On 25/06/18 12:03, Bert Gunter wrote:
Ted, et. al.:
Re: "Data is" vs "data are" ... Heh heh!
"This is the kind of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put."
(Attributed to Churchill in one form or another, likely wrongly.)
See here for some semi-authoritative dicussion:
http://www.onlinegrammar.com.au/top-10-grammar-myths-data-is-plural-so-must-take-a-plural-verb/
I beg to differ. "The data was out of date" sounds just plain stupid to
my sensitive ears.
It's rather like using the phrase "begs the question" to mean "raises
the question" or "invites the question" rather than to carry its
*correct* meaning of "assumes what is to be proved". The fact that the
phrase is almost always used in its *incorrect* sense these days, and
almost never in its *correct* sense, does not diminish the fact that
those who use it incorrectly are ignorant scumbags! The language is
weakened and diminished by the encroachment of incorrect usage.
cheers,
Rolf
--
Technical Editor ANZJS
Department of Statistics
University of Auckland
Phone: +64-9-373-7599 ext. 88276
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