Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 20, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conjunctive Adverbs for Complete ContrastThere are two types of contrast that we can illustrate using conjunctive adverbs. One, known as "complete contrast," is when the two opposing things are total opposites. What conjunctive adjectives can be used to show complete contrast? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Death of MaratThe Death of Marat, painted by Jacques-Louis David, depicts the 1793 assassination of radical journalist and revolutionary activist Jean-Paul Marat and is one of the most famous images of the French Revolution. Marat was stabbed while writing in his bathtub, and his murderer's name is written on the paper he holds in the painting. David's representation of this scene is reminiscent of depictions of Christian martyrs in religious works. What is the political significance of this imagery? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 James Meredith Is Barred from the University of Mississippi (1962)After a US federal court ruled that colleges could not deny admission to qualified students on the basis of race, civil rights activist James Meredith prepared to enter the segregated University of Mississippi. On the day of Meredith's enrollment, Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett stood in the doorway of the admissions office, physically blocking Meredith's entry, and informed him that his application was denied. Ten days later, Meredith returned—with 500 federal marshals. What happened then? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Maxwell Perkins (1884)After joining the publishing firm of Charles Scribner's Sons, Perkins became an enormously well-regarded editor with a genius for recognizing and fostering new talent. Though best known for the intensive editorial work that shaped Thomas Wolfe's sprawling manuscripts into publishable form, he also edited and published early works by then-unknown writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Erskine Caldwell. How many words did Perkins persuade Wolfe to cut from his first novel? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Literally no man has more wholly outlived life than I. And still it's good fun.Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not get a wink of sleep— To not get any sleep. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Mothman Festival (2025)In 1966, the first sightings of a creature that came to be known as Mothman were first reported in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Since 2001, the Mothman Museum of Point Pleasant has sponsored the Mothman Festival. Those interested in the Mothman phenomena and in such paranormal topics as ghosts and UFOs gather in the town. Merchandise booths are set up along the town's main streets, and posters, books, T-shirts, and a host of other products are available. Music concerts are also held along the river. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: thiefjilt - A female accomplice to a thief. More... furtive - Someone who is furtive literally "carries things away like a thief." More... ferret - Its name comes from Latin furritus, "little thief"—alluding to the animal's affinity for stealing hens' eggs. More... thief - Has the underlying meaning of "crouching, furtive person." More... | |