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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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