J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement

Classics

Classics is the study of the languages, culture, history and thought of the civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome. It is one of the most varied and interdisciplinary of all subjects. Featuring a wide range of options, the course offers the opportunity to study literature (epic, drama, historical writing, and much else), the history and archaeology of the Greek and Roman Mediterranean, philosophy (both ancient and modern), and linguistics.

commencement

a ceremony during which degrees or diplomas are given to students who have graduated from a school or college

ruby

a deep red stone that is used in jewelry. ["I found out I had friends whose value was truly above the price of ___."]

account

a description of an event or situation: a story or report about something. ["personal/firsthand/eyewitness accounts from the war"]

agoraphobia

a fear of being in open or public places

address

a formal speech. ["She was asked to give/deliver a formal ___ at the ceremony."]

anvil

a heavy iron block on which heated metal is shaped by hitting it with a hammer

setback

a problem that makes progress more difficult or success more likely. ["Despite some early ___, they eventually became a successful company."]

knack

an ability, talent, or special skill needed to do something. ["They have a ___ for telling interesting stories."]

quirck

an unusual habit or way of behaving.

ultimately

at the end of a process, period of time, etc. ["He ___ (=finally, eventually) agreed to the deal."]

wholly

completely or fully

inadvertently

doing something without realizing or wanting to; unintentionally

hasty

done or made very quickly. ["We don't want to make any ___ decisions."]

giddy

extremely happy and excited

quixotic

hopeful or romantic in a way that is not practical. ["They had ___ dreams/visions about the future."]

when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.

in order to make a bunch of money/to get a great job with all the perks and benefits like a private bathroom and a jet.

to slip off

live quickly and quietly. ["She ___ to go see her boyfriend before her parents could protest."]

lone

not having a partner (such as a husband or wife). [ a ___ father/mother/parent"]

inessential

not needed: not essential. ["Failure meant a stripping away of the ___."]

humble

not proud: not thinking of yourself as better than other people. ["Despite all his achievements, he has remained humble."]

unruffled

not upset or disturbed

hardship

pain and suffering

willful

refusing to change your ideas or opinions or to stop doing something

paradox

something, such as a situation, that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible. ["It is a paradox that computers need maintenance so often, since they are meant to save people time."]

caprice

sudden change of behavior.

outspoken

talking in a free and honest way about your opinions. ["My father was an outspoken critic of the war."]

vicissitudes

the many changes or problems that happen over time.

temerity

the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger or punishment especially in a way that seems rude or foolish. ["No one has the temerity (=audacity) to disagree with her."]

contentment

the state of being happy and satisfied: the state of being content; [He believes that people can find peace and ___ in living simply."] ["There was a look of perfect ___ on her face."]

to attain

to accomplish and achieve something. to succeed in getting or doing something. ["She refused to let the injury keep her from ___ her goal of being in the Olympics."] ["Failure gave me an inner security that I had never ___ by passing examinations."]

to steer

to control the direction in which something, such as a ship, car, or airplane, moves

to shatter

to damage something very badly. ["His dreams were ___ by their rejection."]

to come out ahead

to end up with a profit, benefit, or advantage

to endure

to experience pain or suffering for a long time. ["He ___ five years as a prisoner of war."]

strike a balance

to find a satisfactory compromise between two extremes.

to ditch

to get rid of something

to inoculate

to give a person or animal a weakened form of a disease in order to prevent infection by the disease; to vaccinate. ["All the children have been inoculated against smallpox."]

to scort

to go with someone or something to give protection or guidance. ["He escorted (=guided, led) me to the library upstairs."]

to entail

to have something as a part, step, or result. ["The procedure ___ (=carry) certain risks."]

to squint

to look at something with your eyes partly closed. ["She had ___ to read the small print."] ["They were squinting into the sun."]

to ennoble

to make someone or something better or more worthy of admiration. ["Poverty is not an ennobling experience."]

to extol

to praise someone or something highly. ["The health benefits of exercise are widely ___."]

to strip away

to remove something that covers a surface: to pull pieces of a covering away from a surface.

to scuttle

to run with quick steps, to hurry

to rack my mind

to search your mind, try very hard to think of something.

cast your mind back

to think about something that happened in the past, but which you might not remember very well, and to try to remember as much as possible.

to envision

to think of something that you believe might exist or happen in the future: to picture (something) in your mind. ["The inventor envisioned many uses for his creation.

to collude

to work with others secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest. ["He is accused of colluding with criminals."]

to scribble

to write something quickly and in a way that makes it difficult to read. ["Students ___ furiously as the professor lectured."]

petty

unimportant. ["Poverty means a thousand ___ humiliations and hardships."]

arguably

used to say that a statement is very possibly true even if it is not certainly true.

hard put

used to say that it is difficult to do something. ["He was ___ to describe their musical style."]

round the corner

very near here

exquisite

very sensitive or fine

uneasy

worried or unhappy about something