America's People and American People

This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Shohei from Japan. He says:

Question:

I would like to know the difference between "America's" and "American." For example, are there any gaps (in meaning) between "America's people" and "American people"?

– Shohei, Japan

Answer:

Hi Shohei,

The two phrases have the same general meaning. Both describe people who are from America or are living in America. But there are a few minor¹ differences.

One difference between the phrases is their grammar.

The word "America's" is a proper noun in possessive form. A proper noun is a particular name for a person, place or thing. The apostrophe -s after "America" shows possession. So, "America's people" means the people of, or belonging to, America.

However, the word "American" is a proper adjective. In other words, it is an adjective formed from a proper noun. In the expression "American people," the word "American" is an adjective that describes the noun "people."

"American people" is the more common way to describe people who are born in America or become American citizens.

On the other hand, the phrase "America's people" is more literary. It is most often found in publications and documentary films, and on things like historical websites.

There is also one small difference in meaning:

"America's people" can mean everyone who lives in America, including some who may not officially be U.S. citizens. It can also refer to the nation's immigrant history. So, when a publication or film uses the phrase, they may talk about the many immigrant groups that make up the nation.

And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.

Words in This Story

gap - n. a difference between two people or things

phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence

particular - adj. a specific person or thing that is being referred to

apostrophe - n. the punctuation² mark used to show that letters or numbers are missing

literary - adj. concerning the writing, study, or content of literature

1 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

2 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。