I was wondering what the correct use of the word "persons" is, I was going to use it for a group of multiple people who suffer from the same condition but I was told it was incorrect usage of the word persons and that "people" would work better. I'm just curious what other people, other than google, think about what the correct way to use persons is.
Asked
Active
Viewed 33 times
0
-
Consulting a dictionary is a good starting point, and Merriam-Webster often has good usage information. It is largely a matter of style and opinion, according to that. – Stuart F Dec 04 '23 at 15:23
-
Grammarly advises all except lawyers to avoid using 'persons'. It's often archaic, as they say, and usually legalese / highly formal when not. It can be used in impersonally toned official forms / instructions ('Any adult who has come into contact with persons later testing positive for Covid will be informed by email'). – Edwin Ashworth Dec 04 '23 at 16:08
-
persons with disabilities is fine, for example. – Lambie Dec 04 '23 at 17:09
-
I've often seen signs in lifts (elevators) stating the maximum number of 'persons' allowed at one time; but looking online for examples of such signs, it seems that 'people' is used in new ones of that kind. – Kate Bunting Dec 04 '23 at 17:46
-
Yes, there is something odd about our use of 'person' and 'people': the former has restricted usage in the plural, while the latter has restricted usage in the singular (except, of course, that 'people' has a strange 'singulural' according to which the citizens of a country can constitute 'a people'. – Tuffy Dec 04 '23 at 17:56
-
I think that this is a duplicate of Correct usage of "persons" (vs. "people") and that it should be closed for that reason instead of for lack of research. – Sven Yargs Dec 05 '23 at 05:30