Meaning & use
intermediate grades
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Meanings
nounpluralAmerican
the school years between elementary and high school, roughly grades 4 to 8.
Grammar: Almost always used with 'the' and a plural verb: 'The intermediate grades are ...'. Not used for a single class.
Patterns
- the intermediate grades
- teach in the intermediate grades
- students in the intermediate grades
She moved from teaching first grade to teaching in the intermediate grades.
Reading scores in the intermediate grades improved after the new program began.
Many districts split the intermediate grades into two buildings.
nounplural
the middle level of a graded course or training program, between beginner and advanced.
Grammar: Used for course levels rather than school years; often written as 'intermediate grades' on exam or textbook covers.
Patterns
- the intermediate grades of a course
- at the intermediate grades
At the intermediate grades, students start writing longer essays.
The textbook series has beginner, intermediate grades, and advanced levels.
Common combinations
- teach the intermediate grades
- He has taught the intermediate grades for ten years.
- students in the intermediate grades
- Students in the intermediate grades read more complex texts.
- intermediate grade level
- This book is aimed at the intermediate grade level.
- transition to the intermediate grades
- The transition to the intermediate grades can be hard for some children.
Synonyms and how they differ
- middle school
- The usual everyday American term for the same years; 'intermediate grades' sounds more formal and appears mostly in education reports.
- junior high
- An older American term for grades 7–9; it covers a slightly older group than the intermediate grades usually do.
Opposites
Word family
- intermediate adjective
- coming between two levels or stages.
- grade noun
- a level or year in school, or a mark for work.
Commonly confused: intermediate grades or middle grades?
intermediate grades vs middle grades
A very close synonym used in American education; 'intermediate grades' is slightly more formal and less common in speech.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'intermediate grades' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'The intermediate grades' is a plural noun phrase for a stage of schooling, so it takes a plural verb like 'are'. Option 1 is wrong because a single mark is 'a grade'; option 3 misuses it for one person; option 4 uses a singular verb with a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intermediate grades”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.