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Plural or singular? Which phrase is correct to say? 1. These/those people. 2. This/that people. As I understand this word should be used in plural form, but I saw on one site native English speaker said "that people". Is that grammatically correct?
Mar 27, 2015 8:47 PM
Answers · 6
5
99.99% of the time, when we use the word 'people', it is a plural noun. 'People' means men, women and children, in the plural. We tend to use as the plural form of 'person.' If you came across an situation in which a native speaker wrote 'that people', there are two explanations: 1. He or she could be using the word 'people', in the singular, to refer to a particular nation or ethnic group. For example, you can say 'The Aztecs were an ancient people who lived in Mexico'. In this sense, 'people' is singular. 2. It could be a mistake or typographical error.
March 27, 2015
You could say... Talking is something THAT PEOPLE do
March 27, 2015
Ozzie's inspired answer has given me another idea. Here's a third possibility: 3. The word 'that' isn't a demonstrative adjective at all. For example: 'I hope that people will buy this product'. In this sentence, the subordinate clause is simply 'people', and the 'that' is there to connect the two clauses. [I hope] [that] [people will buy this product].
March 28, 2015
No its not correct. you'd have to say that person, the singular of people, for it to make sense.
March 27, 2015
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