Revised as of
15 Dec 2022
C’mon people, let’s get together as persons and figure out the differences (and similarities) between people versus persons.
People
People, a plural collective noun that uses a plural verb and/or a plural pronoun, is the plural for person and is used in ordinary contexts for a large group, as an indefinite and anonymous mass:
- There were a group of people standing outside.
- There were only about ten people.
- Several thousand people have been rehoused.
- I’d estimate that a few hundred people were there.
- People are always looking for a bargain.
- The people have made their choice.
- This people share characteristics with certain inhabitants of central Asia.
NOTE: English usage is cyclical, and at one time, people was not preceded by a number. Now it’s standard usage, i.e., “Fewer than 30 people showed up”.
Then There are Peoples
Just to help confuse things, there is also peoples, used when referring to an entire body of men, women, and/or children who constitute a community or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, ethnicity, etc. And even though it’s a plural of a plural noun, you use it with a singular verb and/or a singular pronoun.
- These peoples share characteristics with certain inhabitants of central Asia.
- The aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere speak many different languages.
- The peoples of the world practice a wide variety of religions.
The Possessive People
People is already a plural, in most respects. Adding the ‘s makes it possessive, i.e., people’s.
- Mayor Johnson is the people’s choice.
- Black Friday is evidence of the people’s desire for a bargain.
The only time you would use peoples’ (or peoples’s) is if you were collectively referring to two or more ethnic groups, tribes, or cultures of a particular region.
- In that vast country, the indigenous peoples’ rights were routinely violated.
- Indigenous peoples’ rights and identities should be recognized by existing political orders.
- There is a resistance to the idea of document Indigenous peoples’ DNA as a way of documenting the history of human evolution.
Person
Person, a singular noun, is preferred for legal references, when posting notices or rules, referring to any individual human being, even though it’s not very friendly sounding, to indicate an exact or small number, or in very formal texts:
- Any person found trespassing will be shot.
- Keep all valuables on your person.
- Individuals with drugs or drug paraphernalia found on their person are subject to arrest.
- An individual is a person in their own right.
There is a plural persons as well, which, while considered archaic, is used in official, formal, or legal contexts or when referring to individuals with identities:
- This vehicle is authorized to carry twenty persons.
- No persons admitted without a pass.
- There are options for three and more persons.
- Elevators carry signs saying, “Occupancy by more than eight persons is unlawful.”
- The Department of Justice has a database called the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
- The number should not be disclosed to any unauthorized persons.
- Ninety-eight persons were there.
- persons of interest
- missing persons
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| People | Person |
|---|---|
Turkish People in Belgium is BritishTurk‘s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Missing Person: Samuel Boehlke is courtesy of NPS and is in the public domain, via the National Park Service. — This is actually a true missing person. Samuel was eight years old when he went missing from Crater Lake National Park on 14 October 2006. His information is also listed on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children‘s website. The Tip Line number is 888.653.0009. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun, plural; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: peoples Third person present verb: peoples (as a distinct ethnic group) |
Combining form as -person; Noun Plural for the noun:
|
| Noun, plural: Human beings in general or considered collectively
[peoples; treated as singular or plural] The men, women, and children of a particular nation, community, or ethnic group
Men and women who are involved in a particular type of work [one’s people] The supporters or employees of a person in a position of power or authority
Used in the possessive in Communist or left-wing countries to indicate that an institution operates under the control of or for the benefit of the people, especially under Communist leadership Animals of a specified kind Verb, transitive:
|
Combining form: Used as a neutral alternative to -man in nouns denoting professional status, a position of authority, etc. Noun:
[Grammar] A category used in the classification of pronouns, possessive determiners, and verb forms, according to whether they indicate the speaker (first person), the addressee (second person), or a third party (third person) [Christian theology] Each of the three modes of being of God, namely the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, who together constitute the Trinity |
| Examples: | |
| Noun, plural: People will think you’ve gone nuts. The earthquake killed 30,000 people. What will people think? His economic reforms no longer have the support of the people. He is very much a man of the people. The pretrial statements have been made by the People’s witnesses. Twenty people volunteered to help. The native peoples of North America continue to be treated badly. The people of our parish are always willing to help. Educated people should know better. We’ll have to get the people at the city council to look at these plans. Most of her friends are media people. I’ve had my people watching the house for some time now. My people live in West Virginia. This is now the people’s republic with the people’s army. They had discovered the monkey people of the forest. Verb, transitive: The street is peopled with ragamuffin hippies. It was his intention to people the town with English colonists. The meadow was peopled with flowers. |
Combining form: Madame Chairperson, may I have the floor? They are the lousiest, pushiest salespersons . . .! He’s a sportsperson all right. He’s loves it all. Noun: She is a person of astonishing energy. The entrance fee is $10.00 per person. She’s not a cat person. His previous role was in the person of a fallible cop. I have publicity photographs on my person at all times. She was checking out whose hat this was. He had to pick up his welfare check in person. Trouble arrived in the person of a short, mustached Berliner. Christianity’s God is a very personal God who exists in three persons as the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: peopleless, underpeopled Noun: peoplehood, peopler Verb, transitive: outpeople, outpeopled, outpeopling |
Adjective: person-to-person, personable, personal, personalistic Adverb: person-to-person, personably, personally Noun: personable, personableness, personage, personalism, personalist, personalization, personhood Verb, transitive: personalize, personate |
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English, from the Anglo-Norman French poeple, from the Latin populus meaning populace. | Middle English from the Old French persone, from the Latin persona meaning actor’s mask, character in a play, later human being. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for People versus Persons
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionary: people
“Definition of Indigenous Peoples.” Arctic Centre.org. University of Lapland. n.d. Web. 2 June 2020. <https://www.arcticcentre.org/EN/arcticregion/Arctic-Indigenous-Peoples/Definitions>.
Dictionary.com: people
Follett, Wilson.Modern American Usage. Hill and Wang, 1998. <https://amzn.to/3BzQw75>. Print.
“People, Persons.” GrammarBook.com. n.d. Web. 2 June 2020. <https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/people-persons.asp>.
Traffis, Catherine. “Persons vs. People vs. Peoples—What’s the Difference?” Grammarly. n.d. Web. 2 June 2020. <https://www.grammarly.com/blog/persons-people-peoples>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Princess Diana Memorial Postal Souvenir Sheet, issued by Zambia, Scott Stamp Catalog No. 708, Diana — Princess of Wales, 1961-1997 by Joe Haupt is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
