Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utai.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsri!utai!gh 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 //// utcsri!utai!gh / gh.toronto@csnet-relay / 416-978-8747