Quote:
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Used as a plural people is a form with no exactly corresponding singular.
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I don't know who said that, but I have no trouble figuring it out. IMNSHO,
people is the plural of
person. One person, two people. Also,
people is not a substitute for
persons. Instead,
persons is used instead of
people in quasi-legal situations (as noted in the quotation). It is certainly true that it is an unusual plural, and that upsets some grammarians. Nevertheless, I don't think it is truly a mystery about what
people is a plural of. Ask 100 people and they will probably all say the same thing.
8)