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"Police" are the officers who maintain order; "politics" is the field of government activity and power.
Side-by-side comparison
"Police" is the law-enforcement organization. In English it is always treated as a plural noun. "The police are" (not "is"). Also the verb to patrol or enforce rules.
The police are investigating the robbery.
She called the police when she heard the noise.
The police have arrested two suspects.
"Politics" is the set of activities, ideas, and debates related to government and power. Treated as singular: "Politics is complicated." "Political" is the derived adjective.
She is very interested in politics and wants to run for office.
Politics can be a very divisive topic at the dinner table.
Local politics often have a bigger impact on daily life than national politics.
Common mistake
- •"The politics arrived at the scene" is wrong: law enforcement is "police." "Politics" is government activity.
- •Also, "police" is always plural ("the police are...") and a single officer is "a police officer," never "a police."
Trick to remember it
- •"Police" = the ones in uniform who keep order.
- •"Politics" = what they debate in government.
- •Both come from Greek "polis" (city-state): police guard the city; politics governs it.
Quick rule
- •"Police" = law enforcement (always plural).
- •"Politics" = government activity.
Did you know?
All three words POLICE, POLITICS, and POLICY share the same Greek root "polis" (city-state, organized community). From polis also come "metropolitan" (of the great city) and "cosmopolitan" (citizen of the world). In ancient Greece, the "polis" was the fundamental political and social unit. Aristotle said the human being is "zoon politikon" (political animal), a being who by nature lives in a polis and participates in its government. This phrase is the philosophical origin of POLITICS. From POLICE we can reach POLICY: both seek order in the same polis but by different means (one by force, the other by rules).
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The _____ arrived quickly after the alarm went off at the shop.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She studies _____ at university and wants to work in government one day.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
'Pretend' means to act as if something is true when it is not; 'intend' means to plan or mean to do something.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy