grit

Everyday

1. Tiny hard bits of stone or sand. tree →
2. Courage and determination to keep going when things are hard. tree →
3. To spread grit or salt on icy roads so they are less slippery (UK: gritting). tree →
4. Grit your teeth: to press your teeth together, or to bravely put up with something hard. tree →

In the lessons

In school «grit» is talked about as a good quality: not giving up, practising, bouncing back after mistakes (like a growth mindset). In science, grit and sand make up soil and are used in filters. In winter safety, roads and paths are gritted so people don't slip. In stories a gritty hero keeps going. Phrases: grit your teeth, show grit, true grit, grit lorry (UK), gritty.

Examples

• I got a bit of grit in my eye at the beach. tree →
• It takes grit to keep practising when it's hard. tree →
• She gritted her teeth and finished the race. tree →
• The council gritted the roads before the snow. tree →
• Rinse the grit off the vegetables. tree →
• Sandpaper has fine grit on one side. tree →
• With grit and hard work, he learned to swim. tree →
• Feel where she would, there was nothing but grit and stones, when, suddenly, her fingers touched something soft in a crevice. tree →

Note

«Grit» is uncountable: some grit, a bit of grit. Past: gritted. «Grits» (plural) in the southern USA is a porridge made from ground corn.