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.
Country/region
America
Belgium
Brazil
Europe
Italy
India
Kenya
Morocco
Norway
Greece
Iraq
Israel
Thailand
China
Japan
Portugal
Switzerland
Britain
England
France
Ireland
Spain
The Holland
Wales
Denmark
Finland
Poland
Scotland
Sweden
Turkey
Notes
Adjective
American
Belgian
Brazilian
European
Italian
Indian
Kenyan
Moroccan
Norwegian
Greek
Iraqi
Israeli
Thai
Chinese
Japanese
Portuguese
Swiss
British
English
French
Irish
Spanish
Dutch
Welsh
Danish
Finnish
Polish
Scottish, Scotch
Swedish
Turkish
Person
an American
a Belgian
a Brazilian
a European
an Italian
an Indian
a Kenyan
a Moroccan
a Norwegian
a Greek
an Iraqi
an Israeli
a Thai
a Chinese
a Japanese
a Portuguese
a Swiss
a British person (Briton)
an Englishman/woman
a Frenchman/woman
an Irishman/woman
a Spaniard
a Dutchman/woman
a Welshman/woman
a Dane
a Finn
a Pole
a Scot
a Swede
a Turk
The Scots prefer the adjective Scottish, but other people often use Scotch.
Population
the Americans
the Belgians
the Brazilians
the Europeans
the Italians
the Indians
the Kenyans
the Moroccans
the Norwegians
the Greeks
the Iraqis
the Israelis
the Thais
the Chinese
the Japanese
the Portuguese
the Swiss
the British
the English
the French
the Irish
the Spanish
the Dutch
the Welsh
the Danes
the Finns
the Poles
the Scots
the Swedes
the Turks
What are phrasal verbs?
Some English verbs can be followed by prepositions or adverb particles.



Alice ran into the room crying.
He walked down the street.
Do sit down.
Some verbs and prepositions / particles are always used together. Examples are: stand up, sit down,
look at, listen to, switch off etc. Note that these structures are often called phrasal verbs. In most
cases, the meaning of a phrasal verb is very different from the meanings of the two words in it.
Consider the sentence given below:

The meeting has been put off. (The meaning of put off is different from the meanings of put and
off.)
Three-word verbs
Some verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition.
Examples are: get on with, put up with, look out for etc.


He gets on with his mother in law quite well.
How do you put up with her?
Note that a verb + preposition combination is usually inseparable.

He fell off the ladder. (NOT He fell the ladder off.)
The particle in a verb + adverb particle combination can go before or after noun objects.

He switched the light off. OR He switched off the light.
If the object is a pronoun, the particle goes after it.

She switched it off. (NOT She switched off it.)
French phrases in English
The English meanings are not necessarily literal translations.
a bas - down, down with
a compte - on account, in part payment
a demi - by halves, half
a deux - of two, between two, two-handed
a haute voix - aloud
a jamais - for ever
a la bonne heure - in good time, all right, as you please
a la mode - in fashion
a la mort - to the death
allez vous en! - away with you!
a propos de rien - apropos of nothing
a tout prix - at any price
au contraire - on the contrary
au courant - up-to-date
au fait - well acquainted with, expert
au fond - at bottom
au revoir - goodbye, till we meet again
a volonte - at pleasure
beau monde - the world of fashion, high society
bete noire - a bugbear, your favourite hate
bien entendu - of course, to be sure
bon diable - good-natured fellow
bon gout - good taste
bon mot - a witty saying
bon ton - the height of fashion
bon vivant - one who lives luxuriously and enjoys good food and drink
bon voyage - a good journey to you!
comme il faut - as it should be, correct
compte rendu - an account rendered
carte blanche - unrestricted power to act on one's own
cause celebre - a widely known controversial case or issue
coup de grace - finishing blow
coup d'etat - a sudden decisive blow in politics
coute que coute - cost what it may
crème de la crème - cream of the cream, the very best
de rigueur - compulsory, indispensable
double entendre - a double meaning, a play on words
en avant - forward!
en deshabille - in undress
en famille - with one's family
enfant terrible - a terrible child, a little terror
en fete - festive, keeping holiday
en rapport - in agreement, in sympathy with
en regle - in order, according to rules
en route - on the way
fait accompli - a thing already done
faute de mieux - for want of a better alternative
faux pas - a false step, a slip in behaviour
force majeure - superior power, a force one cannot resist
homme d'affaires - a man of business
homme du monde - a man of the world
idée fixe - a fixed idea
je ne sais quoi - I know not what; an elusive quality
mal a propos - ill-timed
nom de guerre - pseudonym
nom de plume - pen name
nouveaux riches - persons who have only recently become rich, upstarts
par excellence - eminently, by way of ideal
sans souci - without care
savoir faire - the ability to say and do the correct thing
tete-a-tete - a private interview, a confidential conversation
vis-à-vis - opposite
vogue la galere - come what may!
Latin phrases
The English meanings are not necessarily literal translations.
ab extra - from without
ab initio - from the beginning
absit omen - may there be no ill omen
ad absurdum- to the point of absurdity
ad finem - to the end, towards the end
ad hoc - for this purpose
ad infinitum - to infinity
ad nauseam - to the point where one becomes disgusted
ad valorem - according to the value
alma mater - benign mother- applied by old students to their university
alter ego - one's second half
amor vincit omnia - love conquers all
Anno Domini - in the year of our Lord
annus mirabilis - year of wonders
ante bellum - before the war
a priori - based on theory rather than observation
aqua vitae - water of life
ars longa, vita brevis - art is long, life is short
bona fides - in good faith, genuine
carpe diem - seize the day, enjoy the present day
casus belli - an act justifying war
caveat emptor - let the buyer beware
de facto - from the fact, actual or possibility
de jure - in law, by right
dramatis personae - characters of the play
errare est humanum - to err is human
et tu, Brute! - And you, too, Brutus! (said to be Julius Caesar's last words)
exempli gratia - by way of example
ex cathedra - with authority; used especially of those pronouncements of the Pope that are considered
infallible.
ex gratia - as an act of grace
ex officio - by virtue of his office
favete linguis - favour me with your tongues, i.e. be silent
fiat justitia, ruat coelum - let justice be done, though the heavens fall
fiat lux - let there be light
honoris causa - for the sake of honour, honorary
in loco parentis - in the place of a parent
in memoriam - in memory, to the memory of
in situ - situated in the original or natural position
ipse dixit - he himself said it
in vino veritas - in wine there is truth
lapsus linguae - a slip of the tongue
magnum opus - a great work
male fide - with bad faith, treacherously
memento mori - remember that you must die
modus operandi - plan of working
persona non grata - unacceptable or unwelcome person
post mortem - after death
prima facie - on the first view
sic transit gloria mundi - so passes away earthly glory
sine die - without a day being appointed
sine qua non - without which not, an indispensable condition
status quo - the state in which things as they are now
sub judice - under consideration
ubique - everywhere
ultra vires - beyond one's powers
veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered
vice versa - the terms being reversed
viva voce - by the living voice, orally
vox populi, vox Dei - the voice of the people is the voice of God