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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Plural
Plural
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marcella8161
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Plural
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Hi! I �d like to know if PERSONS is the plural of PERSON or if PEOPLE it is still the correct plural. Maybe both are correct now, but I �d like to know it for sure because I �d like to teach in a correct way to my students. Thanks a lot and thanks for the marvellous worksheet and other things I see here! |
28 Jan 2011
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Stephaniee
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The plural of person is both persons and people. Peoples is used to
denote a specific group of people by their common ethnicity, religion,
geographic region, common interest, etc.
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28 Jan 2011
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dermo
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People vs Persons
person (singular) has two plurals: people and persons
people is much more usual and friendlier than persons
I went on the trip with five other people.
persons is usually used in official circumstances, exactly like your elevator example
This must not be shown to any unauthorized persons.
Person is a countable noun. It has two plural forms: persons and people.
--
Now, without wishing to "muddy the waters", the word people can also be singular, but then it has a different meaning:
- the men, women and children of a particular country or ethnic group
The Chinese are a great people.
But this people is also countable, and the plural is peoples:
This article is about the indigenous peoples of the Americas. |
28 Jan 2011
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almaz
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It �s quite astonishing that, until relatively recently (1984 according to M-WDEU), some people would be horrified at even the slightest suggestion that people could possibly be used in place of persons when preceded by a modifier or specific number. Many people - aaarghhh! Seven people - double aaaarghhhh!
All this, despite the fact that this usage has been around since Chaucer �s time.
By the way, I �ve always thought it a bit dodgy to say that people is a plural of person. They �re different words with different roots, although it �s more of an acceptable option than the more formal and slightly stuffy persons. I believe the term is �suppletive � (they �re linked semantically but not etymologically). Actually, looked at this way, I suppose it is a perfectly natural plural of person.
@dermo, whose �elevator example �? |
28 Jan 2011
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almaz
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Oops, rumbled... |
28 Jan 2011
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almaz
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Oops, rumbled... |
28 Jan 2011
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