of Buddhism (Allen Unwin, 2002). Mizuno, Kogen. Basic Buddhist Concepts (Tuttle, 2001).

Free Macbeth Essays: The Impact of Act 2 scene 2 :: Free Essay Writer

The Impact of Act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth  Ã‚      Act 2 scene 2 is the most violent and intense part of Macbeth although we do no actually witness the murder of King Duncan. It is interesting that Shakespeare chooses to have Macbeth kill Duncan offstage. We can only guess why he wrote the scene that way, I think that Shakespeare wanted to focus not on the murder but on Macbeth’s reaction to it; the bloody details supplied by the audiences imaginations will be much worse than anything that could be done onstage. It is also the most crucial part of the play; it is the first of many murders. This scene takes place at night; I feel the darkness represents what is unnatural, cruel and evil. Everything that happens within the play appears to revolve around this particular scene. Not only is this important because it contains the murderous act, it also conveys to the audience the rapid disintegration of the relationship between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In act 2, scene 2, the murder of Duncan takes place. The audience should be on the edge of their seats by now, wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his king. The tension increases dramatically when we see Lady Macbeth pacing about in a nervous but excited state, awaiting Macbeth’s return increases the tension dramatically. We get a peek at Lady Macbeth’s softer side. She says that she would have killed Duncan herself, but the old man looked too much like her father. This small reminder of Lady Macbeth’s humanity will be important to our understanding of what happens to her at the end of the play. As she waits she decides that she heard a screech owl, and she takes that as a good omen, because the screech owl is nature’s own ‘fatal bellman’. A ‘fatal bellman’ would emphasize the idea of death/ execution in the audience’s minds, which makes it all the more eerie, ‘He’s at it’. This particular part of this scene has to be the climax of the play. When Macbeth and his wife are re-united they are both highly charged with nervous energy and excitement. Macbeth and his wife at first do not speak in sentences. Their speech is syncopated and highly charged emotions tell the audience all is not well. The fact that Macbeth still has hold of the daggers intensifies the tension felt in the scene.