Word of the Day: Grade
The word “grade” is an important word to know when talking about education in the United States.
Report cards show students’ progress with a grading system.
| grade | percentage | value |
|---|---|---|
|
A
|
90 – 100%
|
excellent
|
|
B
|
80 – 89%
|
good
|
|
C
|
70 – 79%
|
average
|
|
D
|
60 – 69%
|
poor
|
|
F
|
below 59%
|
fail
|
|
I
|
0
|
incomplete
|
- Bernie’s teacher gave him a C on his report card for the subject of math. He’s not very happy with that grade.
- Vanessa earned an A+ on her test. She got every answer correct. She’s happy with that grade.
- Students who receive failing grades have to repeat the class.
- Some teachers are hard graders. They make their students work hard for good grades.
The word “grade” is also used as a noun when talking about the level at which a student is attending school. Grades generally correspond to age:
- Tina is in first grade. She’s six years old. She’s a first grader.
- Bill is in second grade. He’s seven years old. He’s a second grader.
- The students in Miss Jackson’s class are third graders. Most of them are eight years old. Miss Jackson has been teaching third grade for the last two years.
- I used to teach eleventh grade English. Most of my students were 16 or 17 years old.
The word “grade” can also be used to indicate the steepness of a hill or a mountain.
- Truck drivers must pay strict attention to highway grades, especially when the roads are covered with snow or ice.
- Drivers approaching this hill must be very careful because of the steep grade.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with G page to see the list of all words starting with letter G. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.