While some may lie, others believe it is against their principles to fib. It also pertains to standard or legal rules, codes or laws.Īlthough many questioned his motives, Hector stuck to his principles. As far as its meaning, principle usually refers to a belief or moral rule that helps you know what is right and wrong. The word principle is actually a bit easier to use since, unlike principal, which is both a noun and adjective, principle is only a noun. However, the bond will be redeemed for its principal amount once he makes a profit. “The dollar is currently the principal reserve currency in the world.” – Robert C. The banker told me that the payments will be applied to the interest first, and then to the principal. One of the uses of the word principal, which often times brings problems to people, is when it is used in reference to the original sum of money invested. It does so because it is saying that the invasion of Poland by Hitler, was the primary reason why World War 2 began.
Hitler’s invasion of Poland is widely viewed as the principal cause of World War 2.Īs you can see in the last sentence, the word ‘principal’ actually modifies the word cause. Vegetables are considered the principal ingredients in most soups. When used as an adjective though, the word ‘principal’ is basically the same as ‘primary’, ‘chief’ or ‘leading.’ The principal suspect in the armed robbery was caught 2 days ago. It can also be used when attributing it to the primary suspect or participant in a crime. The principal of my high school is named Mr. Since it is both an adjective and a noun, choosing between the two largely depends on its usage. The word principal, is often used when referring to the head of a school or some other organization. You may also want to read about the Who or Whom Grammar Rules Luckily, there are some tricks and tips you can use to help you remember which one to choose from and use.
Words such as ‘right’, ‘rite’ and ‘write’ or ‘to’, ‘too’, and ‘two’ are just some, in a long list of homonyms. There are many words that fall into this category. Words such as these are called ‘homophones.’ For many students and writers, these words tend to cause headaches and often lead to grammar errors. The English language has many similar sounding words. So how can you tell which to use between principle and principal? Let us examine this grammar rule to see the best way to help you make that decision. While both have totally different meanings, they sound identical when pronounced. This grammar rule issue applies to the words principle and principal. Often times, people have a hard time deciding which of the words to choose or use. When it comes to words that sound the same or are almost identical in spelling, they can be very confusing.