And when would they be used properly?
I grew up using only “people” then I feel like one day the words “persons” started to get used in society and I don’t know why or when to use it.
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“persons” is a little more formal than “people”. Unlike “people”, it must also be specific (e.g. you can substitute “these people” with “these persons”, but you can’t substitute “people like me” with “persons like me”). Finally, “people” can be used as a singular (“the people of madagascar”), but “persons” can’t.
From my understanding, persons is more for multiple individuals. People refers more to an actual group. This distinction may or may not matter.
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When in doubt, use “people”. “Persons” is only used in a few specific legal/technical contexts, and even then you’re generally fine to say “people” unless you’re a professional in the relevant field.
I was always taught that the plural of person is people. “Persons” just seems… I don’t know what the right word is other than _wrong_.
I think people is a bunch of “person” in the same place, but “Persons” differentiates between different people when you wanna. Like a school of fish or a sea of fishes.
So persons would be referring to multiple individual but separate “people” (a building full of black people, white people and Asian people, and it’s important to differentiate)
Person = (single) individual
Persons = (plural) individuals (The police have identified six persons of interest)
People = (single) a group or population of individuals (We, the people of these United States,…)
Peoples = (plural) many groups or populations (The Israeli and Palestinian peoples have long been at war.)
Like they’re waiting for your guard to fall
So they can see it all and you’re so
Occupied with what other [persons](https://youtu.be/eZ7MFTBjJS8) are
Occupied with and vice versa
I’ve used “people” when I didn’t know who they were and “persons” when I knew a majority by name.
Well when I started learning English, I bought an English-English dictionary. “People” is “persons” according to the dictionary.
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