The words principle and principal?are pronounced in the same way but they do not have the same meaning.

這兩個詞principle和principal讀音相似，但是這兩個詞的含義不同。

Principle is normally used as a noun meaning ‘a(chǎn) fundamental basis of a system of thought or belief’, as in:

Principle一般作名詞用，表示“一種思想體系中的基本原理或原則”，比如：

This is one of the basic principles of democracy.

這是民主主義的基本原則之一。

Principal, on the other hand, is normally an adjective meaning ‘main or most important’, as in:

另一方面，Principal常被用作形容詞，表示“主要的或最重要的”，比如：

one of the country’s principal cities

這個國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同樣可以用作名詞，用來指組織或者團體中最高等或者最重要的人，比如“副校長”。Principal同樣也可以用來指“一定量用來投資或借貸的錢（這部分錢需要支付利息）“，比如“貸款的本金”

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小練習：

1.Land, (labor) and capital are the three ____ factors of production.

principal ??principle

2.These machines work on the same ____.

principal ??principle

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答案：principal ；principle

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