Abstract and Concrete Nouns Worksheets for 3rd Grade
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Prints on one US Letter page; the answer key is a separate page. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper. Free for personal and classroom use.
Skill: Telling abstract nouns (ideas and feelings) from concrete nouns
Teaching tips and what to try next
A good next step for third graders who can already pick out the nouns in a sentence. Sorting a handful of word cards into two piles, things and ideas, before the page makes the difference easier to talk about. For more noun work try Common and Proper Nouns or Plural Nouns With -s, -es, and -ies, and look for abstract nouns in a favorite story together.
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About this worksheet
Most nouns children learn first are concrete: things they can see, hear, touch, taste or smell, such as a pillow, a bridge or a carrot. Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings and qualities that cannot be touched, such as kindness, courage and freedom. Third graders are expected to explain the difference and use abstract nouns in their writing. This third-grade grammar worksheet practices both kinds.
Part A lists twelve nouns. Children read each one and write concrete or abstract on the line. Half of the words are concrete and half are abstract, and they are mixed so the answers do not follow a pattern. Part B has six short sentences about everyday moments, such as finishing a puzzle or playing on a team. Each sentence has one abstract noun, and children find it and write it on the line. The other nouns in those sentences are concrete, so children need to think about each one. The answer key lists every answer.
How to use it: give your child a simple test for each word: can you put it in a box? A carrot fits in a box, but courage does not. Many abstract nouns end in -ness, -ship, -dom or -ty, which is a useful clue, but not every abstract noun does. After the page, ask your child to name a feeling they had today and use that word in a sentence. That shows the noun at work.
For a first look at kinds of nouns, try our Common and Proper Nouns worksheet. For more grammar, try our Irregular Past Tense Verbs worksheet.