Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

I came across this error identification exercise below.

"The island's politics is complex, with over twelve parties competing for power."

The key says that it should be "The island's politics ARE..."

I understand that when politics mean "political beliefs or opinions about how a country should be governed", it is a plural noun.

"Her politics are bordering on the fascist."

But for me, "the island's politics" is a general noun referring to the governing of the island. Shouldn't it be an uncountable noun and is, therefore, used with a singular verb?

Thank you,

Nawee

[pugachevV]

Politics is a plural noun that is usually treated as singular (According to the Oxford English Dictionary).
So, although it is grammatically correct to say the the island's politics are... etc, you will commonly hear such things as:
"Politics is the art of the possible.
"Politics is boring/ exciting/ a pain in the neck"
and so on.
In practice, both are acceptable.