Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CALIBER

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"CALIBER" ("CALIBRE" for our British friends) Meaning: The caliber of something is its level of quality or excellence, and the caliber of a person is his level of skill or ability. Pronunciation: CAL uh ber Part of speech: Often a countable noun. (Countable nouns, like “bottle,” “piece,” and “decision,” are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about “a bottle,” “three pieces,” and “many decisions.” Likewise, talk about the caliber of something, or multiple calibers, though that seems rare.) But you can also treat "caliber" as an uncountable noun, saying "such high caliber," "lower caliber," etc. Other forms: None How to use it: Talk about the caliber of something or someone, often to make comparisons: "We'd like to hear a higher caliber of jokes at the dinner table, please." "We need to hire a carpenter of a certain caliber." "You don't often meet a student of her caliber." "There are different calibers of schools even within a district." You can make hyphenated phrases to use as adjectives, like "high-caliber," "top-caliber," "low-caliber," "championship-caliber," "Olympic-caliber," "flagship-caliber" and so on, but they tend to get clunky--and you may be able to substitute a simpler word anyway, like "excellent" instead of "high-caliber." We appreciated the high caliber of healthcare in Houston, known for its world-class medical center and particularly effective cancer treatment facilities. I'm sure there are some diamonds in the rough there, but if you pay $5 for graphic design work on Fiverr.com, you're going to get results of a very low caliber. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "caliber" means when you can explain it without saying “degree of quality" or "level of competence." Think of something you'd like to get better at, and fill in the blanks: "I'd like to raise the caliber of _____, which _____." Example: "I'd like to raise the caliber of my home-improvement projects, which still end up with a lot of flaws." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don't go straight to the review now;let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're reviewing recently featured words with some activities created with my favorite vocabulary software: Vocabulary Worksheet Factory, made by Schoolhouse Technologies. It's a simple, flexible program that lets you input word lists and definitions, then create customized, fun worksheets for review. We're starting off with very easy activities, then working our way toward harder reviews throughout the month. From yesterday: View Answer: View Try this one today. It should seem difficult: View A Point Well Made: Howard Zinn: “History is instructive. And what it suggests to people is that even if they do little things, if they walk on the picket line, if they join a vigil, if they write a letter to their local newspaper. Anything they do, however small, becomes part of a much, much larger sort of flow of energy. And when enough people do enough things, however small they are, then change takes place.” 1. There isn't an opposite for CALIBER because A. the strength with which something is finished is irrelevant in judgments of its overall effectiveness B. the degree to which something is good is the same concept as the degree to which it is bad C. the power of literal ammunition is conceptually the same as the strength of verbal defenses 2. Looser admissions requirements could _____ the caliber of applicants. A. lower B. simplify C. encourage Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A