COLLECTIVE

ADJECTIVES

THE + ADJECTIVE
What are Collective Adjectives?
Collective adjectives are a subgroup
of nominal adjectives (adjectives that
act as nouns).

They are used to refer to a group of

people based on a characteristic that
they share.
 Examples:
“The rich should help the poor.”
This sentence is another way of saying:
“Rich people should help poor people.”
Some common adjectives are:
the blind the innocent the weak
the elderly the intelligent the young
the hardworking the homeless the deaf
the homeless the strong the sick
 Nationality
French people cook well.
The French cook well.

Other nationalities for which we have

collective adjectives are:
the Chinese the Scottish
the English the Spanish
the Irish
the Japanese
CAPITALIZED!!
 Exceptions:
The Germans or Germans
Canadians
Russians
Americans
Slovaks
 How to use Collective Adjectives?
1. We always add the article the before
the adjective (except for nationalities that
use plural proper nouns).

2. We always treat collective adjectives

as plural nouns. This means that they
have to take plural forms of verbs.
 3. We do not pluralize collective
adjectives by adding the suffixes -s
or -es. They are already considered
plural (except for nationalities that
use plural proper nouns).
Examples:
“The rich are usually powerful.”
“The French are the best chefs.”
“The elderly need proper care.”
Plural Subject Plural Verb
Collective Adjectives sometimes replace the
subject.
Example:
The waiters served a variety of snacks in
several bowls. I loved the spicy.
The doors were closed when the movie
started for the fans. The punctual were inside.