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Abstract vs Concrete Language: Write Like You Mean It
Level: C1 · 5 minutes · Advanced Learners & Writers
💡 Today’s Idea
Abstract language talks about ideas, feelings, values, concepts. Concrete language names specific things, actions, people, places. The most powerful writing uses concrete language to carry abstract ideas.
📖 From My Experience
George Orwell wrote: Never use a long word where a short one will do. Never use an abstract word where a concrete one exists. I learned this rule the hard way. My early writing was full of sentences like: The experience of professional displacement has significant implications for personal identity formation. Nothing wrong grammatically. But what does it say? Compare: Losing a job you were good at makes you question who you are. Same idea. Sixteen fewer words. One real human.
📚 Orwell’s Plain English Rule
Vague abstract: The situation presented various challenges in terms of interpersonal dynamics.
Clear concrete: We argued every day for a month. Nobody apologised.
The test: Can you replace a word with a more specific, visible thing? Do it. Every time.
✏️ Try It! (2 minutes)
Rewrite this sentence using concrete language:
“There was a challenging situation involving a difference of perspective between myself and a colleague regarding professional expectations.”
🎯 Quick Quiz
Which sentence uses more concrete language?
Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
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