Page 45 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

3 nice and ...
In an informal style, the expression nice and is often used before another adjective or an adverb. It means something like 'pleasantly' or 'suitably'.
It'sniceandwarminfrontofthefire. (=pleasantlywarm) The work was nice and easy.
Now just put your gun down nice and slow.
For more information about and, see 52 For commas with adjectives, see 15.6.
17 adjectives (6): without nouns
We cannot usually leave out a noun after an adjective.
Poor little boy! (NOT P6(Jf Uttlen
The most important thing is to be happy. (NOT The m(Jst irllf'(JFttlnt is
t(J be litlf'f'Y.)
But there are some exceptions.
1 well-known groups
The + adjective is used to talk about certain well-known groups of people who are in a particular physical or social condition. Common expressions:
the blind the dead the deaf
the handicapped the jobless
the mentally ill
the old the unemployed the poor the young
the rich
He's collecting money for the blind. The unemployed are losing hope.
The meaning is usually general; occasionally a limited group is referred to.
After the accident, the injured were taken to hospital.
These expressions are normally plural: the dead means 'all dead people' or 'the dead people', but not 'the dead person'.
Note that these expressions cannot be used with a possessive's.
the problems ofthe poor OR poor people's problems (NOT the f'(J(Jf'S f'fflbletm)
Adjectives are normally only used in this way with the or a determiner like many or more.
This government doesn't care about the poor. (NOT ••• about poor.)
There are more unemployed than ever before.
However, adjectives without the are sometimes used in paired structures with both ... and ...
opportunities for both rich and poor
2 adjectives of nationality
Afew adjectives of nationality ending in -sh or -ch (see 364.3) are used after the without nouns. They include Irish, Welsh, English, British, Spanish, Dutch, French.
The Irish are very proud oftheir sense ofhumour.
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adjectives (6): without nouns 17
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