3 ms·
Most data AREN'T big.
by dweinus 13y ago
Most data AREN'T big.
- scribu 13y agoActually, no; "data" can be either plural or singular. In this case, you can substitute "data" with "information", and "most information isn't big" definitely sounds grammatical. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data
- dweinus 13y agoThey may both be accepted, but as your link notes, the singular is avoided by most publications, and I think for good reason. The singular is not logical. In the case of "information", the word is already in singular form and describes a group, much like the word "flock" is a singular group of birds. On the other hand, "data" is a plural form of "datum". It follows that describing a group of data using a singular construction should require a different word or phrase, such as "data set".