Can someone tell me about the different of people and person?

Question

It happened to me yesterday during work. A hostess wrote down a reservation card about "7 persons". And, a manager came up to me and said she was wrong about the "7 persons". I had no idea because the manager said that he learned it at school, teacher told him that person is only use as singular and people use as plural. And, the hostess said her major is English at Michigan University.

Answer 1

Perhaps in current "school English" the correct plural of "person" is "people," but language is flexible. If enough of us keep using "persons," then "persons" will become correct.

Wait, it already has! From the reference below:

"Some grammarians have insisted that people is a collective noun that should not be used as a substitute for persons when referring to a specific number of individuals. By this thinking, it is correct to say Six persons were arrested, not Six people were arrested. But people has always been used in such contexts, and almost no one makes the distinction anymore. Persons is still preferred in legal contexts, however, as in Vehicles containing fewer than three persons may not use the left lane during rush hours."

Answer 2

The manager is right.

One person, two people.

Like, you have one foot but two feet, right? One hand but two hands. Plural of person is people.

Obviously the hostess isn't educated yet, but the fact that she can get into a university and not know the difference between person and people is astonishing.