(This is considered acceptable because the persons individual costume choices are relevant to the sentences context. January 26, 2021. As one person p puts it: 'You presume that there's a "real person" underneath all of us who's conjuring up "imaginary friends". What differentiates living as mere roommates from living in a marriage-like relationship? Why xargs does not process the last argument? Persons is especially associated with its use in legal language, in which its often used rather than people to ensure clarity by emphasizing that the text is referring to multiple individuals, as opposed to a group as a whole, as in Occupancy is limited to 200 persons or Any person or persons found to be in violation of these rules shall be prohibited from participating. Can I general this code to draw a regular polyhedron? Definition And Examples. Thanks for writing. The Douglas County Police Department has seventeen open. 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. Then the plural is formed by adding -es. But the tide of opinion has shifted enough that you should feel comfortable using people in most cases where you have a choice. 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. Emmanuel Macron was elected by the people of France on May 7, 2017. In Merriam Webster dictionary for learners I saw that the plural form of person is used in context of law. There are a few legal expressions that reflect this grammatical preference, such as persons of interest and missing persons. Youll also see people use the word. And if your ear tells you that persons would work better, there are still enough writers who use this word that your choice will likely not be looked at askance. of interest being questioned for the murder of John Doe. Peoples refers to more than one group of people who live in the same geographical area, as in: Like persons, peoples has such a specific context that youre not likely to see it anywhere else. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. When referring to more than one distinct ethnic group, use the word peoples. 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. (Equally acceptable.). Each of the English personal pronouns shows us the grammatical person, gender, number, and case of the noun it replaces. The AP Stylebook flatly states The word people is preferred to persons in all plural uses. And The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage now also states Use people as the plural of person, although they add that persons may still be used in certain settings (letters to the editor, in untranslated texts, in direct quotations and in a few established idioms like displaced persons and missing persons bureau). is considered archaic, so unless youre doing some legal writing, its best to avoid it. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Please note: Contributions to LEO GmbH are not tax deductible. Ich glaub ich nehm den plural von persons jetzt mal, bis mir jemand ausdruecklich sagt dass das nicht geht. We know of no rules covering this area, and the use of the word say in that context seems fairly common. People is the plural form that most people are most comfortable with most of the time. Could a subterranean river or aquifer generate enough continuous momentum to power a waterwheel for the purpose of producing electricity? People denotes a group, an unspecified number of people, for example: The people in the area have been warned about the possible risks. Funny Toasts For Every Occasion (That Will Actually Get Laughs), Students Vs. Students: A Lesson On The Differences. No more than six persons enjoy another stunning sunset 'over' a glass of assyrtiko. For example, groups of people are not prosecuted; individuals are. Some people use persons in writing that is legal-sounding, but not strictly legal by definition, such as rules and public notices. Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI. the Smith clan the Smiths Jill and Sam Clarence the Clarences Mr. and Mrs. Jones the Joneses the Fernandez family the Fernandezes Person is a singular form, and its plural is persons. The noun person has two plurals: persons and people.Most people don't use persons, but the sticklers say there are times when we should."When we say persons," says Wilson Follett's Modern American Usage, "we are thinking, or ought to be, of onesindividuals with identities; whereas when we say people we should mean a large group, an indefinite and anonymous mass." "He was arrested for carrying a gun on his person without having a gun permit.". Knowing when to use "persons," "people," or "peoples" can be confusing, especially with regard to things like identity. , which first meant mask, like that worn by an actor, but eventually came to mean an individual human.. English Verb Conjugation: Person and Number. contact between: There has been no direct contact between the two sides in the dispute. Can someone explain why this point is giving me 8.3V? Is it peoples or peoples? Person, persons or people ? Persons. - English Grammar Today -una referencia de la gramtica del ingls hablado y escrito - Cambridge Dictionary When it comes to choosing persons, people or peoples, in the vast majority of cases, the correct plural of person is people. Would Shoplifting can leave a person with a record and affect their life not be correct, though, given the new ways to address gender? Ten persons came dressed as either Dumbledore or Snape, but the rest of the people were all Harry Potter. https://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/What-is-the-difference-between-people-and-peoples- People/peoples and people/peoples are correct. Those who retain our services will be charged a monthly fee. