Grammar

1.67 Sharing the same quality: adjectives as headwords

When you want to talk about groups of people who share the same characteristic or quality, you often choose an adjective rather than a noun as a headword.

You do this by using the appropriate adjective preceded by 'the'. For example, instead of saying 'poor people', you say 'the poor'.

...the help that's given to the blind.
No effort is made to cater for the needs of the elderly.
...the task of rescuing the injured.
...men and women who would join the sad ranks of the unemployed.
Working with the young is stimulating and full of surprises.
...providing care for the sick, the aged, the workless and the poor.

Note that you never add '-s' to the headword, even though it always refers to more than one person.