ABSTRACT AND CONCRETE
Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
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1998
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© Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT AND CONCRETE. Contrasting terms in traditional philosophy and grammar,
concrete referring to the material and specific,
abstract to the ideal and general. Abstraction as a mental process starts with many particular things or events and moves to a single generality within or behind them, such as the concept
time abstracted from such changes as day and night, the seasons, and ageing. In grammar, an
abstract noun refers to an action, concept, event, quality, or state (
love,
conversation), whereas a
concrete noun refers to a touchable, observable person or thing (
child,
tree). This semantic classification cuts across the syntactic division countable/uncountable
NOUN. Although abstract nouns tend to be uncountable (
courage,
happiness,
news,
tennis,
training), many are countable (
an hour,
a joke,
a quantity). Others can be both, often with shifts of meaning from general to particular (
great kindness/many kindnesses;
not much industry/a major industry).
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The complete guide to The Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley provides the eastern backbone of the African continent, an epic trail of jaw-dropping scenery, stunning safaris and changing cultures. Sarah Barrell uncovers the highlights
Newspaper article from: The Independent - London; 4/7/2001; ; 700+ words
; ...the backbone of Africa, the Rift Valley is a 4,000 mile-long string...bodies of water within the Great Rift Valley include the Sea of Galilee (Lake...offers a unique biking tour of the Rift Valley, travelling from Kilimanjaro to...
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Flow and mixing in the rift valley of the mid-Atlantic ridge
Magazine article from: Journal of Physical Oceanography; 6/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...such as the deep median valleys of slow-spreading...hydrographic survey of the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic...mechanical mixing in the rift valley. 1. Introduction...Laurent et al. 2001). Rift valleys, which are primarily...dynamics in the rift valley of two ...
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VOA NEWS: RIFT VALLEY FEVER KILLS NEARLY 70 IN NORTHEASTERN KENYA
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 1/8/2007; 558 words
; ...have died from an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in northeastern Kenya...disease. "In terms of Rift Valley fever, it's relatively serious...to death," he says. Rift Valley Fever, however, is primarily...number of years along river valleys in this part of Kenya. And...
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Rift Valley fever virus infection among French troops in Chad. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
Magazine article from: Emerging Infectious Diseases; 6/1/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...to September 2001, two strains of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) were isolated...200,000; IgG 1/5,000). Rift Valley fever, a febrile disease that...providers should systematically consider Rift Valley fever as a diagnosis for febrile...
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Chinese scientists set out to explore Great Rift Valley in E. Africa
News Wire article from: Xinhua News Agency; 8/2/2005; 436 words
; ...scientists set out to explore Great Rift Valley in E. Africa BEIJING, Aug. 2...extinct volcanoes can be found in the rift valley. The unique geological environment...ecological resources of the Great Rift Valley attract scientists around...
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VOA NEWS: RIFT VALLEY FEVER EXPECTED TO TRIGGER WIDESPREAD ABORTIONS AMONG KENYAN LIVESTOCK
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News; 1/11/2007; 558 words
; ...begun to try to stop the spread of Rift Valley Fever among livestock. South Africa...emergence of areas in which there is Rift Valley Fever occurring in animals...he says. He says the signs of Rift Valley Fever among animals are unmistakable...
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Tanzania announces measures against Rift Valley Fever
News Wire article from: Xinhua News Agency; 2/8/2007; 561 words
; ...Tanzania announces measures against Rift Valley Fever DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 8 (Xinhua...measures against the spread of the Rift Valley Fever disease which has so...press on Thursday reported a third Rift Valley Fever- related death, a Kenyan...
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Model Successfully Predicts Rift Valley Fever Outbreak.
M2 Presswire; 2/16/2007; 700+ words
; ...ARS: Model Successfully Predicts Rift Valley Fever Outbreak(C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:16022007 A Rift Valley fever outbreak was successfully...2006, when the model predicted that Rift Valley fever would flare up within...
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Scientists leave to study E. African Rift Valley
Newspaper article from: China Daily; 8/3/2005; ; 700+ words
; ...tour of the East African Rift Valley. Organized by the China Association...the first modern man in the rift zone, which is believed to...geosciences," the East African Rift Valley is also called the Afro-Arabian Rift Valley. This area is one of the most extensive rifts ...
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Rift Valley Fever kills 2 in N.Tanzania
News Wire article from: Xinhua News Agency; 2/6/2007; 463 words
; Rift Valley Fever kills 2 in N.Tanzania DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Rift Valley Fever has claimed the lives of two...public to guard against the spread of the Rift Valley Fever in the wake of an outbreak of...
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grabens and rift valleys
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Earth
...rift , whereas the term rift valley is generally used to describe...Perhaps the most famous rift valley that is not a graben is the Dead Sea rift valley, which coincides with the...motion. Many other famous rift valleys, such as those of East Africa...Earth), ...
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Rifting and Rift Valleys
Book article from: World of Earth Science
Rifting and Rift Valleys Rifting is the process...mafic dyke-swarms. Rifts commence as intracratonic...and the East African Rift). Rift flanks may be...simple-shear. Many rifts, however, exhibit different...symmetrically either side of the rift axis. Rift valleys ...
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rift valley
Book article from: A Dictionary of Earth Sciences
rift valley An elongate trough, of regional...bounded by two or more faults . Many rifts on land are associated with alkaline...contain lakes; the E. African rift system is an outstanding example. Some rifts are thought to be at the embryonic...
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Great Rift Valley
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Great Rift Valley geological fault system of SW Asia and...Lake Victoria does not lie in the Great Rift Valley but between its main and western branches. The Great Rift Valley ranges in elevation from c.1...
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Rift Valley
Book article from: World Encyclopedia
Rift Valley ( Great Rift Valley ) Steep-sided, flat-floored valley in sw Asia and e Africa. It runs from n Syria, through the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, and then continues as the trough of the Red Sea through e Africa to the lower valley...
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