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. In this context, the word people is being used as a collective singular noun rather than the plural form of person. All rights reserved. A technicality: 'people' is a plural of 'person' only by the fiddle of, The reason for the legal usage is that 'persons' may include companies and the like (, What's the correct plural of person? In legal and bureaucratic documents "persons" is the usual plural in all meanings. She is a very nice/shy/interesting person. person, probably from Etruscan phersu mask, from Greek prospa, plural of prospon face, mask more at prosopopoeia. 2005 - Present. There are many instances in which this difference may be observed, often when the two words are side by side. 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. Avoid it completely in business contexts. can occupy the hot tub at any one time. To be verb conjugation. In modern English, people is the de facto plural of person. "More than one," although plural in meaning, always takes a singular verb. Choosing how to refer to people can also be informed by preferences around language thats person-first (as in person with autism) or identity-first (as in autistic person). Your writing, at its best This sense is the one used in phrases such as "carrying a weapon on one's person". is only used to refer to distinct ethnic groups, oftentimes within the same region. is only acceptable in legal contexts. #2. ph2004 said: Is the plural of "person" "people" ? Persons 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. [count] 1. However, since Merriam-Websters Learners Dictionary includes this definition of the word read: to show (words) for someone to read, the sentence could be written as: Several people in the baggage claim area are holding signs that read Smith Family or Harrington.. The plural of person is persons. When you refer to the people of a single ethnic group or nationality, always use the word. If youve used the wordpersonsoutside of a legal context, you can often replace it with the wordthose. Some legal expressions, such as persons of interest and missing persons, reflect this grammatical preference. [Daily Mail]. We, us, our, and ourselves are all first-person pronouns. Usually, youll see persons in more formal contexts, especially in legal and technical text, as well as a few other situations. Persons tends to still be found in some formalized settings, such as legal writing, or when a writer wishes to appear extra fancy. should recycle their paper to save trees. Never usepersonsin business settings. Speaking of plurals what is the pluralization rule of words like cactus, walrus and platypus. In practical terms, using peoples in this way can help to prevent erasure and homogenization of groups that are often lumped together in ways that obscure their specific, complex identities. [noncount] : the state or condition that exists when two people or things physically touch each other : a state of touching. We have spent some time in the South, and we are familiar with the Southern dialect you speak of. First person includes the speaker (English: I . Traditionalists regard folks with suspicion and contempt. relativas a su empresa y mucho ms. In Words on Words, John B. Bremner suggests fewer than fifty. Person and people both derive from Latin, but from different words. Spelled or Spelt: Whats the Right Spelling? I always use a sign states something. cases. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. of interest being questioned for the murder of John Doe. on his person without a permit. Both are fine. Using persons outside of legal contexts can sound unnecessarily affected. Repeat the noun: a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers, because her credibility will suffer becomes a writer should be careful not to needlessly antagonize readers, because the writers credibility will suffer. We only use it in rather legalistic contexts: [notice in a lift] Any person or persons found in possession of illegal substances will be prosecuted. linkperson. I assume this is just part of a sentence, as you have no main verb. I also wonder, though, if this is not a grammatical argument but a political one. Cactus and platypus can be pluralized like Cacti and platypi but walri is incorrect. outside of a legal context, you can often replace it with the word, . Write with Grammarly. 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. Peoples is only used in cases when it is necessary to distinguish between ethnic groups within the same geographical or cultural context. This usage emphasizes that youre talking about several different specific groups that share a commonality. A hotel chains website offers options for three and more persons. Elevators carry signs saying, Occupancy by more than eight persons is unlawful. The Department of Justice has a database called the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. More people What's the correct plural of person? If you're trying to figure out whether to use "persons" or "people" as the plural of "person," you're in the right place. cases. (This is considered equally acceptable.). - Did we make a mistake? 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.
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