>>>data is not. data are.
>>
>>Except when referring to the android in Star Trek New Generation when it would be "Data is, not Data are".
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>The commander-in-case are a multiple personalities.
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>This use of plural as singular in english always baffles me. How can something be "a huge savings"? How can there be "a crossroads"? The indefinite article applies to singular only, it's one of the few hard rules in the language. Having a plural (nick)name in my language (and a few others that I know of*) is practically impossible, and possibly impracticable.
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>* in german and hungarian, the indefinite article is "ein" and "egy" respectively, both meaning one. Also in english, "a" is an abbreviated one.
Both "savings" and "crossroads" as you use them are incorrect, but have been accepted because of their common usage.