Persons vs. People
2023-08-26
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1Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "persons" and "people."
2Hello,
3My name is Richard.
4I am from Uruguay.
5I would like to ask you about the differences between "persons" and "people."
6I learned that I have to use "people" as a plural of "person," however I saw that in English sometimes they write "persons" as a plural instead of "people."
7Thanks in advance,
8Richard
9Thank you for writing to us, Richard.
10This is a great question.
11Both words are the plural form of "person," but we use them in different situations.
12Let's explore each word further.
13A "person" is a noun meaning an individual human. "Person" is in the singular form.
14In English, we do have a plural form of that word, which is "persons."
15Although we do not use it much in everyday speech, the word "persons" is often used in law, especially when talking about "missing persons" or "persons of interest."
16Police said they are seeking three persons of interest possibly in connection with the robbery.
17Most often, we use the word "people" to mean multiple or a group of humans.
18It is the most common plural form of "person."
19The word is a countable noun.
20And, although "people" is defined as many humans, it is not a collective noun.
21Collective nouns describe many individuals who form a group.
22There were 50 people picking apples at the orchard.
23Susan enjoys being around a lot of people.
24We often use the word "people" when talking about one ethnic group or nationality.
25The Ukrainian people celebrate their independence day on August 24th.
26Sometimes you may see "peoples," with an "s."
27We use "peoples" when we are talking about different ethnic groups in the same area.
28The peoples of the Caucasus are spread over six countries and include more than 50 ethnic groups.
29Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Richard.
30Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
31And that's Ask a Teacher.
32I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "persons" and "people." 2Question: 3Hello, 4My name is Richard. I am from Uruguay. I would like to ask you about the differences between "persons" and "people." 5I learned that I have to use "people" as a plural of "person," however I saw that in English sometimes they write "persons" as a plural instead of "people." 6Thanks in advance, 7Richard 8Answer 9Thank you for writing to us, Richard. 10This is a great question. Both words are the plural form of "person," but we use them in different situations. Let's explore each word further. 11Persons 12A "person" is a noun meaning an individual human. "Person" is in the singular form. 13In English, we do have a plural form of that word, which is "persons." Although we do not use it much in everyday speech, the word "persons" is often used in law, especially when talking about "missing persons" or "persons of interest." 14Police said they are seeking three persons of interest possibly in connection with the robbery. 15People and Peoples 16Most often, we use the word "people" to mean multiple or a group of humans. It is the most common plural form of "person." The word is a countable noun. And, although "people" is defined as many humans, it is not a collective noun. Collective nouns describe many individuals who form a group. 17There were 50 people picking apples at the orchard. 18Susan enjoys being around a lot of people. 19We often use the word "people" when talking about one ethnic group or nationality. 20The Ukrainian people celebrate their independence day on August 24th. 21Sometimes you may see "peoples," with an "s." We use "peoples" when we are talking about different ethnic groups in the same area. 22The peoples of the Caucasus are spread over six countries and include more than 50 ethnic groups. 23Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Richard. 24Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 25And that's Ask a Teacher. 26I'm Faith Pirlo. 27Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 28_________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30orchard - n. an area of land on which fruit trees are grown 31Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you.