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Subject:Re: IS or ARE From:Elle LaMarre <ElleboRoom -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 29 May 1997 17:49:31 -0400
John Posada said
Guys...quick question.
Is it:
Real-time data "is" displayed... or Real-time data "are" displayed....
I want to say "is", but data is a plural so should I use "are"?
Response: This is taken from The Holt Handbook (Used it in my college Comp &
Rhetoric class)
A collective noun names a group of persons or things -- for instance, navy,
union, association, band. A collective noun is always singular in form.
When it refers to a group a a unit, it takes a singular verb; when it
refers to the individuals or items that make up the group, it takes a plural
verb. So the answer would be "is".
Elle
elleboroom -at- aol -dot- com
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