Friday, December 4, 2015

international, national

International or international describes something that involves more than one nation or country--
There is a lot of news coverage of the international trade agreement.
This should be turned over to an international body, such as the UN.

National or national describes something involving an entire country or nation, as opposed to only some of its states or provinces--
In the United States, we call our national government the federal government.
We were hoping for a national movement to ban corporal punishment in the schools.

National may also mean a citizen of a particular country or nation--
As a foreign national, he may be turned over to his country's embassy.
The revolutionaries have asked every American national to leave the country.
He's a Swiss national; he'll have no problem with his passport.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We hope to reach a national consensus concerning our country's role in international affairs."

Note--the "Internationale" is a song of the Socialist or Communist party--
They still go to party meetings and sing the "Internationale".

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