DIFFERENCE OF PERSON AND PEOPLE

[kittyhoang]

Hello everyone,

Please can you help me to explain the difference of PERSON and PEOPLE?
I learnt that person is for one man and people is for many men. But I see on the elevator, it is written 20 persons. I don't know why, can you help if it is wrong?

Kittyhoang

[Tukanja]

Kittyhoang, your question is pretty hard actually. It doesn't matter that as a fighter I am going to tell you my opinion.

The word person is a word which describe a one either woman, man or children.
The word person is a singular countable noun.

Plural of person is either the word people or sometimes persons.

I use the word people when refer to a lot of persons (which I don't know the number of or the number doesn't matter) for example for people who live in a city or in a country, people in general etc.

This people will not vote for him.
Move that people out of the road.
A lot of people all over the world will see the match. (A lot of persons wouldn't work here, sounds bad to me)

I think the word people as a noun is usually uncountable except we refer to a special group of people when it becomes countable noun.
These two stupid groups of people are going to atack each others.
These guys are known as a bad people. (all are the same (bad). there are no pesonalities which should be distinguished, emphasized)

When I know the exact number of the "persons" in the group then I use the word persons.
Then I say 10 persons, 15 persons.
These three persons are guilty for the train accident.

Up to 4 persons in the lift. OK for me.
But I wouldn't be surprised if saw ,'up to 4 people in the lift.', as well for the grammar allow use of both words in many cases, I think.

This wasn't easy to explain. Have I made a lot of mistakes I don't know.

[kittyhoang]

Hi Takanja,

I don't know if your explaination is correct or not. However it helps me so much. Thank you very much.

[Constance]

Hi Tukanja,

You mentioned an example: This people will not vote for him.

I have learnt in school that 'this' is for singular and 'these' is for plural.

Is 'this' a special usage in the above example?

[Josef]

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.

[kittyhoang]

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.

So that why I see "persons" on elevator. And I will not laugh at this. I thought there is a mistake there.

Thank teacher Josef.

[Josef]

Hi Tukanja,
You mentioned an example: This people will not vote for him.
I have learnt in school that 'this' is for singular and 'these' is for plural.
Is 'this' a special usage in the above example?

People is plural and T's examples must be:
These people will not vote for him.
Move those people out of the road.

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.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous ... e_Americas)

[dngipson]

That's how I learned it. "Persons" almost represents different groups of people. Almost like "people" have some sort of non-stated, underlying connection. It's rather spiritual and euphoric when you think about it that way.

"That was a large group of Chinese people."

"...to all persons regardless of race, color or creed!"

[Tukanja]

I am still behind what I said.

This people will not vote for him. (nation)

"people" here consists of stupid idiots only. No differences between them.
(People in Norway would vote for him. People in Sweden would do the same. But here this people won't.)

That's what I meant.

The sentence describes the whole group I mentioned.
They are all so stupid that will not vor for him but a criminal as they do for decades here.
Using the word people like a true plural of a person I would say
These people will make the bridge. (I respect all of them personaly)

but

potato can be countable and uncountable noun.
people could be the same.
This people I see as a mashed potato in a dish.
Either personaly or together they are a food for the politicians.
So it is a mashed potato, nothing else.

No any personality to distinguish.
Then it is an ucountable noun.

(my English )

[Tukanja]

Hi Takanja,

I don't know if your explaination is correct or not. However it helps me so much. Thank you very much.

Whether my explanations are either helpfull, correct or with no any means of the mentioned, using English as much as I can helps me improving my level (in the language) too.

If you are willing to wait just a few decades I'll write a novel in the language and send it to you with my autograph.