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Summary
The wordDatait is now usually treated as a singular, just like the wordInformation(all the data you needEson this record). Its use as a plural word is now mostly limited to academic and scholarly writing (the dataSoninconclusive). When using this word, make sure you understand the meaning of a plural noun (the dataindicateHe...) or a singular mass noun (the datasombrerohas been downloaded).
Data: ¿singular o plural?
Datacan be singular orPlural, although it is now more commonly used as a single word. The wordDatacame into English as the plural form of the Latin wordGiven, which means "a single piece of information". Over time,Datait became synonymous with “information”: it then became a singular word in its own right, not just the plural anymore.
examples
- Singular:The dataEsfalton.
- Singular:our datesshowsthat dogs like ice cream.
- Plural:The dataSonall from the same source.
- Plural:our datesindicatethat cats like country music.
Although traditionalists prefer to maintain the plural meaning ofData, standard dictionaries agreeDatacan now be used as a singular.Merriam WebsterEscucharDataas a word that is "plural in form but singular or plural in construction" and provides examples of singular and plural usage.oxfordnow just readyDataas a mass noun, noting that the word is still treated as a plural in technical fields.cambridgealso readyDataas a noun that can be used with both singular and plural verbs.
Dataas singular
Datait is now generally considered to be the singular and is used as the middleInformation. It is no longer used alone as the plural ofGivenbut it stands as an independent mass noun in the singular. sodo you agreecon singularverbsYPronoun.
examples
- this year's dataEsnot present, butESis available for last year.
- our datesshowsthat violent crime has decreased in the last decade.
if the wordDatacounts as singular, used withdeterminingYquantifierused with massive nouns (He,a lot,few).
examples
- ThereEsfewData available for review.
- A lotof the published data is questionable.
Dataas plural
In academic and scientific work,Datagenerally retains its plural meaning ofGiven. Then it is used with plural verbs and pronouns.
examples
- The dataSonready to be represented in graphs and numbers.
- Acme Inc. earnings datahavejust posted.
- According to population dataguerracollected,Ella guerracross reference and published.
Keep in mind whenDatais considered plural, it is used with multiple determiners and quantifiers such asIt is,many, Yfew.
examples
- It isThe data comes from various sources.
- Soloa coupleof the published data is not yet verified.
use
Interestingly, cardinal numbers are not used beforehand.Data, even if it is a plural noun.
examples
- Incorrect:little has been updatedfourdata in the file.
Correct:little has been updatedfour points ofdata in the file. - Incorrect:four hundredThe data is ready to be represented in graphs and figures.
Correct:four hundred sets ofThe data is ready to be represented in graphs and figures.
This behavior – the inability to take a number—similar to that of massive nouns.
How to use the word correctlyData
Use in non-academic speaking and writingDataas singular instead of plural. When writing for a general audience, "data is" sounds more natural than "data is," which can sound overly formal and pedantic.
examples
- Data from your brain.sombrerodownloaded to a computer.
- if dataEsOrganized in tabular form, it can be easily analysed.
- All the data that make up a human life.Esnow stored in the cloud.
Sometimes you may want to convey the meaning of a plural word. WearDataas a plural noun it can suggest discretion. This can be useful in academic writing, where it's important to focus on the individual pieces of information that make up a data set.
examples
- The dataindicatethat the fiscal measures taken by various countries are having an effect.
discrete pieces of data from different states
- genetic dataSonlinkable to individual participants, which raises privacy concerns.
- The data used in this studyhavewere collected using different methods.
Caution
Datacan be singular or plural (the dataEs/Son...), but the wordDataSis not present.
Chicago, AP, APA style
many greatstyle guidesallow nowDataused as a singular noun. Hechicago handbook of styleconsider its use acceptableDataas singular, acknowledging that treating the word as plural may sound pedantic. It is recommended to useDataas a plural word in the sciences.
HeAP style bookalso recommend usingDataas the singular when writing for a general audience, but still recommends using it as the plural in academic texts.
On the contrary, theAPA Publishing Guiderecommend a restrictionDatafor plural use. This advice is consistent with the general recommendation to treat dates in the plural in academic writing, since APA style is preferred in the social sciences.
Examples of published content
Here are some examples of published content illustrating how to do this.Datais generally considered singular.
examples
he says hethe data islikely to be used for future malicious hacking campaigns.
— "As your personal
the data isbeing deleted from social networks",bbc news(2021)
companies say thatthe data isIt is only shared with verified partners.
– “Twelve million phones, one record, zero privacy”New York Times(2019)
drive in the real worldDataof connected carsEsboth a hidden treasure and a minefield for auto insurers.
- "Conductor
the data isHelp and Peril for Car Insurers",Wall Street Journal(2020)
What kind ofthe data isavailable at Data.nasa.gov?
—NASA website(Accessed August 8, 2021)
In academic writing, the word isDatait is often treated as plural, not only because it sounds more formal, but also to convey a sense of plurality: to emphasize the individual pieces of information that make up a data set.
examples
Weatherly availabledata includedwind speed and direction....These data areavailable from the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute.
— „Genetics
Provide informationEvidence for wind-mediated transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza",The Journal of Infectious Diseases(2012)
Vectorthe data ismade up of points, polylines and polygons.
