Hi,
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English.
Can we apply this to all the country to use the plural form of that country?
-The American(s) are a nation and ethnic group native to America, who speak English.
Must I use 'the American or the Americans?
Thanks.
The English are not a nation. The English are a "people". England is a nation or a country. Well, actually, it depends on how you look at it. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
All you can really say is "The English come from England". In the same way, "The Irish come from Ireland", "The Welsh come from Wales" and "The Scots come from Scotland" (note that the adjective Scottish is not normally changed to "The Scottish" although you will hear it).
As far as applying the same rule to people from America, the answer is no. Even though "English" (adjective) becomes "The English" as a noun, "American" (adjective) does not become "The American" as a noun. I would say "Americans are a people/race who are native to North America and who speak English". The problem with that, of course, is that "American" (in BrE) is a nationality and only refers to the passport someone holds. So there are, of course, thousands of people who hold an American passport who were not born in America, perhaps don't live there and whose native language is not English!
You don't have this problem with "The English". Someone from abroad who moves to England and then gets a British passport becomes "British", not "English/Scottish/Irish/Welsh".
