nouns - Correct usage of "persons" (vs. "people")


I had a little fight about persons vs. people.


Could you advise if both of the following are correct, if possible with reference to a dictionary?




  1. A table for two people please.

  2. A table for two persons please.



Besides that, how would you ask for a table in a restaurant?


I read http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/persons and Person, Persons, People, Peoples, but they didn't really solve the question if both are correct.


I also found the last paragraph of http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/person, which suggests that (1) is "more correct", but doesn't say (2) is wrong.



Answer



Generally, persons is a decent substitute for individuals, and appears more in legal contexts that demand precision.


People is the ordinary plural of person.


Asking for a table for two or a table for two people is better than asking for a table for two persons.


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