Which one?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 20 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Game preview, Pre-intermediate A2, matching, gap-fill, group work

ESL Abstract Nouns Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Gap-fill - Group Work

In this fun abstract nouns game, students listen to sentences and race to choose the best abstract noun that completes each sentence. In groups, students take it in turns to pick up a card and read the sentence along with three abstract nouns...

ESL Abstract Nouns Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Gap-fill - Group Work In this fun abstract nouns game, students listen to sentences and race to choose the best abstract noun that completes each sentence. In groups, students take it in turns to pick up a card and read the sentence along with three abstract nouns to the other group members, e.g. 'BLANK is very important for your health'. 'a. sleep, b. idea, c. lie'. The group members then race to say which abstract noun best completes the sentence. The first student to guess the correct abstract noun wins and keeps the card, i.e. sleep. Each student is allowed one guess per card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
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Abstract Analysis

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet preview, Intermediate B1, identifying, unscrambling, gap-fill, multiple choice, vocabulary

ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Unscrambling, Gap-fill, Multiple Choice, Providing Vocabulary

In this useful abstract nouns worksheet, students learn and practice identifying abstract nouns. Students begin by identifying abstract nouns in sentences. Next, students unscramble letters to create...

ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Unscrambling, Gap-fill, Multiple Choice, Providing Vocabulary In this useful abstract nouns worksheet, students learn and practice identifying abstract nouns. Students begin by identifying abstract nouns in sentences. Next, students unscramble letters to create abstract nouns and complete sentences with them. After that, students complete each sentence with an abstract noun by choosing from multiple-choice answers. Students then underline two words in each word set that are not abstract nouns. Lastly, in pairs, students think of and write down two abstract nouns for each prompt.
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Abstract Bets

Intermediate (B1-B2) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Activity preview, Intermediate B1-B2, identifying, betting

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary: Identifying, Betting

In this free abstract nouns activity, students identify abstract nouns in sentences and place bets depending on how confident they are about their answers. Working alone, students read sentences on the worksheet and decide which of the...

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary: Identifying, Betting In this free abstract nouns activity, students identify abstract nouns in sentences and place bets depending on how confident they are about their answers. Working alone, students read sentences on the worksheet and decide which of the words in the sentences are abstract nouns. When a student identifies an abstract noun in a sentence, they underline it. Sentences may contain no abstract nouns or up to four. Afterwards, students bet on their answers depending on how confident they feel about their decisions. Students bet between 10 and 100 points on each sentence and write their bet in the 'bet' column. Next, elicit the correct answers from the students. Students must identify all the abstract nouns in the sentence to win the bet. If a student guessed correctly, they transfer the amount written in the 'bet' column to the 'win' column. If they guessed incorrectly, they transfer the amount to the 'lose' column. The student with the most points is the winner.
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Abstract Noun Adventures

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Activity preview, Intermediate B1, completing, asking and answering questions from prompts, group and pair work

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work

This interesting abstract nouns speaking activity helps students practice completing, asking and answering conversation questions that contain abstract nouns. First, in two groups, students complete...

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work This interesting abstract nouns speaking activity helps students practice completing, asking and answering conversation questions that contain abstract nouns. First, in two groups, students complete each conversation question with a suitable abstract noun from a box. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking the conversation questions and follow-up questions to their partner who responds accordingly. For the first question in each set, students include the corresponding abstract noun in their response. Afterwards, students share what they learned about their partner with the class.
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Abstract Nouns Board Game

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Board Game preview, Upper-intermediate B2, forming sentences from prompts, group work

ESL Abstract Nouns Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences - Freer Practice - Group Work

In this engaging abstract nouns board game, students practice making sentences with uncountable abstract nouns. Players take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player...

ESL Abstract Nouns Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts - Freer Practice - Group Work In this engaging abstract nouns board game, students practice making sentences with uncountable abstract nouns. Players take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player lands on an abstract noun square, they try to make a meaningful sentence with the noun. For example, if a player lands on the word 'health', the player might say 'I want to improve my health by cycling to school every day'. If the other group members agree the sentence is grammatically correct and appropriate, the player stays on the square. If the player makes a grammar mistake or the sentence doesn't demonstrate the abstract idea, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.
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Abstract Nouns Practice

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet preview, Upper-intermediate B2, identifying, gap-fill, unscrambling, matching, binary choice

ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Gap-fill, Unscrambling, Matching, Binary Choice

Here is a comprehensive abstract nouns worksheet for upper-intermediate students. Students start by underlining things that are classified as abstract nouns. Next, students cross out words in a box...

