mark

Definitions

mark goes straight back to Old English mearc, a boundary and the visible sign set on it. Every modern sense radiates from 'a sign you can see and point to': a spot on a surface, a score on paper, a target to aim at, and as a verb, the act of leaving such a sign or of being one (a victory that marks the end of war).

Why It Means This

The thread tying mark's many meanings together is a single image: a visible sign. A spot on cloth, a score on an exam, a target an archer aims at, a milestone that 'marks' an era — all are something you can see and point to. The grade sense came from teachers literally putting a mark beside an answer; the 'commemorate' sense (mark an anniversary) is making the day stand out, as if drawing a line around it.

Common Collocations

• 1.leave a mark留下痕迹
• 2.make your mark做出成绩 / 闯出名堂
• 3.full marks满分
• 4.hit the mark正中目标
• 5.off the mark偏离目标 / 不准确
• 6.mark an occasion纪念某个场合

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The hot cup left a ring-shaped mark on the wooden table.

• 2.

  She got top marks in the maths exam this term.

• 3.

  Remember to mark the boxes you've already checked.

• 4.

  It takes the teacher hours to mark all the essays.

• 5.

  The ceremony marks the hundredth anniversary of the city.

Easily Confused

mark vs grade — In school both can mean a score, but mark is the British term (got 80 marks / good marks) and grade the American one (got an A grade). 'Grade' also means a level (grade 5), where mark never does.

Synonym Comparison