Fascinating Grammatical Conundrum

Is “data” singular or plural? That’s a word that sounds wrong when you use it correctly. It is supposed to be plural, with the singular being datum. I try to avoid writing “data is” or “data are,” but other phrases bring up the same question. “The data tells us” should really be “The data tell us,” but that just sounds odd in English. This is the latest from Jorge Cham at PHD Comics. Oh, by the way, one data point is a datum.


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