Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
PRINCIPAL / PRINCIPLE
The word principal, which can serve as either a noun or an adjective, contains the idea of the main, or most important, one. In America, the head administrator of a school is often called the principal.
When I was in elementary school, teachers tried to help us remember how to spell that word by telling us that the principal was our pal. While some kids might not have agreed with that statement, it nonetheless helped us with our spelling.
But the noun principal has other meanings unrelated to school. An actor who has a speaking part in a movie is considered to be a principal in that movie. You may also speak of the principals (we’re talking people here) of a business firm.
The word can also be used as an adjective, as in the principal reason I have called this meeting or the principal ingredient in this recipe, which have to do with the main reason or ingredient.
The noun principle, on the other hand, can mean a fundamental truth, something one might encounter while studying physics, or a governing law of conduct as relates to morality.
The principal point I want to make is that my school principal was a man of principle and, on principle, would never support a textbook that would argue against any known scientific principle.
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