6.4 Concrete vs. Abstract Language

Concrete words refer to tangible items that the individual can most often see, touch, hear, and smell. Concrete language entails the use of descriptive words whereas abstract language includes generalizations. Abstract language is open to interpretation whereas concrete language limits interpretation. Often abstract language refers to intangible ideas or qualities such as motivation or productivity that could be measured differently. For example, specifying whether a model is a 2D versus a 3D print, responding by the end of the day vs. responding by 3 pm, and wearing your protective gear versus wearing your goggles and gloves are examples of abstract and concrete language.

In professional communication, your goal is to be as concrete as possible, so that your readers, listeners, or viewers understand and interpret your message as accurately as possible, in the way you intended. Concrete language moves you toward that goal.

When NOT to be concrete, precise, and specific

The concepts of concrete, precise, and specific language blend together into one main idea: offer appropriate, real-world examples and explanations using accurate, sensory, detailed language so that your audience can visualize, relate to, and understand your information as accurately as possible. Realize, however, that there may be times when you consciously decide not to be precise. For example, if you need to offer negative information and do not want to assign blame to a particular person or office, you may opt to state that “mistakes were made” instead of noting who made what mistakes. Vagueness in this instance allows you to focus more fully on the general problem and solution instead of the people who made the mistakes.

In another case, you may want to offer an approximate number or amount if your purpose is to show overall comparison to an audience without specific background in the area you are discussing. Although the general rule for professional communication is to use concrete, precise, and specific language, your situational analysis always overrides any general rules. Use situational analysis in your planning, creating, and editing stages to determine the best type of language for your purpose, audience, and context.

This section is adapted from “Concrete, Precise, Specific Language” in Communications for Professionals by Susan Oaks, licensed under CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, except where otherwise noted.