名词化的形容词

1） the可以和某些形容词一道表示一类人：
The poor get poorer; the rich get richer. 穷人更穷，夫人更富。
The well-to-do had their cares also. 富裕的人也有他们的烦恼。
She was always good with the unfortunate. 她一向善待不幸的人。
They poisoned the minds of the young. 它们毒害青年人的头脑。
Fortune favors the brave. （谚）命运青睐勇者。
He had a natural sympathy for the down-trodden. 他对被蹂躏者怀有天生的同情心。
Take care of the wounded and the dying. 救死扶伤。
The old and the young should be able to live together. 老年人和青年人应该能过到一起。
They are building a school for the deaf and the dumb. 他们正在盖一所聋哑学校。
He always sided with the oppressed and the exploited. 他总是站在被压迫和被剥削者一边。
The very wise avoid such temptation. 真正明智的人总是避开这种诱惑。
The injured were immediately taken to hospital. 伤者被立即送往医院。
The sick (elderly) must be cared for. 病人（老年人）应受照顾。
These provide shelters for the homeless. 这些无家可归的人提供了栖身之处。
The living are more important to us than the dead. 对我们而言，生者比死者更重要。
2） the也可和某些表示国家名族的形容词一道表示“某国（名族）的人”：
The English have a wonderful sense of humor. 英国人幽默感很强。
The French like to eat well. 法国人喜欢吃得好。
the Chinese 中国人                          the Japanese 日本人
the Swiss 瑞士人                            the Spanish 西班牙人
the Welsh 威尔士人                          the Dutch 荷兰人
从上例可以看出这样用的主要是一些以sh，ch，se，ss结尾的词。
这种结构间或指一个人，如：the accused (被告) ，the deceased (死者)

the可加在某些形容词前表示一些事物或品质：
This was nothing out of the ordinary. 这并没有什么异乎寻常之处。
They would have to bow to the inevitable. 他们将不得不向无可避免的事（命运）低头。
He expected me to do the impossible. 他期待我做办不到的事。
The difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a little longer. 困难的事我们马上就做，不可能的事需要稍长一些时间。
We must be ready to cope with the unexpected. 我们必须准备应付预料不到的问题。
Let X be the unknown in this equation. 设X为这个方程式中的未知数。
Do you believe in the supernatural? 你相信有神奇古怪的事吗？
He is fond of writing about the unusual. 他喜欢写些古怪的题材。
She admires the mystical. 她喜欢神秘的东西。
We have to take the rough along with the smooth in life. 生活中好事坏事都得承受。
This policy is a mixture of the old and the new. 这项政策是新旧混合的产物。

1） 有不少词组中包含名词化形容词：
The killer remained at large for weeks. 那杀手好几周都逍遥法外。
Things were going from bad to worse between them. 他们之间的关系日益恶化。
I can’t say for sure. 我说不准。
I know for certain that he has a car. 我确实知道他有一辆车。
He will leave the city for good. 他将永远离开这座城市。
He cuts my hairs for free. 他免费给我理发。
The National Broadcasting Company is called NBC for short. 国家广播公司简称NBC。
They are neighbors, for better for worse. 好歹他们是街坊。
I told him the story in full. 我给他讲了全部的故事。
The weather in Florida is warm in general. 佛罗里达的气候总的来说是暖和的。
In brief, Sophia was no longer a stranger. 简而言之，索菲亚已不再是陌生人了。
In short, they were happy together. 总之，他们在一起很快活。
She waited in vain, however. 然而，她白等了。
2） 有不少形容词最高级有时可以名词化：
We’re not going to Japan. At least not for the present. 我们不准备去日本，至少目前不准备去。
My book will be out in a day or two, a week at most. 我的书一两天后就出版，至多一星期就出版。
You ought to hear at the latest by Friday. 最迟到星期五你就会听到消息。

At the very most,she can't be more than eighteen.她最多也就十八岁。
He thought that at worst he could get a scolding. 他想他最多只会挨一顿说。
At best we can do only half as much as last year. 最多我们只能完成去年工作量的一半。
She took leave of the party in the liveliest of spirits. 她兴高采烈地告别了晚会。
They were too poor to rent the cheapest of houses. 他们穷到连最便宜的房子都租不起。
It was one of the most interesting of these discoveries. 这是这些发现中最有意思的一个。
【注】有不少形容词已变成名词：
That music is popular with the young. 那种音乐年轻人很欢迎。
After the storm comes a calm. （谚）风暴之后是宁静。
She had a bad headache and needed quiet. 她头疼得厉害需要安静。
It’s much better in the cool. 在荫凉地就好多了。
I got my medical on Thursday. 星期四我体检了。
Of course it won’t hurt you., silly. 当然你不会疼的，傻瓜。