Learn a new word every day. came dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, but the rest of the people Both are correct and both are required in English language, you just have to know how to use them. Use an article instead of a personal pronoun: a student accused of cheating must actively waive his right to have his guidance counselor present becomes a student accused of cheating must actively waive the right to have a guidance counselor present. Your contribution supports us in maintaining and developing our services. Persons. The singular and plural forms of the three persons make six total persons. In Words on Words, John B. Bremner suggests fewer than fifty. Was Stephen Hawking's explanation of Hawking Radiation in "A Brief History of Time" not entirely accurate? There are two persons When you refer to the people of a single ethnic group or nationality, always use the word. Both words may be traced to Latin roots: people comes from populus (the people), and person from persona (mask [especially one worn by an actor], actor, person). [Chicago Tribune], An outbreak of salmonella which struck 68 people across the U.S. originated at Taco Bell, it has emerged. Definition And Examples, What Is A Second-Person Pronoun? The noun person is singular, but the pronoun their is plural. Person came from persona, which first meant "mask," like that worn by an actor, but eventually came to mean "an individual human." People, on the other hand, came from populus, which means "the people" in the sense of a group from the same nation, community, or ethnic group. For references to groups of a specific or general number, either people or persons may be used. As one person p puts it: 'You presume that there's a "real person" underneath all of us who's conjuring up "imaginary friends". (A bit silly, given the offense.). In cases when its capitalized, it is often due to the fact that it refers not to people in general but to specific, distinct communities. have long been at war. We know of no rules covering this area, and the use of the word say in that context seems fairly common. People vs. In fact, the English language, like most languages, has always found a way to distinguish between the singular and plural forms of its second person pronoun. In this article, well address the frequently asked questions surrounding persons, people, and peoples, including: Both persons and people can be used as plural forms of person. - Did we make a mistake? Ive loved the English language, reading, and writing for as long as I can remember, and I dreamed of becoming a writer from the time I was in elementary school. The plurals of last names are just like the plurals of most nouns. I always use a sign states something. It is helpful because nothing is collective where the law is concerned; individuals are prosecuted, not groups. As an irregular noun that is already plural, the possessive would be formed by adding s: peoples. is only used to refer to distinct ethnic groups, oftentimes within the same region. I would say that these. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Why does people have its own plural? Persons considered as a place to hide things He was arrested for having a gun The most common plural of "person" is "people." If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love. Speaking of plurals what is the pluralization rule of words like cactus, walrus and platypus. If I am using the phrase other peoples identities should I say rather, other persons identities? [New York Times], Between 1980 and 2002, 16,556 refugees and displaced persons were resettled in New Zealand under the Refugee Quota Programme. One could say one person or fifty person and although the syntax would sound irregular, the listener or reader would none the less grasp the meaning. should be reserved for instances where you are referring to more than one distinct ethnic group. The Bottom Line Persons, People or Peoples? That universal chearfulness which is the lot of some people, persons that you and I may envy at the same time that we despise, is all worth all that either fortune or nature can bestow.William Shenstone, Works, Letter, 27 Feb. 1753. Bernstein says, Folks is a casualism not suitable for general straightforward writing. Bremner calls it deliberately folksy and corny in formal speech and writing. But judging by its growing popularity and acceptance in this informal age, folks will probably be synonymous with people in another ten years. Both of the wordspeopleandpersoncome from Latin, but they are each derived from different Latin words. (I saw many sources that say that the plural form of person is people while it is persons). You will get everything from one compe tent contact person who will also be at your disposal for any further questions which may arise. When persons is used in this way outside of legal texts, it has historically been regarded as overly formal or stiltedit wouldnt be natural to say I invited 10 persons to the party, for example. Sixty people came to my Harry Potter costume party. All Rights Reserved. and George Crabb, English Synonyms Explained, 1818. During my college years, I spent time refining my writing skills in both languages before making the decision to write full-time in 2020. Additionally: Public notices issued by a government entity as part of a legal proceeding are written in a very formal manner that includes legalese, so the word persons is often included. Persons vs. People vs. Peoples: Which Word Is The Right Choice? Is It St. But it is not clear to me if according this dictionary it is supposed to be used the same as the word people in context of law, or it is used differently. is only acceptable in legal contexts. January 26, 2021. Person(andpersons) appeared in English around the same time aspeople, and wasa preferred way to refer to more than one person for centuries. Not really, but simple explanations arent all theyre cracked up to be, so keep reading. (Equally acceptable.). This sense is always pluralised as "persons", even when found in non-legal and non-official contexts (though its plural is relatively rarely needed outside of such contexts). In the South, you is singular and yall is plural. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 7. Persons is archaic, and it is safe to avoid using it, except in legal writing, which has its own traditional language. So we might estimate that a hundred people were there. Many traditionalists continue to feel that the plural pronoun their is not grammatically correct when it refers to a singular noun, in this case person. (Also see our recent post Singular They Part II.) We prefer to reword the sentence to Shoplifting can leave people with records and affect their lives. The Chicago Manual of Style offers nine techniques for achieving gender neutrality: 1. The wording for such cases is The People versus (v.) Defendant Last Name. People is a plural noun. More people Your email address will not be published. People should always be used when a collective noun referring to the entirety of a group or nation (i.e., "the French People") is called for. For example, groups of people are not prosecuted; individuals are. 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">, Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes, Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. The Word Nerd: Six Pitfalls Writers (and Others) Should Avoid, https://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/What-is-the-difference-between-people-and-peoples-. 