This document provides information and rules about using adjectives as nouns to describe groups of people and nationalities. It explains that adjectives like "the rich" and "the poor" are used to describe specific groups. Nationality adjectives ending in -sh, -ch, -ss, and -ese can be used with "the" to refer to nationalities, while words ending in -an and a few others can be used with or without "the" but take an "s" to refer to the people. There are some nationalities that have a different noun form than the adjective like Polish/Pole or Scottish/Scot. The document also provides the standard order of adjectives.

1. ADJECTIVES AS
NOUNS
NATIONALITIES

2. SPECIFIC GROUPS OF
PEOPLE
▪ You can use “the” + some adjectives to talk
about some specific groups in society (the rich,
the poor, the young, the sick, the elderly ...)
▪ These expressions are always plural
The poor are getting poorer and the rich are
getting richer

3. You can use adjective + people (without
the) or “the” + adjective to talk about those
groups
The poor are getting poorer
and the rich are getting richer
Poor people are getting poorer
and rich people are getting richer

4. Nationalities

5. YOU CAN USE ‘THE’ WITH
NATIONALITY ADJECTIVES
ENDING IN ...
▪ -sh
“the English are famous for drinking tea”
▪ -ch
“the Dutch make fabulous cheeses”
▪ -ss
“the Swiss were neutral in the 2nd WW”
▪ -ese
“the Chinese invented paper”

6. DON’T ADD PLURAL ‘S’ TO THESE
WORDS.
DON’T USE THEM WITHOUT
‘THE’.
CHINESES INVENTED PAPER.
THE

7. NATIONALITY WORDS ENDING
IN ‘AN’ AND A FEW OTHERS...
▪ ... Like ‘Belgian’, ‘Argentinian’ ...
▪ ... Or ‘Greek’ and ‘Thai’
▪ ... Are both nouns and adjectives.
▪ You can use “the” or not to talk about
them but …

8. … USE PLURAL ‘S’ TO TALK ABOUT
THE PEOPLE FROM THOSE
COUNTRIES
The Belgians make the best chocolate
Belgians make the best chocolate
Belgian people make the best chocolate

9. WATCH OUT!
▪ To talk about one person you can’t use
‘a/an´+ adjective alone. Use the adjective +
‘people’ (or ‘man/woman’)
An English came yesterday – an Englishman

10. SOME NATIONALITIES HAVE A SPECIAL NOUN
WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ADJECTIVE
▪ Polish adjective ‘That girl is Polish’
Pole noun ‘many Poles were killed during the 2nd
WW’
▪ Scottish adjective Scot/Scotsman noun
▪ British adjective Briton/Brit noun
▪ Spanish adjective Spaniard noun
▪ ... Swede, Turk, Finn, Lapp ...

11. USE ‘THE’ + ADJECTIVE OR ‘THE’ +
PLURAL NOUN TO TALK ABOUT
THOSE PEOPLE

12. Adjective order

13. OP - SI AG SH COPA NA MA - NO
OPINION
SIZE
AGE
SHAPE
COLOUR PATTERN
NATIONALITY (ORIGIN/PLACE)
MATERIAL
NOUN

14. OP SI AG SH COPA NA MA NO
Italian
big
brand-new
leather
square
purple
spotted
handbag
Beautiful

15. OP SI AG SH COPA NA MA NO
OPINION
SIZE
AGE
SHAPE
COLOUR/PATTERN
NATIONALITY
(ORIGIN/PLACE)
MATERIAL
NOUN
beautiful
big
Brand-new
square
purple spotted
Italian
leather
handbag