Data was or data were

[kim00]

Quick question - My company has a disclaimer on a report that's produced and part of it reads:

...and although all data was gathered from sources believed to be reliable, it cannot be guaranteed.

Someone brought it to my attention that "data" is considered plural so the sentence should read:

...and although all data were gathered from sources believed to be reliable, it cannot be guaranteed.

I thought I'd check with the experts. Thanks for your help... kim

 

[LNBruno]

The word "data" is plural, but...

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/data.html

< M!ke >
Your right to an opinion does not obligate me to take you seriously.
- Winston Churchill

 

[AnotherHiggins]

From

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=data

da·ta [dey-tuh, dat-uh, dah-tuh]

–noun
1. a pl. of datum.

2. ([!]used with a plural verb[/!]) individual facts, statistics, or items of information: These data represent the results of our analyses. Data are entered by terminal for immediate processing by the computer.

3. ([!]used with a singular verb[/!]) a body of facts; information: Additional data is available from the president of the firm.

[!]—Usage note[/!] Data is a plural of datum, which is originally a Latin noun meaning “something given.” Today, data is used in English both as a plural noun meaning “facts or pieces of information” (These data are described more fully elsewhere) and as a singular mass noun meaning “information”: Not much data is available on flood control in Brazil. It is almost always treated as a plural in scientific and academic writing. In other types of writing it is either singular or plural. The singular datum meaning “a piece of information” is now rare in all types of writing. In surveying and civil engineering, where datum has specialized senses, the plural form is datums.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.

 

[gbaughma]

I don't think I could say "Data are"...it just doesn't compute.



Just my 2¢
-Cole's Law: Shredded cabbage

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[LNBruno]

'at 'air dater ain't rite!

< M!ke >
Your right to an opinion does not obligate me to take you seriously.
- Winston Churchill

 

[kim00]

gbaughma - I agree - it's as painful as "data were." Thanks for the info LBruno and Higgins.

...kim

 

[Welshbird]

I do agree, although we have an unofficial agreement in work that data is plural, so we do write such things as "Data are collected weekly."

It pains me too.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[kim00]

Willif - you're so right but it sounds so wrong. I'm going to have to think about this.

LNBruno - 'at 'air dater ain't rite! ???

You ok? I have to say, I'm cracking up.

...kim

 

[JoeAtWork]

How about

...and although all data has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable

Actually, if it isn't plural then you should also take out "all". You wouldn't say:

All tree produces oxygen.

 

[LNBruno]

But you would say:

...and although data gathered from all sources are believed to be reliable...

...especially if you're Fox News. ;-)

< M!ke >
Your right to an opinion does not obligate me to take you seriously.
- Winston Churchill

 

[jwenting]

Actually, if it isn't plural then you should also take out "all". "

Wrong. Data is singular in the context provided.
Its use is similar to that of "people", which can be both singular and plural depending on context.
In this context "all data" (which should technically be "all of the data") is singular, as all the datapoints make up a single entity just like all people in a country/region make up a people.

 

[jsteph]

It's dual purpose, like 'stone'.

Even though a single stone is a stone and you'd think the plural should be stones (and is is a few contexts).

If you fill a truck with stones, it's still 'a truckload of stone', just like you fill the harddrive with data.

I personally, and I'd guess the bulk of the population using the word--will use 'data' and probably never utter the word 'datum' nor, I guess, would most people use the plural form as in 'these data'. I just think common usage has redefined that word.
--Jim

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> In this context "all data" (which should technically be "all of the data") is singular,
Whereas the phrase "all of the data" is singular, it's not because data is singular; it's because the collective 'all' is singular. In fact, this type of construction underscores that the object of 'all' is plural. It's why you need to use the collective all. Whether it be "all of the data", "all of the trees", or "all of the people", the objects (data, trees, and people) are plural, but are being grouped by the singular collective 'all'.


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[thefourthwall]

You wouldn't say:

All tree produces oxygen.

But you could say

"All your base are belong to us!

;-)

 

[ESquared]

You have no chance to survive make your time.

[COLOR=black #d0d0d0]My alarm clock causes time travel. When I hit snooze, no apparent time passes before the alarm sounds again, but the universe has in fact moved forward through time by ten minutes![/color]

 

[JoeAtWork]

>> Wrong. Data is singular in the context provided.

Doesn't that make "all" redundant?

Doesn't "All the people have spoken" mean the same as "The people have spoken"?

If only some of the people have spoken, then "The people have not yet spoken, although people have spoken."

(A possible exception being if you live in Florida)