How a sentence sounds when read aloud or in your head can often "sound" different for each individual doing so; however, I was reading details regarding the usage of "data" and "datum" and was intrigued by the alleged usage of it and how said usage flowed within a sentence/phrase.
It is explained here that the word data should not be used as,
...the data tells us...
but rather,
...the data tell us...
Reading the first seems natural, I've heard it quite often; however, the second seems very hard to read or say - simply unnatural in my mouth. A similar situation is found with Hoi Polloi where it is incorrect to say,
...gone to meet with the hoi polloi...
but often corrected to,
...gone to meet with hoi polloi...
due to the redundancy of the term "the" (where Hoi Polloi meaning "The Many").
While my specific usage of these two situations may not be finely crafted, I believe the concept/question to be evident: Is it better to appease my audience by using a commonly used phrasing, or is it better to adhere to the correct implementation of the words/phrases?
Another consideration is my credibility. Will the readers perhaps discredit my writings due to the unfamiliar conventions utilized?