People vs. Person

The English language can be confusing at times, and two commonly used words that often lead to mix-ups are ‘people’ and ‘person’. While they both refer to individuals, there are key differences in their usage.

History:

‘Person’ comes from the Latin word ‘persona’, which originally referred to a theatrical mask. It eventually evolved to mean an individual human being. ‘People’, on the other hand, has its roots in the Latin ‘populus’, which means a group or community of individuals.

How to Use:

– ‘Person’ is used to refer to an individual, one single human being.

– ‘People’ is used to refer to a group of individuals, more than one person.

Trick to Remember the Difference:

One way to remember the difference is that ‘person’ has the word ‘son’ in it, which can remind you that it refers to a single individual, like a single son in a family. ‘People’ has ‘peo’, which doesn’t mean anything but is a helpful visual cue that it refers to a group of individuals.

Examples – Person:

• She is a talented person and a great artist.
• Each person in the room has a unique perspective.
• The injured person was taken to the hospital.
• As a young person, he traveled around the world.
• Every person is entitled to their own opinion.

Examples – People:

• Many people attended the concert last night.
• The people of the town rallied together to support the local charity.
• These people are experts in their field.
• Young people often have idealistic views of the world.
• Do you know these people who live next door?

Summary:

In summary, ‘person’ refers to an individual, while ‘people’ refers to a group of individuals. Remember the trick of ‘son’ in ‘person’ for one individual, and ‘peo’ in ‘people’ for a group. By understanding the distinction between these two words, you can communicate more effectively in English.