Are “music” and “color” abstract nouns?

Question by reeyah: Are “music” and “color” abstract nouns?
What about any event such as a party or birthday or meeting?

The color red, for example, is something that we can see in objects. Does that make it a concrete noun, even though the actual thing we see is just the object?
Music is something that we can hear, but there are some who argue that it has no physical existence and is therefore an abstract noun. Can anybody explain this? Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by eixlsl
“Music” and “Color” are not abstract nouns, because you can see and hear them. Even though it’s the object you’re seeing in your example, you do indeed still see “red”. Think of it this way, you’re seeing “red”, because you’re not seeing blue or black or some other color. And as far as the music, yes, you can hear it. Whether or not it has any “physical” existence becomes a philosophical question and not a grammatical one. Either way, if music is playing, you are indeed physically hearing it.

Since you already know that abstract nouns are those that escape your physical senses, perhaps the easiest way to explain them would be to give you examples. Things such as bravery, courage, freedom, or deceit are abstract nouns. Basically, any idea, event, quality, or concept.

A birthday party or meeting are not abstract nouns, as you can see and hear them. So they are concrete nouns.

An easy way to tell the difference is this: say you walked out onto a field, and you witnessed a “birthday party” …would you know it was a birthday party? Of course you would, and because you would, you know it’s CONCRETE. Now, let’s say you walked out onto a field and witnessed “bravery”, would you know it was bravery? Not really. It may be, but it may not be. It my be someone DISPLAYING a brave action, but then again, in and of itself, you would not know if it were a brave action, or a selfish action and so on and so on. A meeting or a birthday party on a field is just OBVIOUSLY that–a meeting or birthday party. But something like bravery or deceit, is not so “concrete”–get it?

What do you think? Answer below!