Year 3 · SPaG · Nouns and noun phrases
Year 3 recognising abstract nouns worksheet and PowerPoint
To recognise abstract nouns and to tell them from concrete nouns.
Abstract nouns
An abstract noun names an idea or a feeling that you cannot see or touch: bravery, kindness, sadness, friendship. A concrete noun names something you can see or touch: table, dog, apple. Many abstract nouns are made from adjectives: brave → bravery, kind → kindness.
| abstract | bravery, kindness, sadness, happiness, friendship |
|---|---|
| concrete | table, dog, apple, river |
| from adjectives | brave → bravery, sad → sadness, strong → strength |
Examples
- She showed great bravery.
- Their friendship is strong.
Key words
- abstract noun
- names an idea or a feeling
- concrete noun
- names something you can see or touch
- adjective
- a describing word
- feeling
- how you feel inside
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write a list of ten abstract nouns and ten concrete nouns. Check each one with the test: can you see or touch it?
Pupil target: I can find an abstract noun.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the recognising abstract nouns PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 38 of 53 in the Year 3 SPaG scheme, in the block “Nouns and noun phrases”.
Other lessons in this block
This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Standards and Testing Agency or the Department for Education.