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Who writes this stuff?

I have a suggestion that will make most readers a bit happier without descending into the mudhole of "commonly accepted usage". Replace "this" with "your" or "the".
 
Timo W. said:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/criteria

Funny that I was once offended because I tried explaining how someone used a word wrongly.

Anyway, "criteria" exists as both singular and plural forms. While using "criteria" as singular is considered wrong by many, it strictly isn't.
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I don't believe "criteria" is wrong as in the U.S. vernacular it is used quite frequently in the media as well as businesses and schools. When you think about it, and in the majority of cases, most points are plural, hence "criteria"
 
Just as "phenomena" is singular in common US English? Thanks, but I don't care to wallow in that particular swamp. I have enough problems with "media" in the computer world being taken as singular.

My point was that pairing a singular demonstrative adjective with a plural noun, tends to grate on the mind's ear. Either change the adjective or the noun to agree--or use a different modifier that isn't number-sensitive. How about "thems criteria"? :p
 
Chuck(G) said:
Just as "phenomena" is singular in common US English? Thanks, but I don't care to wallow in that particular swamp. I have enough problems with "media" in the computer world being taken as singular.

My point was that pairing a singular demonstrative adjective with a plural noun, tends to grate on the mind's ear. Either change the adjective or the noun to agree--or use a different modifier that isn't number-sensitive. How about "thems criteria"? :p
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Welp, if you head north out of the greater Detroit area, about 230 mile or so, you find that when in Alpena people will say "them are nice". Also, almost any function that advertises a "spaghetti" diner will preface it with "Italian spaghetti". Kind of depends on were you live.
 
Used to vacation in the upper peninsula during the summer with my parents when I was a kid. Yep, them talk funny up there.
 
kc8eyt said:
Used to vacation in the upper peninsula during the summer with my parents when I was a kid. Yep, them talk funny up there.
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Yoopers. “Say ya to da U.P., eh?”
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Chuck(G) said:
Just as "phenomena" is singular in common US English? Thanks, but I don't care to wallow in that particular swamp. I have enough problems with "media" in the computer world being taken as singular.

My point was that pairing a singular demonstrative adjective with a plural noun, tends to grate on the mind's ear. Either change the adjective or the noun to agree--or use a different modifier that isn't number-sensitive. How about "thems criteria"? :p
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Interesting example Professor (G). I'm approximately your age, perhaps a little older. I grew up in Oregon speaking what I consider to be standard American English (as spoken by Walter Cronkite). I've always had a deep interest in language(s) (Latin and Russian in high school). I distinctly remember the major news article about the NYT making major changes to their stylebook, which I avidly read. One of the changes they made was the "media" was no longer (collective) singular but plural: "nominative plural of medium" therefore plural in American English. "Cool" was my response then and now, "You, of course like classical music, yes? So what are you favorite opera?" (opera being the irregular nominative plural of opus). I've despised the NYT ever since.

Sorry, media is (collective) singular. ;-)

Mike
 
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...and "mediums" is more than one psychic. :)

"recording data on the medium of floppy disk" sounds better than "recording data on the media of floppy disk". Yet, "status 04 signifies a media error when reading a disk".

Well, you can't fault English for its consistency. :confused:
 
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