The words people and persons can both be used as the plural of person, but they are not used in exactly the same way. People is by far the more common of the two words and is used in most ordinary contexts: “a group of people”; “there were only about ten people“; “several thousand people have been rehoused”.
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Can we say 2 persons?
Both are correct, but “two persons” is a little stilted in most situations. There was a period in the late 20th century in the UK where people in official positions would use “person” and “persons” rather than “people” because it seems both more distanced and less general.
Can you say persons?
“When we say persons,” says Wilson Follett’s Modern American Usage, “we are thinking, or ought to be, of ones—individuals with identities; whereas when we say people we should mean a large group, an indefinite and anonymous mass.” The traditional rule is that persons is used for either an exact or a small number.
Can we say three persons?
There is confusion about the best way to describe more than one person. It often feels better to speak of “three people” rather than “three persons”, but this suggests that people is the plural of person.
Can we say 4 people?
Is it correct to say that there are four people, or are there some people? Hi, Both of these are correct. However, if you want to be specific, you can say- “there are four people”, and if the number of people doesn’t matter, then saying “there are some people” will also do.
Is persons a correct grammar?
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
What are the 3 persons in English?
English has three persons (first, second, and third).
Can persons be plural?
The plural of person should be people in the vast majority of contexts, although legalese uses the plural persons. Peoples should be reserved for instances where you are referring to more than one distinct ethnic group.
What is another way to say many people?
Crowd, multitude, swarm, throng refer to large numbers of people.
Is person singular or plural?
Person is a singular noun. We use it to refer to any human being. Diana is a very emotional person. Even though it’s the plural of person, persons is rarely used.
What are the three persons?
Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God.
Is person countable or uncountable?
The word ‘person’ describes either one man, woman, or child. It is a singular countable noun, and has two plural forms. These are ‘people’ (most commonly used) and ‘persons’ (usually used in official circumstances).
What is the plural form of people?
The plural form people is more common. That’s because it can be used in any context to refer to multiple individuals—one person, two people (or 100 people or 8 billion people, etc.). Usually, you’ll see persons in more formal contexts, especially in legal and technical text, as well as a few other situations.
How do you use the word persons?
English grammar dictates that “people” is generally a collective noun and “persons” is generally a plural noun, with the latter appearing primarily in formal situations, such as in legal work. Collective nouns are terms that describe a number of individuals as a unit; examples include choir, committee, and jury.
Why do legal documents say persons?
Use ‘Persons’ With Law Enforcement
The phrase persons of interest refers to individuals whom law enforcement believes may be involved with a crime. Assuming they have not been arrested or charged, such individuals are referred to as persons of interest, not people of interest.
How many persons are in grammar?
three grammatical persons
There are three grammatical persons in English: 1) First person.
What are the examples of persons?
How “Person” Relates to the Personal Pronouns
| Person | Subjective Case | Possessive Determiner |
|---|---|---|
| First Person Singular | I | my |
| Second Person Singular | you | your |
| Third Person Singular | he/she/it | his/her/its |
| First Person Plural | we | our |
What is 4th person?
fourth person (uncountable) (grammar) A variety of the third person sometimes used for indefinite referents, such as one, as in one shouldn’t do that. (linguistics) grammatical person in some languages distinct from first, second, and third persons, semantically translated by one of them in English.
Which is correct people or people?
When it comes to choosing persons, people or peoples, in the vast majority of cases, the correct plural of person is people. In legal contexts, the plural persons is used. When referring to more than one distinct ethnic group, use the word peoples.
What does it mean to call someone plural?
The most simplified definition of the term plural that includes all people who take the label is “someone who shares the same physical body with other individuals.” Such a group is sometimes referred to as a system, though many plural groups use different terminology.
Is or are many people?
While people IS a collective noun the modifier “many” makes the point of plurality, so the verb used would be “are” not “is”. There are many people is correct.