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Viceidol Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
"Americans" or "the Americans"?
Hello, everyone
Could you tell me what's the difference between the following sentences?
The Americans like to eat hamburgers.
Americans like to eat hamburgers.
Is the expression "The Americans" the same as "Americans" when they refer to "the people whose nationality is the U.S.(or the people living in the U.S.)"?
Thank you very much for you help!
Could you tell me what's the difference between the following sentences?
The Americans like to eat hamburgers.
Americans like to eat hamburgers.
Is the expression "The Americans" the same as "Americans" when they refer to "the people whose nationality is the U.S.(or the people living in the U.S.)"?
Thank you very much for you help!
Top answer
Hi Viceidol If you are referring to Americans in general, there are so many of them that it is advisable to omit the even though some people like to use it: Americans like to eat hamburgers. The article must be used in similar cases when the expression denoting nationality has been formed from an adjective : The Chinese like to eat rice. The French drink a lot of wine.
- Hi Viceidol If you are referring to Americans in general, there are so many of them that it is advisable to omit the even though some people like to use it: Americans like to eat hamburgers.
- The article must be used in similar cases when the expression denoting nationality has been formed from an adjective : The Chinese like to eat rice.
- The French drink a lot of wine.
- The Dutch are said to be very clean people.
- As you can see, there is no plural s in the above examples because you can't add a plural s to an adjective in English.
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7 Answers
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Hi Viceidol
If you are referring to Americans in general, there are so many of them that it is advisable to omit the even though some people like to use it:
Americans like to eat hamburgers.
The article must be used in similar cases when the expression denoting nationality has been formed from an adjective:
The
If you are referring to Americans in general, there are so many of them that it is advisable to omit the even though some people like to use it:
Americans like to eat hamburgers.
The article must be used in similar cases when the expression denoting nationality has been formed from an adjective:
The
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Hi Viceidol
You may have noticed that adjectives denoting nationality which end with -(i)an can also be used as nouns and plural nouns:
- Australians
- Brazilians
- Canadians
- Italians
- Germans
- Russians
To speak generally about people of such nationalities, you do not need the word 'the'.
I'd use the word 'the' if I were referri
You may have noticed that adjectives denoting nationality which end with -(i)an can also be used as nouns and plural nouns:
- Australians
- Brazilians
- Canadians
- Italians
- Germans
- Russians
To speak generally about people of such nationalities, you do not need the word 'the'.
I'd use the word 'the' if I were referri
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To my ear, Americans like ... is non-contrastive; The Americans like ... is contrastive.
The second, therefore, is more likely to be used, I think, after mentioning what some other national group likes.
The Italians like ...; the Americans like ....
CJ
The second, therefore, is more likely to be used, I think, after mentioning what some other national group likes.
The Italians like ...; the Americans like ....
CJ
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I thought both are acceptable since both are generic even when we compare one nationality with the other, such as
1. Americans and Singaporeans like to eat hamburgers.
2. The American and the Singaporean like to eat hamburgers.
'The' is used with a singular noun to make a generalisation.
1. Americans and Singaporeans like to eat hamburgers.
2. The American and the Singaporean like to eat hamburgers.
'The' is used with a singular noun to make a generalisation.
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Hi Cool Breeze
'Chinese' is an adjective as well as a verb.
Chinese customs
The Chinese are the people of China, or people whose ancestors came from China.
'Chinese' is an adjective as well as a verb.
Chinese customs
The Chinese are the people of China, or people whose ancestors came from China.
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Hi Kins
1I thought both are acceptable since both are generic even when we compare one nationality with the other, such as
1. Americans and Singaporeans like to eat hamburgers.
2. The American and the Singaporean like to eat hamburgers.
'The' is used with a singular noun to make a generalisation.
Regarding the second sentence, it should be
1I thought both are acceptable since both are generic even when we compare one nationality with the other, such as
1. Americans and Singaporeans like to eat hamburgers.
2. The American and the Singaporean like to eat hamburgers.
'The' is used with a singular noun to make a generalisation.
Regarding the second sentence, it should be
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