- Moderator
- #381
The problem here is that you do not understand what the words datum/data mean. I guess I shouldn't expect someone to have that understanding, who is as confused as you are about what “man” and “woman” mean.
A bit of trivia: “Data” is actually plural for “datum”. Most people do not realize this, and they form sentences incorrectly around the word data as if it was a mass noun. It's not a mass noun, nor a singular noun, it's a plural noun. A single piece of information is a datum. Multiple pieces of information are data.
How relevant, accurate, or reliable a particular datum may be has no relevance on the fact that it is, in fact, a datum.
Definition of DATA
factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation; information in digital form that can be transmitted or processed… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com
Definition of data
1: factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation
Is data singular or plural?: Usage Guide
Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum, of which it was originally the plural. It occurs in two constructions: as a plural noun (like earnings), taking a plural verb and plural modifiers (such as these, many, a few) but not cardinal numbers, and serving as a referent for plural pronouns (such as they, them); and as an abstract mass noun (like information), taking a singular verb and singular modifiers (such as this, much, little), and being referred to by a singular pronoun (it). Both constructions are standard. The plural construction is more common in print, evidently because the house style of several publishers mandates it.