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Re: Import truncate(1) from FreeBSD
On Wed, Nov 05, 2025 at 11:59:43PM -0500, Mouse wrote:
> > | +If a file is made smaller, its extra data is lost.
> > technically that should be "are lost"
>
> I'm not sure. I think it's a defensible stance that `data' has
> acquired a mass-noun meaning, for which a singular verb is appropriate.
> I might even go so far as to say it has eclipsed the old count-noun
> meaning; in my recent experience, applying a plural verb to `data' is
> quite the rarity.
It's not just a defensible stance, it's the only correct answer.
It can only be plural in cases where it also makes sense to talk about
a corresponding singular.
--
David A. Holland
dholland%netbsd.org@localhost
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