Which sentence uses the word number correctly in reference to people?

Which sentence uses the word number correctly in reference to people?

• A. The amount of people reached seven billion.
• B. The number of people reached seven billion.
• C. The number of people reached seven and a half billion.
• D. The amount of people reached seven billion.

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is how we quantify people. People are countable, so we use a number, not an amount. The correct construction is “the number of people” followed by a verb that shows the population size, which is why the sentence reads that the number of people reached seven billion. This clearly communicates a count of individuals. Using the word amount with people isn’t appropriate because amount is for uncountable quantities, not for discrete items like people. The version that mentions seven and a half billion is grammatically okay, but in this context the straightforward phrasing with seven billion is the clearest and most standard way to express the milestone.

The key idea here is how we quantify people. People are countable, so we use a number, not an amount. The correct construction is “the number of people” followed by a verb that shows the population size, which is why the sentence reads that the number of people reached seven billion. This clearly communicates a count of individuals.

Using the word amount with people isn’t appropriate because amount is for uncountable quantities, not for discrete items like people.

The version that mentions seven and a half billion is grammatically okay, but in this context the straightforward phrasing with seven billion is the clearest and most standard way to express the milestone.