<p>This is the example.</p>
<p>A lot folks questioned Rolle’s choice of FSU since he had publically stated that academics was a key factor in his choice of school.</p>
<p>Should it be “were” or “was”</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Was. </p>
<p>“Figuring out the mathematics of a noun can be tricky. Take the word mathematics. Is it singular or plura? And what about all those other words ending in ics–economics, ethis, optics, politics, and so on? Fortunately, it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in mathematics to solve this puzzle. If you’re using an ics word in a general way (as a branch of study, say), it’s singular. If you’re using an ics word in a particular way (as someone’s set of beliefs, for example), it’s plural.”</p>
<p>“Politics stinks,” said Sonny.
“Sonny’s politics stink,” said gopher.
Statistics isn’t a very popular course.
The company’s statistics are often misleading.</p>
<ul>
<li>taken from Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English.</li>
</ul>