I think Rick has hit on an important clue to this controversy. I've been thinking about this since the last go-round about whether *data *should be treated as plural or singular. What "sounds right" will be whatever is consistent with the implicit grammatical rule the listener applies. I also suspect that in this case, two different definitions of *data* might be in operation. I always think of this word in terms of numbers, findings, statistics, etc. So *data* always requires a plural verb for me. When I talk about a *data set*, I use the singular, since the noun in question is * set* and the word *data* is now a modifier. Sometimes speakers prune out extra language (like the word *set*) but retain the grammatical construction that goes with the full language. So I can understand why "the data [set] is" sounds perfectly fine to some.
It all depends on the mental model the speaker (and listener) uses for the word. Claudia Stanny --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=9350 or send a blank email to leave-9350-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
