Learn English - Vocabulary

Nouns and adjectives referring to nations and people

In order to refer to a nation and its affairs it is usually necessary to know four words:

1. the name of the country or the region (e.g. France, England, America, India)
2. the adjective (e.g. French, English, American, Indian)
3. the singular noun used for a person from the country (e.g. a Frenchman/woman, an Englishman/woman, an American, an Indian)
4. the plural expression used for the population as a whole (e.g. the French, the English, the Americans, the Indians)

See the following table for details.

The Scots prefer the adjective Scottish, but other people often use Scotch.

Most British people call themselves Scottish, Welsh, Irish or English. The word Briton is common in newspaper headlines. Brit is also sometimes used to refer to British people.