“Here’s the principle reason he flunked the course.”
Many writers use the “my principal is my pal” trick to help distinguish between principal and principle. But that trick fails to cover the many different meanings of principal. When you finish this chapter, you’ll use the two words correctly.
Principle vs. Principal: An Overview
Many writers confuse principle and principal. The mistake will stand out like a sore thumb in your writing, for you can rest assured that many readers out there know the difference. Let’s explore the differences between these two words and straighten out the confusion.
No Common Meanings
First of all, consider this all-important fact: The two words share no common meanings. They are indeed as different as night and day.
Second of all, let’s discard that old approach we learned in grade school, the one about your principal being your pal. That trick does describe one of the definitions of principal, but only one. It helps not at all with understanding most definitions of principal.
Previous: Let’s fix the title of the chapter…
Next: The Word “Principle”
Grammar Tips & Articles »
Chapter 11 - “Principle” vs. “Principal”
This Grammar.com article is about Chapter 11 - “Principle” vs. “Principal” — enjoy your reading!
- 54 sec read
- 15,128 Views
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Chapter 11 - “Principle” vs. “Principal”." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Oct. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/chapter-11-principle-vs-principal>.
Have a discussion about this article with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In