David's Year of Orgasm Denial

[davidphd1866]

uugghhh! and I got were and was mixed up!!!!!

Now I really DO need to be locked for an additional month...

[Dev]

The author lamented that the word "data" has become accepted for both singular and plural.

I've had heard that before. In fact, I once had a doctoral student try to argue that with me (she didn't want to fix her dissertation). You know what I said? "Bullshit." LOL

D

[davidphd1866]

Amen.

Writing carefully--if not well--is at least a sign of respect for the reader.

Heck, if the Forum IS going to have some aspect of "femdom", may it be the ladies insisting on good grammar and writing! . . . . . as a minimal sign of respect.

[likes2blocked]

The author lamented that the word "data" has become accepted for both singular and plural.

I've had heard that before. In fact, I once had a doctoral student try to argue that with me (she didn't want to fix her dissertation). You know what I said? "Bullshit." LOL

I've had book editors tell me the same thing, while I pointed out the mistakes, and fixed them. Perhaps data is now accepted as both singlular and plural outside of academia. It is certainly a common mistake, but the overall level of adherence to proper writing has dropped, IMHO. The number of people who don't know the difference between 'your's and your' or worse yet 'affect' and 'effect' is appalling.

[keyhldr]

How about the difference between your and you're? Affect and effect? Bare and bear? The list goes on and on . . .

I am appalled at how many people today cannot spell or use proper (or even 'close enough') grammar.

[EDAS]

And there's the difference between "then" and "than"... yes, the list goes on.

[Tom Allen]

But the "raw" data is being collected.

Data are. The "raw" data are being collected.

Sorry, "data is" is like nails on a chalkboard for me and I must compulsively correct. I hope you understand, David, especially since we are in for a year of data collection adventures.

Dev, the word "data" has a collective noun aspect, which makes the singular construction acceptable in most instances (depending upon the context, of course). "Data is being collected" follows the same construction as "The herd is being rounded up." Yes, you *could* say "The herd are being rounded up," but for contemporary English usage, it just sounds... odd to the ear.

[Dev]

Your ear and my ear will just have to agree to disagree on this one, Tom. "Data is" makes me cringe.

D

[likes2blocked]

Data is being collected" follows the same construction as "The herd is being rounded up." Yes, you *could* say "The herd are being rounded up," but for contemporary English usage, it just sounds... odd to the ear.

Bad example, though I take your point. There's one herd. What people don't realize (though I know you do), and why this is such a common mistake, is that data is the plural of datum. Because it isn't obviously plural (cow vs. cows, etc), it lends itself to being used improperly.

The thing is that we may as well not fight it. Words and usage do change meaning over the years, and when it has gotten to the point that professional editors tell me that 'data' has become both singlular and plural outside of scientific realms, then the language has changed.

[Tom Allen]

Bad example, though I take your point. There's one herd. What people don't realize (though I know you do), and why this is such a common mistake, is that data is the plural of datum. Because it isn't obviously plural (cow vs. cows, etc), it lends itself to being used improperly.

Would that be a data point, or a datum point?

Ooops, will you look at the time? Gotta jet...