Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 16, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unperturbed
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Predicate Pronouns and CaseWe commonly use personal pronouns in the possessive case predicatively. When pronouns that are not possessive are used predicatively, the conventional rule is to put them in the subjective case rather than the objective case. What is the only thing that pronouns in the objective case should be used as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Pyramid of CestiusOne of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome, the Pyramid of Cestius was built circa 12 BCE as a tomb for magistrate Gaius Cestius Epulo. Constructed of brick-faced concrete covered with slabs of white marble, the pyramid stood at a fork between two ancient roads and was later incorporated into the Aurelian Walls, built around 271 CE to fortify the city. The origins of the pyramid were forgotten during the Middle Ages, and later Romans mistakenly concluded that the tomb belonged to whom? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 LSD Is First Synthesized by Swiss Chemist Albert Hofmann (1938)Ergot, a toxic fungus that grows on rye, can cause spasms and hallucinations if accidentally ingested. In 1938, Hofmann was researching potentially useful derivatives of ergot when he first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). However, he did not discover its hallucinogenic properties until five years later, when he accidentally absorbed some of the substance through his fingertips. In 1947, his laboratory introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug. What is "Bicycle Day"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George Simon Kaufman (1889)Kaufman was an American dramatist and humorist who co-wrote more than 40 plays, many of which became tremendously successful. His collaboration with Moss Hart produced such plays as Once in a Lifetime and You Can't Take It With You, and he also worked on the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera. Kaufman was also an influential drama critic for New York newspapers and was known for his caustic wit. What did he once suggest as a way to avoid crowds during a flu epidemic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 How great would be the desire in every admirer of nature to behold, if such were possible, the scenery of another planet!Charles Darwin (1809-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be a different kettle of fish— To be entirely different in scope or description from someone or something that was just being discussed. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Plebeian Games (2020)The Roman leader Flaminius is thought to have instituted the Plebeian Games in 220 BCE. They originally may have been held in the Circus Flaminius, which he built. Later, they may have moved to the Circus Maximus, a huge open arena between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The Games were dedicated to Jupiter, one of whose feast days was November 13, and included horse and chariot races and contests that involved running, boxing and wrestling. The first nine days of the festival (November 4-12) were devoted to theatrical performances. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: manuscriptacephalous - A manuscript lacking a beginning could be called acephalous. More... autograph - Comes from Greek, then Latin autographum, meaning "self-written"; it originally meant "author's own manuscript." More... manuscript - Originally an adjective meaning "written by hand"; manuscript can refer to a handwritten piece of music. More... palimpsest - Can describe a manuscript or writing surface that has been reused, erased, or altered while retaining traces of its earlier form—and, by extension, an object, place, or area that reflects its history. More... | |