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Yamaha Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Persons/People/Person
Hi,
When I was small I was taught that person is singular and its plural form is people.
Surely I have no problem with this.
When I grow up, I frequently see "persons" appears, especially in legal documents.
Another word which is similar is "money" and "monies".
Grateful if anybody could tell me the tricks here.
Thanks!
Yamaha
When I was small I was taught that person is singular and its plural form is people.
Surely I have no problem with this.
When I grow up, I frequently see "persons" appears, especially in legal documents.
Another word which is similar is "money" and "monies".
Grateful if anybody could tell me the tricks here.
Thanks!
Yamaha
Top answer
com. For more than one person we normally say "people". "Persons" is also correct, though it's very formal and only used in writing (rarely in speech) in such things as legal documents, as you say.
- com.
- For more than one person we normally say "people".
- "Persons" is also correct, though it's very formal and only used in writing (rarely in speech) in such things as legal documents, as you say.
- You'll also see it in public notices and disclaimers such as on buses where a prominent notice might say "This bus carries a maximum of 40 persons", or in a lift (elevator) "This lift carries a maximum of 10 persons".
- The reason is that "persons" conveys the precise meaning of a specific number of human beings, whereas "people" has the sense of human beings in general: "the people of the Amazon Rainforest" or the people of southern France".
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1 Answers
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Hello Yamaha - welcome to EnglishForward.com.
For more than one person we normally say "people". "Persons" is also correct, though it's very formal and only used in writing (rarely in speech) in such things as legal documents, as you say. You'll also see it in public notices and disclaimers such as on buses where a prominent notice might say "This bus carries a maximum of 40 persons", or
For more than one person we normally say "people". "Persons" is also correct, though it's very formal and only used in writing (rarely in speech) in such things as legal documents, as you say. You'll also see it in public notices and disclaimers such as on buses where a prominent notice might say "This bus carries a maximum of 40 persons", or
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