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| Thread ID: 78737 | 2007-04-26 23:42:00 | "were" or "was"? | roddy_boy (4115) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 544610 | 2007-04-26 23:42:00 | A student standardised a NaOH solution against a primary standard and the following data were obtained. Molarity Titration 1 0.1167 Titration 2 0.1163 Titration 3 0.1164 Is "were' correct in this case? I thought it should be "was", as it is referring to one data set. Or is it "were" as it's referring to multiple data points? Or is it one of those cases where both answers are correct? |
roddy_boy (4115) | ||
| 544611 | 2007-04-27 00:02:00 | IMO "were" because there are (not "is") three lines of data. "was" if there is (not "are") only one line of data. My :2cents: |
allblack (6574) | ||
| 544612 | 2007-04-27 00:10:00 | Never set your usage on the adjective or a descriptive word ..but the noun....which in this case is "data" So it is "was". ie: ".....data was.....(ibid)" Only nouns, proper nouns or pronouns have ability to "be"..ergo the rule. |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 544613 | 2007-04-27 00:12:00 | From the Oxford Dictionary: In science data is the plural of datum so were would be correct. In ordinary non scientific usage Data is treated as a mass noun like Information which doesn't normally have a plural so was is accepted. |
PaulD (232) | ||
| 544614 | 2007-04-27 00:18:00 | From the Oxford Dictionary: In science data is the plural of datum so were would be correct. In ordinary non scientific usage Data is treated as a mass noun like Information which doesn't normally have a plural so was is accepted. datum = one piece of information data = many pieces of information In a purely technical sense "were" is correct (see Statistics New Zealand reports for multiple examples of this usage). However, it feels clumsy for most day to day usages. It's probably best to consider the context - professional or techincal situations use data for plural and datum for singular, but down the pub, you should probably refer to your data as either singluar or plural. ;) |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 544615 | 2007-04-27 00:27:00 | datum = one piece of information data = many pieces of information In a purely technical sense "were" is correct (see Statistics New Zealand reports for multiple examples of this usage). However, it feels clumsy for most day to day usages. It's probably best to consider the context - professional or techincal situations use data for plural and datum for singular, but down the pub, you should probably refer to your data as either singluar or plural. ;) depends on who/whom was/were imbibing adult beverage and the level of intoxicant per person/persons (ie: hourly imbibement.) OK..it's a new word! :D |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 544616 | 2007-04-27 00:47:00 | depends on who/whom was/were imbibing adult beverage and the level of intoxicant per person/persons (ie: hourly imbibement.) OK..it's a new word! :D Whoa -the room's spinning! And I haven't even touched a drop! :D |
Lizard (2409) | ||
| 544617 | 2007-04-27 03:13:00 | I would personally go with "was" because even if "were" was correct, it just sounds better and more popular to use "was" | beeswax34 (63) | ||
| 544618 | 2007-04-27 03:20:00 | I would personally go with "was" because even if "were" was correct, it just sounds better and more popular to use "was"So you would prefer to use the wrong word because it's more "popular"? In most technical fields, there's a strong tendency to prefer precision . There is a good reason for that . Someone who bothers to be correct in their language might be more careful in the production of his data . I leave production of "popular" data which "sounds better" to politicians and advertisers . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 544619 | 2007-04-27 12:34:00 | Data is a plural word and 'were' is correct as a result. Many people use data in a singular sense and this has come to be accepted despite it being incorrect. I find it peculiar when people say that using it like this is clunky or sounds strange as I've always used it the correct way and find completely the opposite. This is a relatively minor issue but there are more annoying cases. If anybody were to use "criteria" as a singular noun within my reach I would be strongly tempted to throttle them. |
TGoddard (7263) | ||
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