2. Is person in this sentence plural? Get grammar tips, writing tricks, and more from Thesaurus.com right in your inbox! The Israeli and Palestinian peoples Bitte laden Sie die Seite neu, um sie der neuen Gre anzupassen. The peoples People vs. persons as plurals. In this context, the word people is being used as a collective singular noun rather than the plural form of person. a : a human being. Writing people is fine in your sentences. But the tide of opinion has shifted enough that you should feel comfortable using people in most cases where you have a choice. People vs. Meanwhile. Notice that legal and very formal texts still use persons as the plural form. (Excuse any mistake. contact lens. Capitalization is increasingly used as a form of respect and distinction for terms that relate to identity. The short answer when comparing has vs. have is that has is used with the third person singular. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! Persons tends to still be found in some formalized settings, such as legal writing, or when a writer wishes to appear extra fancy. Use of the word persons to describe a small group of people is a matter of style and preference. People is generally the correct term to use when referring to more than one person but there are a few important exceptions when you should use persons instead. , which means the people in the sense of a group from the same nation, community, or ethnic group. Cactus and platypus can be pluralized like Cacti and platypi but walri is incorrect. Have is used with the first and second person singular and plural and the third person plural. Some legal expressions, such as, , reflect this grammatical preference. You may want to review our Rules for Writing Numbers to help you decide when to spell out numbers and when to use numerals. The plural of person is usually people except in formal or legal contexts, where the plural is often persons. Answer: one people.. But there are a number of nuanced aspects to their use, including those related to legal language, personal identity, and decisions about whether to emphasize individuals or groups. It comes from the Latin populus and Anglo-French peple, meaning a population of humans, and appeared in English in the 14th Century. I saw a person standing on the dock. All rights reserved. Some nouns derived from Latin replace -us with -i to form the plural. the point of contact between the bat and the ball [=the point where the bat and ball touch each other] a disease that is spread by sexual contact. Past perfect simple or past perfect continuous? Both are correct, and people has overtaken persons for general situations. Usually, youll see persons in more formal contexts, especially in legal and technical text, as well as a few other situations. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Why xargs does not process the last argument? The plural of this sense of people is peoples, and its often used in terms like Indigenous Peoples (in which its often capitalized since it refers to specific communities). In the first sentence of this paragraph, the pronouns appear in bold text. I assume this is just part of a sentence, as you have no main verb. When you refer to the people of a single ethnic group or nationality, always use the word people. But the popularity ofpeopleeventually won out. Learn how to use each word. Use of the word persons to describe a small group of people is a matter of style and preference. Cactuses, platypuses, and walruses are correct plural forms. 'Contact person' is a little more explicit, and a little less casual. Over the time, however, many writers started to adopt people as the plural form of person, and nowadays it is widely accepted. Patricks Day? People vs. persons. Outside of the phrase on X's person, people is the plural form and should be used. ("On/about your person" formal "in a pocket, bag, or something else that you are holding".). came dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, but the rest of the people Knowing when to use "persons," "people," or "peoples" can be confusing, especially with regard to things like identity. : Underline? Patricks Day Or St. came dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, but the rest of the people [Daily Mail]. Example sentence: Several people in the baggage claim area are holdings signs saying Smith Family or Harrington.'. They typically get formed by adding -s. Except, that is, if the name already ends in s or z. "Persons" is also the plural of a specific sense of the word "person". Person, Persons, People, Peoples Person and people both derive from Latin, but from different words. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has several open missing persons cases. So far as I know, there is no numerical rule of when to use yall vs. all yall. Yes, you is singular and yall is plural, but all yall is meant to include an entire group, whereas yall would be a portion (assuming a large group. There are few instances where youd use all yall, but I suppose one would be if youre at a meeting of say ten people and youre talking to two friends. People should always be used when a collective noun referring to the entirety of a group or nation (i.e., "the French People") is called for. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. "Persons" is also the plural of a specific sense of the word "person". So basically, both person and people can be used as singular nouns, people can be used as a plural noun and persons and peoples are also acceptable plural forms. This is especially the case in situations when you want to talk about individuals within a group, rather than the group as a whole. Were Vs. Were: Were Here To Explain The Difference, Freshmen Or Freshman: When To Use Each One. who retain our services will be charged a monthly fee. The following examples are considered acceptable as well: The wordpersonsis used regularly in the legal world, including law enforcement. linkperson. Which was the first Sci-Fi story to predict obnoxious "robo calls"? Person came from persona, which first meant mask, like that worn by an actor, but eventually came to mean an individual human. People, on the other hand, came from populus, which means the people in the sense of a group from the same nation, community, or ethnic group. Ich glaub ich nehm den plural von persons jetzt mal, bis mir jemand ausdruecklich sagt dass das nicht geht. Why xargs does not process the last argument? How to choose between two words that seem to mean the same thing, Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. Use the neutral singular pronoun one: an actor in New York is likely to earn more than he is in Paducah becomes an actor in New York is likely to earn more than one in Paducah. We, us, our, and ourselves are all first-person pronouns. However, these grammatical rules never became standard. In most cases, is the correct term to use as a plural for the word. is also used to refer to humans on an individual basis, rather than a collective basis. The usual plural form of person is people (not persons), and this is used in all ordinary contexts. outside of legal contexts can sound unnecessarily affected. There are two persons Yes. Such a group is sometimes referred to as a system, though many plural groups use different terminology . Short sci-fi story where a functionary goes to a planet to try to establish contact with . In legal and bureaucratic documents "persons" is the usual plural in all meanings.