Comments on: Folks versus People

By: Eric Brown

Eric Brown — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:29:05 +0000

You are all exposing your regional prejudices. The way George Bush uses the word “folk” is perfectly exceptable in much of the the South and the southern thirds of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Eric Brown

By: Dave Bishop

Dave Bishop — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:38:20 +0000

First, a question: Why do some use folk as plural?

Second, Al Qaeda, who attacked us on 9/11 do share a kinship with those responsible for the car bombings. Hence folks is precisely correct.
While we are discussing things, perhaps it might be wise to question what Jon Stewart’s real name is? Or why he thought he needed to change it.

By: Becky Williams

Becky Williams — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:29:10 +0000

Mr. Obama constantly uses the word “folks”. It rubs me the wrong way. It seems to me that he is using it as an insult, albeit a subtle one, by always referring to the citizenship of the country he ‘leads’ not as people, but the commoner folks.

By: Chris Wood

Chris Wood — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:17:04 +0000

Folks are always people, but people are not always folks. You never need to use the word folks, but you have to use the word people. You can say “follow me folks”, but you would never say there are 6 folks in a room.

By: Maeve

Maeve — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:53:28 +0000

Gaylon,
While “which” may be used only for nonhuman antecedents: “the house which is on the market” and never people “the man which walked through the door,” “that” may be used with either human or nonhuman antecedents. I usually use “who,” but I feel that it’s a stylistic choice. Sometimes “that” seems preferable to me.