Do you say the data is or the data are?

The grammatically correct approach is ‘data are’, because the word ‘data’ is the plural of the latin word ‘datum’.

Is data considered singular or plural?

As shown in the Publication Manual (p. 96), the word datum is singular, and the word data is plural. Plural nouns take plural verbs, so data should be followed by a plural verb.

Why do people say data instead of data?

Here’s the root of the matter: strictly-speaking, data is a plural term. Ie, if we’re following the rules of grammar, we shouldn’t write “the data is” or “the data shows” but instead “the data are” or “the data show”. The word data is a plural noun so write “data are”. Datum is the singular.

Is the word data countable or uncountable?

Usage of “data” as a singular uncountable noun – in the same way as “information” – is now generally accepted in everyday English, so much so that using the word as a plural countable noun can sound incorrect.

Which is correct this data or these data?

“Data” is actually the plural of “datum”, so strictly grammatically it should be “these data”. Some grammar checkers (and old teachers) will still fault you for using “this data”. However, nowadays, especially in the information and computer fields, the word data is used instead of datum and is used “uncountably”.

What is the collective noun for data?

The Wall Street Journal explicitly allows this usage in its style guide. The Associated Press style guide classifies data as a collective noun that takes the singular when treated as a unit but the plural when referring to individual items (e.g., “The data is sound” and “The data have been carefully collected”).

Is “data” a countable noun?

For those who stand in opposition to treating “data” as an uncountable noun (called here a “singular mass noun”), consider that this means you prefer to hear “not many data” and “a few data” over “not much data” and “a little data”… in which case you may not be surprised to hear that you have not many common sense.

Should data be followed by the plural of data?

Plural nouns take plural verbs, so data should be followed by a plural verb. To help clear up any confusion regarding the proper use of these terms, I list examples of datum and data being used correctly below:

Is “data” a word?

Although some treat the word data as a collective noun referring to a collection of information, most writing in statistics recognizes the origin of the word. A single piece of information is a datum, more than one are data. As a consequence of data being a plural word, it is correct to speak and write about “these data” rather than “this data.”

What is the singular form of the word “data”?

The real question we should ask is, “What is the singular form of the word data?” The answer to this question is “datum.” It turns out that this occurs for a very interesting reason.