Question
Atualizado em
24 out 2020
- Inglês (RU)
- Francês (França)
- Alemão Quase Fluente
-
Árabe
-
Japonês
-
Russo
Pergunta sobre Inglês (EUA)
Most of them were American.
Most of them were Americans.
Which one is correct?
Most of them were American.
Most of them were Americans.
Which one is correct?
Most of them were Americans.
Which one is correct?
Respostas
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- Inglês (RU)
- Inglês (EUA)
- Inglês (EUA)
@Brunomg Both are correct to use. The word American happens to be a noun and an adjective. For ex. You can say
“Most of them were Chinese”
But you cannot say
“Most of them were Chineses”
You would have to add another adjective such as
“Most of them were Chinese citizens.”
Hope this helps.
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- Inglês (RU)
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- Inglês (RU)
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- Inglês (RU)
- Inglês (EUA)
The rule is:
"If you can add an "s" WITHOUT adding an extra syllable, then you can use the adjective as a noun"
If the adjective ends in any of these four sounds, you CANNOT use the adjective as a noun:
/s/ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/...
/z/ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/...
/ʃ/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Voiceless_pa...
/ʒ/ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/...
"French" ends in the sound /ʃ/, "a French" is therefore incorrect
"Italian" does not end in any of those sounds, "an Italian" and "Italians" are both correct
"Japanese" ends in the sound /z/, "a Japanese" is incorrect
"Saudi" does not end in any of those sounds, "a Saudi" and "Saudis" are correct
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But if we can say Italian and Italians and most of them conveys plural, why is it correct to say most of them were Italian?
- Inglês (RU)
- Inglês (EUA)
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- Inglês (RU)
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