Błędnie: Civils were imprisoned; soldiers were executed by firing squad. Poprawnie: Civilians were imprisoned; soldiers were executed by firing squad.
Słowo ‘civil’ to przymiotnik, oznacza „cywilny”, „obywatelski”, np. ‘We have to fight for civil rights’ („Musimy walczyć o prawa obywatelskie”).
Gdy chcemy powiedzieć o osobie „cywilu”, użyjemy słowa ‘civilian’, np. ‘What is a difference between a citizen and a civilian?’ („Jaka jest różnica między obywatelem a cywilem?”).