零基础学英语：principal & principle词汇辨析

英语自学网

　　The words principle and principal are pronounced in the same way but they
do not have the same meaning.
        　　这两个词principle和principal读音相似，但是这两个词的含义不同。
        　　Principle is normally used as a noun meaning ‘a fundamental basis of a
system of thought or belief’, as in:
        　　Principle一般作名词用，表示“一种思想体系中的基本原理或原则”，比如：
        　　This is one of the basic principles of democracy.
        　　这是民主主义的基本原则之一。
        　　Principal, on the other hand, is normally an adjective meaning ‘main or
most important’, as in:
        　　另一方面，Principal常被用作形容词，表示“主要的或最重要的”，比如：
        　　one of the country’s principal cities
        　　这个国家最重要的城市之一
        　　Principal can also be a noun, where it is used to refer to the most senior
or most important person in an organization or other group, such as ‘the deputy
principal’. It may also refer to a sum of money lent or invested, on which
interest is paid, such as in 'the principal on the loan'.
        　　Principal同样可以用作名词，用来指组织或者团体中最高等或者最重要的人，比如“副校长”。Principal同样也可以用来指“一定量用来投资或借贷的钱(这部分钱需要支付利息)“，比如“贷款的本金”
        　　小练习：
        　　1.Land, (labor) and capital are the three ____ factors of production.
        　　principal principle
        　　2.These machines work on the same ____.
        　　principal principle
        　　答案：principal ;principle