Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, June 24, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Subject-Verb Agreement with Uncountable NounsBecause uncountable nouns cannot be plural, it is very important to use the correct subject-verb agreement. What form of a verb must uncountable nouns take? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Cottingley FairiesIn the early 20th century, cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths created a series of photographs in which they were seen interacting with what appear to be fairies. The images provoked heated debate and even gained the attention of famed Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who championed their authenticity. Though the women initially claimed the fairies were real, they finally admitted otherwise in 1981. Even then, Griffiths insisted that one image was genuine. Which one? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 (1945)A month and a half after Nazi Germany surrendered to the USSR, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin ordered a celebratory parade through Moscow's Red Square. Thousands of troops from different regiments and fronts participated, accompanied by tanks and other military equipment. At one point, war veterans memorably threw down hundreds of Nazi banners at the foot of Lenin's mausoleum. According to legend, Stalin had initially planned to participate in the parade but changed his mind after what accident? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henry Ward Beecher (1813)Beecher became one of the most famous and influential American ministers of his time for his advocacy of an emotional "gospel of love" Christianity. Every important issue of the day was discussed from his pulpit and in his lectures. He was a leader in the antislavery movement, a proponent of women's suffrage, and an advocate of the theory of evolution. In 1874, however, he became the subject of a sensational adultery trial for an alleged affair with Elizabeth Tilton. What was the verdict? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Insensible as he is to a thousand wants, and removed from harassing cares, may not the savage be the happier man of the two?Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not your father's— Very modern or updated; no longer what an older generation would expect or be used to. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Encaenia Day (Oxford) (2020)In general terms, encaenia refers to the festivities celebrating the founding of a city or the dedication of a church. But in Oxford, England, Encaenia Day—sometimes referred to as Commemoration Day—is the day at the end of the summer term when the founders and benefactors of Oxford University are commemorated and honorary degrees are awarded to distinguished men and women. The ceremonies take place in the Sheldonian Theatre, built between 1664-68, which offers an exceptional view from its cupola of Oxford's spires and gargoyles. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: vaporatmosphere - Derives from Greek atmos, "vapor," and sphaira, "globe," and is literally "ball of vapor." More... brume, brumous - Brume is a poetic term meaning "mist, fog, or vapor"; brumous means "foggy." More... damp - The noun first meant "vapor, steam," or "smoke"—especially that which was harmful or noxious. More... transpire - Had an early sense of "emit as vapor through the surface"—from trans-, "through," and spirare, "breathe." More... | |