Principal or principle — Aptitude Question
Principal or principle: Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly: Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Synonyms & Antonyms
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 50 seconds
Question
Choose the sentence in which the word is used correctly:
Options
- The principle of the school addressed us.
- She refused on principal.
- Honesty is his guiding principle.
- The principle reason was cost.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: C. Honesty is his guiding principle.
Worked solution
- Principle = a rule or belief; principal = chief, or a school head.
- 'His guiding principle' correctly uses the noun meaning a belief.
- The other three swap the two words.
Answer: Honesty is his guiding principle.
The idea
Remember that the school head is your 'pal' — principAL. Everything else meaning a rule takes principLE.
Shortcut. Principle is only ever a noun meaning a rule or belief; a person, or an adjective meaning main, is always principal — so only 'guiding principle' survives.
Common trap. "The principle reason was cost." — 'principle reason' sounds like 'a reason of principle', but the adjective meaning main is principal.