‘Principal’ or ‘Principle’?

pencils on desk in school office 8088

Principal as an adjective meaning “most important.” As a noun, it refers to someone in a leadership position, or chief executive officer of a school. Rule, on the other hand, can only be a noun, referring to a “fundamental truth,” a “rule or law,” or a “fundamental quality that drives one’s behavior” (as in “following the principle of of a person”). To help separate these words, remember: the principal is your “best friend.”

pencil on desk in school office

Report it to the lexicographer’s office.

Every manual, every spell-reading handbook, and about every eight web pages in general has a page with some kind of encouragement to avoid confusion. principal And rule, but people still frequently misuse these two words. Attempts to distinguish between them include both silly and serious mnemonics, detailed explanations of etymology and parts of speech, and various forms of mockery.

Meaning of ‘Principal’

Both these words are of Latin origin and have similar histories. Each can act as a noun, but only principal also functions as an adjective. Principal, as an adjective, usually means “most important, most important, or most influential” (such as in “the main ingredient of the dish, unfortunately, is anchovies”). When found as a noun, principal have more meanings, including “person who has control or is in a position of leadership,” “executive director of an educational institution,” “top performer,” or “the amount of capital that earns interest.” “.

Meaning of ‘Principle’

Rule also has many possible meanings as a noun. These include “general or fundamental truths,” “laws that govern behavior,” and “latent or fundamental qualities that motivate behavior or other activities” (as in “principles of nature”). human nature such as greed and curiosity”). Again, rule other than principal not only in meaning, but also in that it doesn’t work as an adjective (have principle is the adjective form of rule).

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Misuse

We’ll now take a moment to point out some examples of misuse of these words by highly regarded publications, just to help you feel better about making the same mistakes yourself. .

I think Maigret’s main job is to find out why that happened, why she killed him, why it needed to go that far.— Chicago CourtJuly 10, 2002

In an effort to understand the current market volatility, I go back to some historical events and review some of the fundamentals of investing.— San Francisco JudgeAugust 25, 2007

It works on the simple principle that the liquid always finds its own level.— New York TimesJanuary 21, 2001

How to remember the difference

Next, we will provide a short list of some mnemonics that have been shown to be helpful in remembering the difference between these words.

first. The principal is my friend. This serves to remind you that principal could be a real person who could be your friend.

2. The principal is not my friend… I hate this man to the core of my being, and consider him a festering pustule in the filthy belly of the education system.. This serves to remind you that principal could be a real person who might not be your friend.

3. Rules, like rules, end with “le”. This serves to remind you that rule And rule both end in le.

4. Principals have an A at the end and an adjective with an A at the beginning. This serves to remind you that principal can function as a noun or an adjective, while rule can only function as a noun.

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5. The principal has an A at the end, and the spelling is quite similar to the third word of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton’s three-volume work, considered by many to be one of the major mathematical treatises of the past few hundred years. . This reminds us that Isaac Newton was fluent in Latin.

6. Principle (meaning ‘code’ or ‘law’) is spelled differently than principal (meaning ‘most important’ or ‘person or thing of great importance’). This is meant to remind us that these are two different words, with different spellings and meanings. It also serves to illustrate that different mnemonics work differently for different people, and that you should find what works for you without considering what works for others. It also serves to illustrate the fact that we all have some difficulty with some aspect of the English language (some of us confuse principals & principleswhile others mix up entertainment & bemuse), and these minor spelling problems shouldn’t be too serious or worrying.

Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn

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