ESL Abstract Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Gap-fill, Unscrambling, Matching, Binary Choice Here is a comprehensive abstract nouns worksheet for upper-intermediate students. Students start by underlining things that are classified as abstract nouns. Next, students cross out words in a box that are not abstract nouns and complete sentences with the abstract nouns that remain. Students then move on to unscramble letters to create abstract nouns and then match each noun with its opposite from the sentences in Exercise B. After that, students complete sentences using the abstract nouns from Exercise C and underline the additional abstract noun in each sentence. Lastly, students complete sentences with abstract nouns from word pairs.
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Exploring Abstract Nouns

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Abstract Nouns Activity preview, Upper-intermediate B2, completing, asking and answering questions, group and pair work

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work

This rewarding abstract noun conversation questions activity helps students practice completing, asking and answering conversation questions that...

ESL Abstract Nouns Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work This rewarding abstract noun conversation questions activity helps students practice completing, asking and answering conversation questions that contain abstract nouns. First, in two groups, students complete conversation questions with abstract nouns. Students then pair up with someone from the other group. Next, students take turns asking the conversation questions to their partner, noting down their answers and asking follow-up questions to gain more information when possible. Finally, students report back to the class on the things they found out about their partner.
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Understanding Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are words that name things you cannot see, touch, or physically experience, such as 'freedom', 'anger', or 'justice'. Students who cannot spot and use abstract nouns confidently tend to write at a surface level, relying on concrete vocabulary and missing the precision that ideas and emotions demand.

This page covers abstract nouns across A2, B1, and B2 levels, with seven activities ranging from a group listening game to a board game and speaking activities, including one free download.

When to Use Abstract Nouns

Expressing Emotions and Mental States: Writers and speakers reach for abstract nouns when they need to name an internal experience directly rather than describe a visible action, making emotional expression precise and natural, as in 'She felt a deep sadness after the news, mixed with a strange sense of relief.'

Formal and Academic Writing: Abstract nouns let writers discuss ideas, processes, and arguments at a conceptual level, which formal and academic registers require, as in 'The government's failure to act undermined public trust in the institution.'

Making Generalizations: Speakers choose abstract nouns when they want to make a broad point that applies across many situations rather than describing one specific event, as in 'Education is the foundation of a fair society.'

3-Step Framework for Teaching Abstract Nouns

1. Recognition Under Pressure: Start with a fast-paced listening game where students hear a sentence with a blank and three noun options, and race to call out the one that fits. A sentence like 'BLANK is very important for your health' paired with the choices sleep, idea, and lie forces students to process meaning quickly rather than guess, building confident recognition from the start.

2. Identification with Accountability: Once students can recognize abstract nouns by meaning, push them to identify them accurately inside full sentences where concrete nouns are also present. A betting mechanic adds real stakes: students wager between 10 and 100 points on each answer based on how confident they feel, and because sentences may contain no abstract nouns or up to four, students cannot apply a formula and must read carefully.

3. Free Production with Peer Judgment: Shift to open sentence building, where students must produce a grammatically correct sentence using an abstract noun on the spot. The group acts as judge, and if a player makes a grammar mistake or the sentence does not demonstrate the abstract idea, they go back two squares, so accuracy matters and students hold each other to a clear standard.

Common Mistakes with Abstract Nouns

Using an Adjective or Verb Form Instead of the Abstract Noun: Students often write the adjective or base verb instead of the corresponding abstract noun, producing a grammatically broken phrase. Wrong: 'He showed a lot of kind.' Correct: 'He showed a lot of kindness.'

Adding an Article Before an Uncountable Abstract Noun: Students often treat uncountable abstract nouns as countable, placing 'a' or 'an' before them where no article is possible. Wrong: 'She gave me an advice about the job.' Correct: 'She gave me some advice about the job.'

Common Questions About Teaching Abstract Nouns

What is a good worksheet for teaching abstract nouns?

Abstract nouns are notoriously hard to identify reliably, and a structured worksheet gives students the repeated, varied exposure they need. The worksheet Abstract Analysis covers five exercise types, moving from identifying abstract nouns in sentences to a final pair task where students think of and write down two abstract nouns for each prompt.

What is an engaging speaking activity for practicing abstract nouns?

The activity Abstract Noun Adventures gives students a clear structure for using abstract nouns in real conversation. Students first complete conversation questions with abstract nouns from a box, then ask those questions to a partner, with the requirement that they include the corresponding abstract noun in their response.

What is a fun board game for practicing abstract nouns?

Players roll a dice, land on an abstract noun square, and must form a meaningful sentence on the spot. The group decides whether the sentence is grammatically correct and appropriate, and anyone who falls short goes back two squares. The board game Abstract Nouns Board Game pushes students to produce accurate language under real pressure.

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