someone

[navi]

Do 1 and 2 mean the same:

1-I like people to be nice.
2-I like someone to be nice.

Do 3 and 4 mean the same:

3-I like a humourous side to people.
4-I like a humourous side to someone.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Navi

1. I like people to be nice.
2. I like someone to be nice.
3. I like a humorous side to people.
4. I like a humorous side to someone.

#1 is fine.

You do very occasionally hear the structure in #2 in conversation (in BrE, at least), where the context makes it clear that "someone" means "people" or "any particular person"; but it's very rare in written English. It might even seem nonsensical to many native speakers, as an isolated sentence.

#3 and #4 are possible, but again, very rare. An alternative (still very rare) might be:

3a. I like people to have a humorous side.

All the best,

MrP

[navi]

Thanks Mr. Pedantic,
This is truly amazing for me! To me 3 was acceptable but 2 and 4 were utter nonsense (if the intended meaning of 'someone' was 'people'). I truly couldn't have imagined that 'someone' could be at times be used to mean 'people' by some people.

I wonder if it is used that way in American English. If I am not mistaken it is and that usage might be even more widespread than it is in British English.

Thanks again.

[Mister Micawber]

.
As a representative of AmE, I second MrP's opinion on #1 and suggest that #3 may be reasonably common, and #2 and 4 may be slightly more common, relatively-- in casual use. The someone = people occurs reasonable frequently, I think; but then, in actual use, we may be dealing with a three-way equation-- someone = person = people-- which may obscure the point:

I like someone that enjoys the same things I do.
.

[navi]

Thanks a lot Mr. Micawber,

One more question here. Could one use 'something' in the same way?

A-I like something to be useful. (Meaning: I like things to be useful.)
B-I like a useful side to something. (Meaning: I like a useful side to things.)

[MrPedantic]

Hello Navi

Just as a footnote to my previous post, here are a few examples of the #2 structure from Google. They make me think that it is indeed commoner than I stated:

1. I like someone to be themselves and not be afraid to take over the steering wheel when I get us lost.

2. I like someone to be honest with me and tell me what is going on so I know.

3. I like someone to cook for me when I have a cold.

All the best,

MrP

[Mister Micawber]

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Could one use 'something' in the same way?
It sound natural to me, Navi.
.