Editing 1429: Data
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | "Kirk vs. Picard" is a debate that many ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' fans engage in | + | {{incomplete|Explain the two sides of the data singular/plural debate. }} |
+ | "Kirk vs. Picard" is a debate that many ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' fans engage in- specifically which was a better captain of the {{w|Starship Enterprise|starship ''Enterprise''}} on the TV show. Captain {{w|James T. Kirk}} and {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} each were captains of the ship (Kirk was captain of USS Enterprise 1701 in {{w|Star Trek: The Original Series|The Original Series}}, while Picard was captain of USS Enterprise 1701-D in {{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation|The Next Generation}}), but fans argue over who was the "best". With such a neck-and-neck race, most third-place candidates are pretty distant and a more multi-faceted debate, so for the sake of example the article Cueball seems to be looking up is polling for the ''third'' most popular character. | ||
− | The humor in this comic stems from the fact that the | + | The humor in this comic stems from the fact that, according to grammar purists, the word "data" was originally plural (the singular form of "data" was "datum".) Since there are very few uses for the singular form, many people do not use it and assume data to be singular as well. Increasingly, referring to data as singular is being accepted as grammatically correct - the Wall Street Journal, for instance, recently announced that is is moving away from saying data 'are'. But purists and sticklers still insist on the old form and see 'data is' as an example of a subject-verb agreement error. |
− | + | {{w|Data (Star Trek)|Data}} is a character from <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation.</i> Since it is a character's name, when used to refer to the character, "Data" should be treated as singular. | |
− | By reversing the verb agreement in both cases, | + | By reversing the subject-verb agreement in both cases, you are basically going out of your way to annoy any grammatically obsessed people. |
− | The title text suggests the mocking of language pedants/amateur | + | The title text suggests the mocking of language pedants/amateur grammar Nazis by {{w|Hypercorrection|hyper-correcting}} your use of language. The example given is "an hypercorrection habit", following from 'an honour' (/ˈɒnə/) and 'an hour' (/ˈaʊə(ɹ)/) in English. These two are correct as they are French derived, and so the 'h' is silent and the words start with a vowel sound, and thus the use of 'an'. "Hyper-correction" (/ˌhaɪ.pə.kəˈɹɛk.ʃən/) starts with a standard consonant 'h' sound and so must be preceded with 'a', not 'an'. Contrast 'an umbrella' and 'a uniform'. This comic also complements [[326: Effect an Effect]], which discusses the trolling of amateur grammar Nazis. |
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− | + | Whether intended or not, this comic may annoy grammar pedants for another reason: Even if "Data" was not a name, the correct sentence would use the word "is" rather than "are" because the subject of the sentence is the word "character", and not "data". Consider for example the correct (though somewhat awkward) sentence "Matter is many atoms." vs. the incorrect sentence "Matter are many atoms." | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball reading off a smart phone to someone off | + | :[Cueball reading off a smart phone to someone off the panel] |
:Cueball: According to this polling data, after Kirk and Picard, the most popular <em>Star Trek</em> character are Data. | :Cueball: According to this polling data, after Kirk and Picard, the most popular <em>Star Trek</em> character are Data. | ||
− | :Off- | + | :Off-panel character: <em>Augh!</em> |
− | + | :Annoy grammar pedants on all sides by making "data" singular <em>except</em> when referring to the android. | |
− | :Annoy grammar pedants on all sides by making "data" singular | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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