If I had a pound for every time I heard a non-native speaker say "
persons", I would be a very rich man.
The rule is simple: One PERSON - two or more PEOPLE.
There were lots of people on the train today.
How many people have seen our ad?
Only silly people would get this wrong!
"But", I hear you cry, "I have seen 'persons' used in English!"
That may be so. "Persons" is sometimes used as a plural of "person" in official or legal language, most commonly in legal documents like contracts. However, it should not be used in everyday language by you or me!
