previous / next
person:
(plural: ‘persons‘, and, in some contexts, ‘people‘)
a decent person
a living human being; a man or woman;
{This word is used to refer to a living human being when the speaker does not know whether the human being is a man or a woman or the question of sex, i.e. the question of man or woman, is not important, e.g. “We need a person of importance to promote our cause.” And is often used in combination with another word to refer to a woman in a position that is traditionally held by a man, e.g. ‘chairperson’, ‘salesperson’, ‘spokesperson’, ‘layperson’, ‘draftsperson’, etc. However, in some contexts and less commonly, some speakers may use the words ‘salesperson’, ‘spokesperson’, ‘layperson’, etc. to refer to a man.}
a kind-looking person
e.g.
He is a person of great character. (i.e. a good man)
The bench is so short that only two persons can sit on it. (i.e. two men or two women or one man and one woman)
The salesperson at that shoe shop was very arrogant and refused to refund our money when we showed the damaged shoes she sold us. (i.e. a girl or woman who helps customers in a shop)
____________________
{Language Usage: When ‘people’ is used to refer to human beings — men, women and children — it is used as a plural noun/collective noun/group word. e.g. “There are several people walking about the park.”, “City people are supposed to be more intelligent than the country people.”
The word ‘person’ is used to refer to one human being, when the speaker is not certain whether the human being is a man or a woman, or when it is not important whether the human being is a man or woman, e.g. “Excuse me. This chair is for only one person; not for two persons.”
Therefore, according to this traditional grammar rule, using “people” in place of ‘persons’ is wrong, as in “The police questioned five persons.” but not “The police questioned five people.”
However, this rule is not often followed even by the most educated people, and so using ‘persons’ or ‘people’ is accepted!}
___________________
[For more on the usage of ‘person’, please visit: http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/people.htm.]
<<< Back to List P / Next personage >>>
<<< Back to main page
