PE 4/14 Jeff Bezos Speech – part 2

I have a vivid memory of what happened, and it was not what I expected. I expected to be applauded for my cleverness and arithmetic skill.

* vivid: producing strong feelings and mental images

ex> The new musical made a vivid impression on the audience.

“Jeff, you’re so smart. You had to have made some tricky estimates, figure out the number of minutes in a year and do some division.” That’s not what happened. Instead, my grandmother burst into tears. I sat in the backseat and did not know what to do.

* burst into tears: to begin crying suddenly

ex> Tina’s mom was so happy and surprised by the gift that she burst into tears.

While my grandmother sat crying, my grandfather, who had been driving in silence, pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway.

* pull over: to steer a vehicle toward the side of the road

ex> I thought the policeman was flashing his lights at me, so I pulled over.

My grandfather was a highly intelligent, quiet man. He had never said a harsh word to me, and maybe this was to be the first time?

* harsh: severe; extreme

= unkind; cruel; sharp

ex> The soldier received a harsh reprimand for leaving his post without permission.

You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.

* detriment: a state of being harmed or damaged

ex> Bob began to smoke even more heavily, to the detriment of his health.