1. people表示“人”“人们”时,只用单数形式,但表示复数意义;作主语时谓语用复数。如:
People love having cats as pets. 人们喜欢把猫当作宠物。
These people have the choice of whether to buy a house or rent one. 这些人可以选择买房或租房。
Many people enjoy the pleasures and convenience of living in a city centre. 许多人喜欢住在市中心的乐趣和便利。
若要表示“一个人”,英语不能用 one people,可根据情况改用 one person, one man, one woman, one boy 等。
2. 表示“民族”时,为可数名词,其前可用不定冠词,也可有复数形式,有时甚至还可以与数词连用。如:
We Chinese are a hardworking people. 我们中国人是勤劳的人民。
Ireland was inhabited by two peoples. 爱尔兰居住着两个民族。
The English-speaking peoples share a common language. 讲英语的各民族拥有共同的语言。
也可与 few, many 等连用。如:
The human race is made up of many different peoples. 人类由许多不同的民族组成。
Few peoples in the world can boast (of) such an old civilization as ours. 世界上没有几个民族有像我国民族这样悠久的文化。
many people 许多人;很多人;好多人
some people 有些人;有人;一些人
other people 其他人
chinese people 中国人
young people n. 年 年轻人
most people 多数人
common people 大众,平民
old people 老年人;老人
number of people 人数
ordinary people 普通人,一般人