| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| data, datum (n.) |
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| Data is now both singular and plural: This data is [these data are] enough to make our case. When data is singular, it is always a mass noun and takes a singular verb and determiner: The data has all been checked. Datum, the old Latin singular, is still in use, particularly as a count noun taking a singular determiner and verb, as in This datum is the missing one, and it has its own plural, the regular English datums, although this form occurs rarely. But a datum is a frequent locution in science and elsewhere, mainly because a data simply doesn’t occur very often, even though it is Standard. Other more general uses of datum may seem rather precious “corrections” from use of data as singular. The first syllable can rhyme with late, cat, or blot. See also FOREIGN PLURALS. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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