Speaking of things bothing people... 4

[grande]

It's always bothered me how the carpool lanes have signs that say "2 Or More Persons." Shouldn't it be "2 Or More People?"

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Just call me Captain Awesome.

 

[CajunCenturion]

There is nothing wrong with '2 or More Persons', in fact, some would argue that it's the only option.

Since 'people' is a singular collective noun in its own right, with its own plural, it should not be used as the plural of persons when referring to a specific number of individuals. One person. Two persons. Several people.

Etymologically speaking, since people and person have two entirely different roots, there is no foundation for people to be the plural of person. As you would expect, there was a time when people was never used as the plural of person, but today, obviously that is no longer the case. The word 'people' is evolving on two fronts, both in itself as a plural collective, and as plural form of persons. Of course, it continues to retain its own plural form - peoples.

For the reasons stated, I prefer '2 or more persons'.

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[CorBlimeyLimey]

I would have to go with "Persons", but only because (in this context) you can't have one "People".

MERRY CHRISTMAS
(Unabashedly Politically Incorrect)

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I'd just like to take a second to say how effing awesome CC is.

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[columb]

Off topic but can I second anotherhiggins appreciation of CC for his (her?) input to this forum.

Happy Christmas everybody - and here's hoping your pager doesn't go on the 25th!

Columb Healy

 

[JediBMC]

I like CC so much, I gave (him/her) a star! ;-)

-Brian-
I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV.

 

[SilentAiche]

My merry compliments to Cajun, too (am I "thirding" Higgins? I've lost count!)

Professor JohnCajunCenturion, Dude Supreme, what the ding-dang (my apologies for using a technical term in this forum) is an English expert doing in the IT field????

Do you realize that somewhere out there, because you have "double-dipped" in the expertise field, there's an IT person trying to shade every other line of a sonnet or an English expert trying to decide if the sum of Columns A and B is possessive??

If'n it were me, eye'd fill gilty. Yule see ([green]secret Christmas reference, he he[/green]).

Seriously, John (CC), you have taught much to many, and thanks for hosting this forum and tolerating idiots like myself's. We appreciate the sum of your efforts.

Best Wishes!
=(Tim, 0, -0)

[gray]lawd, I hope that formula don't mean anything in real life![/gray]

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[SantaMufasa]

Yep...And I gave John (CC) a star just for general purposes: including hosting this forum and bringing a pure appreciation for the English language to so many "Techno-Dudes" and "Dudettes".

May The Force and a "Un Año Prospero" continue to be with our Fearless (MAI) Leader !

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
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[chiph]

Hmmm. And I was just thinking that the highway department was being forward thinking -- anticipating the day when the Overlords from Dimension Zed land and take charge.



Chip H.


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[SantaMufasa]

<idle thought>After re-reading the subject of this thread, if a woman is "bothing" two men or if a man is "bothing" two women, is that a form of polygamy?</idle thought>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
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[Turkbear]

Hi,
Good catch Dave..I just noticed the thread's title had 'bothing' not 'bothering' as I assumed..Must be that old proofreader's bugaboo, seeing what you expect from the context, not what is actually there..
( When my wife edits text, she starts at the bottom of the page and works backwards so as not to let the context mislead her)









To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[CRilliterate]

notherhiggins wrote:I'd just like to take a second to say how effing awesome CC is.

And I want to add that every time I read CCs posts I am wondering if his head slightly larger then regular people's?
If not - where else all this knowlege lives? lol

 

[AnotherHiggins]

CRilliterate: Remember, it isn't the volume of the brain that matters, but the surface area.

So CC's brain probably is no larger than normal, just very wrinkly.

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[SamBones]

If "People" is more than one "Person", couldn't the sign on the lane say "People only"?

Brief and ambiguous! My kind of sign!

 

[AnotherHiggins]

->"People only"

What about dogs in the backseat?

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[SamBones]

To some of us, dogs are people too!

 

[Trevoke]

We are sorry, this lane is reserved for automotive vehicles containing two or more human passengers. You have been cleared for termination. We hope you and your dog, or whatever that non-human form of life is, can enjoy the rest of your now very short life."

Sometimes I think I should write books, but then I think no one would read them ;-)

"People only" doesn't really work, because 'people' would unmistakably think : "Hey, I'm people" ...

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"