- The word data
The word data can be singular or plural. Be consistent across contexts.
The data is useless because the file has been corrupted. The data were collected in December. They show a 15% increase in student intake.
In science, data tends to be plural. - Areas of knowledge
Some names of academic and scientific disciplines end with an s and appear to be plural but take a singular verb when they are treated as an area of knowledge or subject of study. These include economics, electronics, physics, statistics and telecommunications, which are usually singular in Catalan (economia, electrònica, física, estadística and telecomunicació, respectively).Economics is commonly regarded as a soft science. The mathematics of computational chemistry methods is of significance to chemists.
When they are not, use the plural.The economics of university services are complex. The mathematics of our everyday calculations are of no significance to us.
Note that a common but informal version of the term mathematics is maths (British English) or math (American English). In most documents, only the full version of the word is appropriate.
Also note that when the discipline economics is used as an adjective, it maintains its form with a final s. The adjective economic, without the s, has a different meaning.The Department is beginning a series of CPD courses for its economics lecturers. Attaining sufficient economic support is a vital aspect of university governance.
Recommended citation:
«Common problems with singular and plural» [en línia]. A: Llibre d’estil de la Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics. <https://www.ub.edu/llibre-estil/criteri.php?id=2422> [consulta: 17 novembre 2025].