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Is It People Is or People Are in English?

  • chesterexchange
  • Aug 19, 2019
  • 2 min read

Learning a language is exciting and challenging. For many, the exercise of translating from or into their mother tongue is a useful tool to help understand the meaning and to learn the language as well. However, even though this translation practice may be valid and is also considered a method of learning English, it is not without its difficulties. In many cases, things will not be said the same way in English as in your mother tongue.

If you have always had doubts about the correct conjugation of the verb to be with the noun people, maybe it is because you immediately translate it applying the conjugation rules of your native language. Since we know that this is a very common question for those who are learning English, in this article, we have decided to explain all of the necessary elements so that you no longer have any doubts. So, is it people is or people are? Let’s take a look!

Person, persons or people?

To understand in what contexts and how to correctly use the word people and to, therefore, know if it is accompanied by is or are, we will first need to do a quick review of the use of the words person, persons, and people.

Person is a singular noun used to refer to any human being.

Diana is a very emotional person.

Even though it is the plural of person, persons, contrary to what you may imagine, is used very little because it is very formal and is mostly used in legal contexts.

Persons with a foreign passport must hold a visa.

Finally, people is also the plural of person but is the word used most used when referring to a group of people.

The manager interviewed several people for the position.

Now, is it people is or people are?

Now, based on what we explained above, it will be easier to understand why people will always be accompanied by are.

In the first place, it is important to remember that, in English, there is no singular noun that refers to a group of human beings.

So, if people in English are plural, the conjugation of the verb to be that corresponds is are. It is that easy! Do not make it any more complicated for yourself! Simply remember, people are.

People are always happy when Friday comes.

People are usually aware of the rules.

It is important that you remember this rule because it will be very useful not only in this case but also for the past. People were, never people was.

The people were happy because it was a long weekend.

English grammar can sometimes be challenging but with sufficient interest and attention, you can safely master all of the grammatical rules and their special cases. You can get all the information from Best Online English Teacher in Livermore who can help you learn English Grammar very fastly and make you more efficient in communicating with others..


 
 
 

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