Passersby or Passerbys – Which is Correct?
Have you ever walked down a busy street and noticed a group of people passing by? If you have, you might have wondered, “Is it passersby or passer-bys? Which one is the right way to say it?” Well, fear not, my friend! I’m here to shed some light on this grammatical conundrum.
The correct term to use when referring to a group of people walking past you is “passersby.” Yes, you heard that right – passersby. It might sound a bit strange, but trust me, it’s the right way to go.
Now, you might be wondering why we use the word “passersby” instead of “passerbys.” Well, let me explain. In English, we use plural forms to describe more than one person, animal, or thing. When we add an “s” to a noun, it usually means that there is more than one. For example, we say “dogs” to refer to more than one dog or “cats” to talk about multiple cats.
In the case of “passersby,” “by” is not the plural form of “bye.” Instead, “by” is actually a preposition that indicates the direction of movement. It is used to describe someone who is passing by or walking past something or someone else. So, when we talk about multiple people passing by, we use the plural form of “passersby.”
To further illustrate this point, let me provide you with a few examples. Imagine you’re standing on a street corner, and a group of people walks past you. You could say:
– “I saw a lot of passersby on my way to work today.”
– “The passersby were in a hurry to catch their bus.”
– “The passersby stopped to take a look at the street performer.”
In each of these examples, “passersby” is used to describe multiple individuals who are walking past, emphasizing the collective nature of their action.
Now, you might argue, “But wait, couldn’t we just say ‘passer-bys’ instead?” Well, not quite. “Passer-bys” might sound like a plausible alternative, but it’s actually grammatically incorrect. When we want to form the plural of a compound noun like “passerby,” we typically add an “s” to the main noun rather than the modifier.
Think about it this way – if you saw a group of birds flying in the sky, you wouldn’t refer to them as “bird-flys,” would you? Of course not! You would use the plural form of “bird” and say “birds.” The same principle applies to “passerby.” We simply add an “s” to “by” and get “passersby.”
In conclusion, when it comes to describing multiple people walking past you, the correct term to use is “passersby.” Remember, it’s not “passerbys” or “passer-bys.” So, the next time you find yourself surrounded by a crowd of passersby, you can confidently describe their movement using the correct grammatical form. Happy English learning!