Concrete Noun:

The word concrete means something that is solid or has a physical form. So, anything that has a physical form or can be sensed with our five senses is said to be a concrete noun. They are opposite to abstract nouns. All nouns (proper nouns, common nouns, collective nouns, and material nouns) except abstract nouns comes under concrete noun.

When you hear words like Mahatma Gandhi, Star, Coffee, Table, Class, Army, Chocolate or Plumber, a certain image comes to our mind. A physical shape. These are concrete nouns

On the other hand, when you hear words like sorrow, smartness, joy, honesty, loyalty, kindness, and harmony, no definite image is formed in our head. We can only sense them as feelings of a kind. These are not concrete but abstract nouns that lack a physical form.

Examples:

She bought a bungalow for herself.
Google is the largest search engine.
I am here to accept the award on Ms. Harvard’s behalf.
Collect the books and put them in a pile on my desk.
Simran gave her laptop on repair yesterday.

Thus, we can conclude that all the things we see around us are concrete nouns. They are having a definite physical appearance. This is the reason why almost all the nouns are concrete.

Ø How to recognize a Concrete Noun→

Usually, concrete nouns are quite evident in a sentence. Thus, it is easy to recognize them. But in a few cases, it becomes a bit tricky to distinguish between a concrete noun and an abstract noun. Let us look at some examples:

Examples:

I completed my work before leaving for the party. (here work is a concrete noun that is visible.)
I have done real hard work to achieve this position in my life. (here work is preceded with adjective ‘hard’. Hard work is subjective and an opinion and so it is abstract.)

She is a great singer with a sweet voice. (here voice is concrete noun that is heard.)
There is a voice in my head that says I can achieve it. (here voice refers to a thought that one has in mind and so is abstract.)

Our atmosphere is a protective layer that protects us from various harmful rays. (here atmosphere is a physical layer present around earth and so it is concrete. Though you cannot see it, but it can be felt and we know about its existence.)
The current atmosphere of this office is not apt for working. (here atmosphere refers to an ambience or state of a place.)

Ø Concrete Nouns vs Abstract Nouns→

Concrete nouns are always considered contrast of Abstract nouns. So, let us see the differences between them.

On the contrary, Concrete nouns are those which have a definite form and shape. These can be seen, touched, heard, or tasted. We all see a definite figure in our minds when we hear words like car, tree, table, book, men, teacher, flower, or house. Concrete nouns unlike abstract nouns have both singular and plural form.

Abstract nouns are formless. They have no definite physical form. These are beyond our five senses. No one has ever seen love, satisfaction, progress, wisdom, weakness, affection, or courage. But we all have felt and observed them. Also, abstract nouns are uncountable and so they do not have plural form.

Thus, concrete nouns are opposite of abstract nouns.