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 #2 (permalink) Sun May 28, 2006 21:22 pm People.countable or uncountable? |
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The word "people" is countable AND plural.
"There are 18 people visiting english-test.net at the moment."
If there is only one, then you should say "person".
"Curleyes is the person who asked this question."
Amy |
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Yankee
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| #3 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 5:17 am People.countable or uncountable? |
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Dear Amy
When do we say A PEOPLE ?
Tom |
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Tom
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| #4 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 6:05 am People.countable or uncountable? |
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Good point, Tom.
Why don't you have a go at the explanation? 
Amy |
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Yankee
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| #5 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 7:51 am People.countable or uncountable? |
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We cannot say "a people". It's a great mistake. Just in addition to Amy's excellent explanation, I want to detalize that people is a collective noun (singular in form but plural in meaning). It may be also called as a noun of multitude. NB: When the subject of the sentence is a noun of multitude the verb used as predicate is in the plural: The weather was warm and the people were sitting at their doors.
Also make a note that if we're not implying a number of men or women (people) but nations, we must use "peoples". |
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 Pamela
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| #6 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 8:05 am People |
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Hi Pamela,
You said:
| Quote: |
| We cannot say "a people". It's a great mistake. |
Don't forget that people has another use apart from being a substitute for that awful word persons and that's when a people is used to mean the members of a race or nation. In that use it can also take an 's' to denote plural as in: the peoples of the world
Alan
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You can read my ESL story 'the' vs. 'a/an' |
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Alan
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| #7 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 8:10 am People.countable or uncountable? |
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I see,Alan.You mean that if we imply a single nation we can use "a people"?Frankly speakig,it sounds new for me  |
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Pamela
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| #8 (permalink) Mon May 29, 2006 10:17 am A people = a nation |
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Hi Pamela
Yes, Alan's explanation is absolutely correct. My answer only gave the typical (most usual) usage for the word "people" and Tom's question pointed out that I had left out another, less frequent usage.
Amy |
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Yankee
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| #9 (permalink) Wed Nov 12, 2008 18:23 pm People |
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What about ...
There were 20 persons
There were 20 people
Why did you say that "persons" is an awful word?
| Alan wrote: |
Hi Pamela,
You said:
| Quote: |
| We cannot say "a people"It's a great mistake |
Don't forget that people has another use apart from being a substitute for that awful word persons and that's when a people is used to mean the members of a race or nation. In that use it can also take an 's' to denote plura as in: the peoples of the wordl
Alan |
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Wham
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| #10 (permalink) Thu Nov 13, 2008 18:40 pm People: countable or uncountable? |
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In everyday converstaion, we say "people." "Persons" sounds like a police report.
There were 20 people. |
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Barb_D
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| #11 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:36 am confused: 20 people or 20 peoples |
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| I am really confused in using either 20 people or 20 peoples |
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Eris
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| #12 (permalink) Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:40 am People: countable or uncountable? |
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Hello Eris.
Use "20 people." It's already plural. |
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Barb_D
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| #13 (permalink) Mon Nov 24, 2008 0:49 am Which is correct? "people is" or " people are". |
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Hello all,
Please tell me whether I shoud say "people is" or " people are".
Many thanks.
Love. |
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Si2007
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| #14 (permalink) Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:20 am People: countable or uncountable? |
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The word "People" is plural so it needs the plural form of the verb.
People are... |
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Barb_D
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