When I ask someone's nationality, he or she answers "I am American or I am an American. I think both are right for me. Could anyone tell me which one is better ?
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1Why would one of them be better? Sometimes there's more than one way to say something.– Mr. Shiny and New 安宇Commented Dec 16, 2015 at 14:57
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1 Answer
American is an adjective, so I'm American has a predicate adjective, with an auxiliary form of be. However, it can also be a noun, so I'm an American has a predicate noun, with an auxiliary be.
Neither one is more correct than the other. It's precisely the difference between saying
- I'm French/German/Danish/Spanish
and saying - I'm a Frenchman/a German/a Dane/a Spaniard.
Sometimes the name for a nationality is the same as the name for a person of that nationality.
And sometimes it's not.
answered Dec 16, 2015 at 20:38
