Timeline for Better Person vs Better Persons
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
20 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13, 2020 at 8:00 | vote | accept | VKBoy | ||
| S Dec 13, 2020 at 8:00 | history | bounty ended | VKBoy | ||
| S Dec 13, 2020 at 8:00 | history | notice removed | VKBoy | ||
| Dec 13, 2020 at 5:17 | comment | added | Jim Simson | Good luck with your issue. | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 5:16 | comment | added | VKBoy | @JimSimson But your betterment doesn't specify the field it requires betterment in. My issue was never about who 'others' were, or with just getting better at some random thing. It was about specificity, and your suggestion isn't including that. Hope you understand now. | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 5:12 | comment | added | Jim Simson | I think you should read my comment again. Start with, "Second..." | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 5:10 | comment | added | VKBoy | @JimSimson No. You've talked of the possibility of others being none other than humans. I, on the other hand, commented on being specific about what others could be better at. | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 4:57 | comment | added | Jim Simson | VKBoy, I think I've answered that, as has @John Lawler. | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 4:54 | comment | added | VKBoy | @JimSimson (Also to John Lawler) Without the word 'persons,' the sentence can mean many things, f the context isn't so obvious, right? A better father, better thief, better writer, etc. In such cases wouldn't 'persons' or 'person' be necessary? | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 3:16 | comment | added | John Lawler | He makes people want to be better. Why use persons, and why repeat it? Who else are you talking about? | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 2:15 | comment | added | Jim Simson | @VKBoy, that's a fair question, but no. First, if I say that you make others want to be better, "others" can only really mean other people. You wouldn't be making other squirrels want to be better. Second, by not specifying how the others would be better, the phrase conveys a betterment overall --A better person. | |
| Dec 13, 2020 at 1:55 | comment | added | VKBoy | @JimSimson But wouldn't 'persons' add specificity, though? Without it, wouldn't it be hard to guess unless the context obviously means it? | |
| Dec 12, 2020 at 16:35 | answer | added | fev | timeline score: 0 | |
| Dec 12, 2020 at 5:33 | comment | added | Jim Simson | In fact, I would steer clear of person as well. Is there anything wrong with: He makes others want to be better. | |
| Dec 12, 2020 at 5:28 | comment | added | Jim Simson | I would steer clear of persons. | |
| S Dec 12, 2020 at 5:14 | history | bounty started | VKBoy | ||
| S Dec 12, 2020 at 5:14 | history | notice added | VKBoy | Improve details | |
| Dec 10, 2020 at 9:11 | comment | added | Kate Bunting | People does not sound distant or impersonal - it's the word we normally use when referring to human beings in the plural. Persons is only used in certain formal contexts, for instance a notice stating how many may safely travel in a lift (elevator). | |
| Dec 10, 2020 at 5:32 | comment | added | Lawrence | Grammar is a low bar to cross. Both are grammatical. | |
| Dec 10, 2020 at 4:07 | history | asked | VKBoy | CC BY-SA 4.0 |