continental:

(Usually with a capital ‘C‘; plural: ‘continentals‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ in this word is pronounced with a ‘k’ sound as in “kong”)

continentals

a person belonging to the mainland of Europe but not the British Isles; a European;

(without a capital ‘c’) a person belonging to a continent;

a soldier of the Continental Army in the American Revolution;

a person (a native) who belongs to and lives and works in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands,

Continentals (soldiers) of the Continental Army

e.g.

Monsieur Alphonse is a Continental; he comes from France, a country in Europe.

There are no continentals on Antarctic continent. (i.e. there are no native or indigenous people living there; the people who have ever lived there are the scientists from different countries who have been involved in scientific researches since late 19th century)

The Continentals of the Continental Army of the colonial revolutionaries in America were mainly militia, local citizens working as part-time soldiers.

Most Americans do not know that the continentals on US Virgin Islands are citizens of the USA.

‘Continental’ is more often used in its adjective form than it is in its noun form, e.g. “We had continental breakfast.” & “She’s learning continental stitching.” And continental is also found in the names of many businesses, e.g. ‘Continental Airlines’, ‘Continental Hotel’, ‘Bentley Continental (a model of a car)’, etc.
For an article that shows how this word is used to refer to people (soldiers in this case), please click here, for an item of sports news that has this word used for a team of players, please click here, and for an informative article on the Continental Army of the American Revolution, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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