people
part of speech
noun (person, people; «peoples» = nations; formal: persons)
meaning for a pupil
1) People means more than one person: men, women and children. tree →
2) People means persons in general, everyone. tree →
3) A people (peoples) is a nation or a group with its own language and ways. tree →
4) (casual) «People» can mean your family or friends: «my people», «good people»; «peeps» is slang for people or friends. tree →
5) (rude) «Some people!» complains about someone without naming them; «people like you» can be an insult. tree →
6) (formal) Notices and exams say «persons», «individuals», «occupants», «attendees», «passengers» and «members of the public». tree →
sense in the lessons
persons counted on a bus, at a party, in a family or a group; in social studies, the peoples of the world; phrases «a lot of people», «most people», «young people», «people say», «people person»; in casual talk «peeps», «my people», «loads of people», «like 30 people»; in rough talk «some people, honestly», «people like you never pay»; in the exam voice «persons», «occupants», «a maximum of 40 persons», «individuals in attendance»
examples
- There were 25 people at the party. tree →
- 12 people got off the bus. tree →
- Each person gets 2 slices. tree →
- How many people are there in all? tree →
- Most people sleep at night. tree →
- The bus can carry 40 people. tree →
- Many peoples live in Africa. tree →
- People say the old house is haunted. tree →
- Like 30 people turned up, mad! tree →
- Some people, honestly, he took 3 seats on the bus. tree →
- The lift is licensed to carry a maximum of 8 persons. Determine the number of journeys required for 20 persons. tree →
- My peeps are coming over, we're 6. tree →
- The peoples who tell the stories differ in colour; language, religion, and almost everything else; but they all love a nursery tale. tree →
note
A thing counted; the plural of «person». «each person gets N» gives a rate. Trap: people may be split into groups (adults, children) to add. «People» takes a plural verb: «people are», not «people is». «persons», «individuals» and «occupants» in notices and exams also mean people. «like 30 people» in talk means about 30.
In the corpora
- Shops, hospitals, buses and factories need people at all hours, so their workers follow a rota that can change every week.
- Some people go to work ill because they can't afford to lose the pay, which spreads germs to everyone else.
- At the other end of working life comes retirement, when people stop paid work for good.
- A job interview is a meeting where an employer asks questions to decide whom to hire; several people usually compete for one job.
- Some retired people miss the routine, their workmates and the feeling of being useful.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «people» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.