The “data” is or are? Yes!

1 comment May 6th, 2008

The word “data” is a plural (the singular is “datum”) in Latin, but the tide is turning in English.

There are still plenty of instances in which we treat “data” as plural — “the most recent data show,” for example.

However, its treatment as a collective noun is on the rise — “The data in this study is flawed.”

The use of “datum” is almost unheard of these days, except in scientific circles. The simplest solution is to substitute “information” for “data” when a singular sense is desired.