Criteria, Media and Data: Singular or Plural?

ByKhamis Maiouf
🌿 A2 · ELEMENTARY
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Quick Answer

One criterion, several criteria: a criterion is a requirement or standard used to decide something. Medium → media is another pair. For the media and data, singular and plural verbs are both used, depending on meaning and style.

See the Pattern First

The formal, correct pairs look like this.

  • One criterion is important. All five criteria are important.
  • Television is one medium. Television and radio are two media.
  • ✗ “The main criteria is price.” → ✓ “The main criterion is price.”
  • ✓ “The media are reporting it.” (formal) / “The media is reporting it.” (everyday)

Use criterion for one requirement: Price is our main criterion. Use criteria for more than one: Price and size are our two criteria.

The Pairs

These words have plural forms ending in -a. Learn the pairs below; this is not a rule for every word ending in -on or -um.

OneManyOneMany
criterioncriteriamediummedia
phenomenonphenomenadatumdata
bacteriumbacteriacurriculumcurricula

Choosing a Verb With Media and Data

When media means separate forms of communication, a plural verb fits: Print and radio are different media. When the media means the news industry as a group, both the media is and the media are are used. Follow the style expected by your reader.

Data can be treated as plural facts or measurements (the data are clear) or as uncountable information (the data is clear). Many scientific styles prefer the plural, but requirements vary. Follow the journal, course or workplace style guide and stay consistent.

One criterion, many criteria. Never “a criteria”.

The Safe Choices

Use these practical choices:

  • Always use criterion for one requirement — “a criteria” is simply wrong.
  • Use media are when counting separate media. With the media as a group, follow the required style.
  • Use data are when treating the word as plural, or data is when treating it as uncountable information. Check any required style guide.

Notice that only the first line is a hard rule. The other two are style choices — and knowing the difference is what marks an advanced learner.

Mistakes Learners Make (You Are Not Alone)

Keep the singular and plural forms separate in these examples:

  • ✗ a criteria → ✓ a criterion (the singular exists and matters)
  • ✗ one media → ✓ one medium
  • ✗ these datas → ✓ these data (plural use) or this data (uncountable use). Do not add -s.

“A criteria” appears constantly in job adverts and reports. Now that you have seen it, you will notice it everywhere.

Your Turn — Quick Quiz

Five questions. Take your time — the table above is still there if you need it.

Question 1 of 5

1. Price is the most important ____ for us.

2. All three ____ have been met.

3. Radio is an old ____ of communication.

4. Treat data as a plural noun. Which sentence agrees?

5. Which sentence is definitely WRONG?

Keep Going

You have practised criterion/criteria, medium/media and two ways to use data. Try writing one sentence with a criterion and another with two criteria.

Plurals were about nouns. Verbs have their own hidden patterns, and they are just as learnable. Why does “cut” never change, while “take” becomes “took” and then “taken”?

Next lesson: Verbs that never change in the past tense

Sources

Reference: Cambridge Dictionary — media.

Reference: Cambridge Dictionary — data.

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