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

（编辑：何莹莹）