student asking question

What's the main difference between "politic" and "policy?" It's confusing because they sound similar!

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! These are two completely different terms. "Politics" refers to the activities associated with governing a country. It can involve the debates, conflicts, or collaboration between politicians or political parties in the country (domestic politics), or with other countries (international politics). "Policies" refers to the principle of action (similar to a plan or strategy) that is adopted by the government of a country. In many places, different cities will have their own policies (city policies), provinces/states will have provincial/state policies, and national governments will have national policies. Ex: The government has announced a new COVID-19 policy in the wake of the Omicron virus strain. Ex: I don't like discussing politics with people I don't know. I am rather conservative.

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