—Current developments in biotechnology and bioengineering(2019)
(Video) How to Pronounce Data? | British Vs American Pronunciations!?
metadata, a word referring to data about other data, is also used asbothsingular and plural, although it is most commonly used as a singular mass noun. like the wordData(from whichmetadataIt was derived),metadatait is generally treated as plural only in formal texts such as scientific and scholarly articles.
examples
- Singular:metadatachangesevery time the data is changed.
- Singular:metadataEsoften useful for accounting and forensic purposes.
- Plural:metadataSonincredibly useful for providing context about a range of data.
- Plural:metadataofferInformation not provided by the data itself.
Like inData,metadataIt is used more in the singular than in the plural. Consider whether you want to convey the meaning of a singular entity (a single set of metadata) or a plural word (the various pieces of information that make up the metadata). Also note that withmetadataas a plural it can sound stifling and pedantic in everyday life.
Here are some examples of published content showing how to do this.metadataIt can be used both in the singular and in the plural.
examples
- Singular:
metadata isrelentless, unreasonable, ironic.
– Devon McCann Jackson, „When the metadata arrives“New York Times(2013)
- Singular:
Butmetadata isIt's not the only thing hidden in your photos.
– Jerone Andrews, „The hidden footprint in your photos“,bbc future(2021)
- Singular:
Descriptiveprovides metadataInformation about the intellectual content of a digital object.
— Allison B. Zhang and Don Gourley, “Descriptive Metadata,”Creation of digital collections.(2009)
- Plural:
metadata isincluded to provide contextual or extended information that is outside the scope of the data itself, e.g. B. Author information or timestamps that go beyond those of the local file system.
—Cory Altheide y Harlan Carvey,Digital forensics with open source tools(2011)
Other Latin plural forms
Latin plurals generally retain their plural behavior in English:functionsus/functionsI,bacteriaas/bacteriaA,lotas/lotA. Two notable exceptions (exceptData) SonAgendaYmedia.
Agendabegan as the plural of Latinbe done. Today in English it is used as a singular word.
examples
- EraEs/
SonPoco's agenda for today's meeting? - farley's scheduleEs/
Sonto make the world a better place.
Agendait even has its own plural in English:AgendaS.
examples
- All the NGOs had their ownagendas.
- Our methods were the same, although oursagendasThey were different.
media, as many know, is the plural ofHalf. But when it is used to refer to mass communication, it can be considered singular or plural.
examples
- The mediasombreroHe found his scapegoat.
- new mediahavesignificantaffectedPolitics of the 21st century.
Also
Many words that enter English from other languages retain their singular and plural identities. For example the Greekcriteriaist der Plural des Singularscriteria:a criterionAnd,many criteriaA. However, by usingData,Agenda, Ymedia, now have their own unique identities.
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FAQs
Can I use date in plural? ›
The plural form of date; more than one (kind of) date. He goes out on a lot of dates.
Is date a countable noun? ›(countable) A date is a particular day in a month or year.
What is the date or when is the date? ›You usually say what's the date, not when is the date.
How do you use date as a noun in a sentence? ›date noun [C] (DAY)
US Today's date is June 11 (June the eleventh). What is your date of birth? The closing date for applications is the end of this month. We agreed to meet again at a later date.
Use 'On' When a Date Comes at the Beginning of a Sentence
First, you should add the word “on” when the day or date comes at the beginning of a sentence. For example, you could say, “Our book club met Monday.” But if you lead with the day, you should say, “ON Monday, our book club met.”
date. [transitive] date something to write or print the date on something Thank you for your letter dated March 24th. The forms should be dated and signed and sent back immediately.
What are dates in grammar? ›The most common way for writing dates in English is to use day/month/year format (also denoted as DD/MM/YYYY). For example, if you were writing the date for the fifth of January , 2022, you would write it as 05/01/22.
What type of nouns are dates? ›Answer and Explanation: Depending on how they are written, dates can include proper nouns. For example if you were to write ''Monday, October 7th, 2019'', the words ''Monday'' and ''October'' are proper nouns in that they are specific names for a certain day of the week and month of the year.
What is the correct way to write dates? ›The international standard recommends writing the date as year, then month, then the day: YYYY-MM-DD.
How do you say it is a date? ›...
You'll sometimes hear people say:
- the third of June.
- the sixteenth of February.
- the twenty-first of May.
Can dates be proper nouns? ›
Days, months, and holidays are always capitalized as these are proper nouns. Seasons aren't generally capitalized unless they're personified.
How do you write date and time in a sentence? ›...
Here's what this looks like:
- I get out of school at 3:45 p.m.
- I get out of school at 3:45. ...
- I get out of school at 15:45.
When to use an apostrophe for dates depends on how you want to write the date. Don't add an apostrophe “s” to the end of the whole number. Instead, for abbreviated dates, put the apostrophe in the front. So both “Big hair was popular in the 1980s” and “Big hair was popular in the '80s” are correct.
Can plural dates be written without apostrophe? ›Answer: You should never use apostrophes to make dates plural. That's today's tip. That's all there is to it.
What is the plural for date of birth? ›dates of births - Wiktionary.
What is the correct way to say the date? ›All right, first let's look at how to say dates – the important thing is that we always say them with ordinal numbers: Say: June THIRD, not June THREE. Say: February SIXTEENTH, not February SIXTEEN. Say: May TWENTY-FIRST, not May TWENTY-ONE.