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I had the honour to "say" the oath in our graduation ceremony, since I was 1st in the rank. Now, I want to include that in my CV that information. What verb should I use?

"Told the oath in graduation ceremony", is what I thought, but the verb does not sound right, does it?

In the dictionary, I found the verb take, which is not what I want, because every student actually takes the oath, but only the top one "tells" it.

Recite and administer are best (IMHO) words suggested in the comments. Either you may argue for one of them over the other, or suggest something else.

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  • I did search on a dictionary, but I am not sure what to search for, so I couldn't find anything good @MarvMills. Maybe because I am Greek, I do not understand what you mean by a thesaurus.
    – gsamaras
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 12:33
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    ODO on oath shows take and swear are commonly used. Please include your research in the question.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 12:34
  • I did now @AndrewLeach, but my question is closed. However, the answer lies in Marv's comment. Thanks for the thesaurus too, it's really a thesaurus! ;)
    – gsamaras
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 12:39
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    I would further suggest deliver or (per Ozdic) administer.
    – Brian Donovan
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 12:45
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    As I'm sure Marv would / will agree, a thesaurus doesn't give you which member of a set of synonyms (say verbs) is usually paired with a given noun say. For collocations (idiomatic pairings), you usually need a dictionary of collocations.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 12:46

4 Answers 4

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You could use 'recite'

verb (used with object), recited, reciting.

1 to repeat the words of, as from memory, especially in a formal manner: to recite a lesson

2 to repeat (a piece of poetry or prose) before an audience, as for entertainment

www.dictionary.com

...or perhaps 'proclaim' if the occasion is ceremonial.

verb (used with object)

1 to announce or declare in an official or formal manner: to proclaim war

2 to announce or declare in an open or ostentatious way: to proclaim one's opinions

www.dictionary.com

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Maybe you are leading the oath. Sort of like administer, but it is clearer that you are taking the oath, too.

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  • That's a useful answer too, +1.
    – gsamaras
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 13:40
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As someone who has read a lot of CVs, I have to say that I would be puzzled by this entry about the oath. Unless you are sure that your audience will understand what an honor this is, I suggest that you say: "Graduated first in my class at X". (I'm not suggesting you say you were the valedictorian, because it seems clear from your post that you did not deliver a valedictory address.) It is a good idea to have several CVs, each geared to the job you are applying for or the person who will be reading it. This is in no way dishonest, and is common among savvy job-seekers. This isn't a technical answer, but I hope it is a helpful one.

["Valedictorian is an academic title used in the USA, Canada, Costa Rica and the Philippines for the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony (called a valedictory). The chosen valedictorian is usually the student with the highest ranking among his/her graduating class."]

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  • It is helpful for sure. Well, I see your point. I will think about it.
    – gsamaras
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 21:38
  • One more data point to support this answer: I would not have understood the significance of saying the oath if you hadn't explained that it means you ranked first in your class. The ranking, not the oath, is the important information that you want your CV to convey.
    – Andreas Blass
    Commented Jul 18, 2015 at 4:13
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deliver the oath according to a dialog into the zootopia movie

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  • I see Zootopia, I hit +1!
    – gsamaras
    Commented Mar 30, 2020 at 19:13
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    Zootopia is not an authority on the English language. Do you have any reputable references to back up this answer?
    – CJ Dennis
    Commented Mar 31, 2020 at 1:34
  • Deliver is fine: The Daily Telegraph 23 Jan 2009 (telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/4319001/…) "Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the oath to Mr Obama at the White House on Wednesday night, this time witnessed by a few members of staff and reporters, rather than the 1.8 million on Washington's National Mall who had watched the bungled version the previous day."
    – Greybeard
    Commented Apr 5, 2020 at 21:35

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