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From: gh@utai.UUCP (Graeme Hirst)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: "Data points"
Message-ID: <661@utai.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Aug-85 09:31:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: utai.661
Posted: Sun Aug 18 09:31:35 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 10:41:38 EDT
References: <214@tekig4.UUCP>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 17

> Every time I hear somebody say "a data point", something doesn't sound right.
> I think that "a datum point" would in most cases be more correct.
> I would like to hear your opinion on it.
>    Irena Sifrar

Actually, I'd prefer "datum" without the "point", but in general you are
correct: a noun used attributively like this must always be singular, even if
the noun phrase as a whole is plural, or a collection is implied.  Another
common error is "media center" instead of "medium center", though one can see
why the latter is avoided.

The easiest way to test this is to use a noun with a regular plural, and see
which way works best.  A "film-projector center" or a "film-projectors center"?
The former, of course.
-- 
\\\\   Graeme Hirst    University of Toronto	Computer Science Department
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