1.5 Nationality Words

We usually use an adjective to refer to a nationality:

1. The adjective can be used to refer to the country

• Italian spaghetti
• French wine
• Russian caviar

2. The adjective can sometimes be used as a noun to refer to a person of the country

• a Japanese
• a Mexican
• a Brazilian

   Some of these words have a plural form to refer to a group of people of the country

• the Mexicans
• the Brazilians

but:    the Japanese, the French, the English

3. The adjective can be used as a noun to refer to a whole nation

    Some have a singular form:

• the French
• the Swiss
• the English

   Some have a plural form:

• the Greeks
• the Italians
• the Norwegians

4. The adjective can be used as a noun to refer to the language of a country

• He speaks Finnish, German and Russian fluently.

Note: to refer to nationality there are also a lot of nouns:

• a Dane
• a Scot
• a Spaniard
• an Englishman

Advice: All nationality words start with a capital letter.