Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, March 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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clepsydra
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Declension with AdverbsWe can inflect adverbs when we want to compare the degree to which two actions are performed (comparative adverbs), or to identify the highest degree of how an action is performed (superlative adverbs). What is the progression of inflection for adverbs known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Divine Right of KingsThe divine right of kings is the belief that kings derive their right to rule by the will of God—regardless of the approval of any earthly authority. According to this doctrine, the king's authority is inherited from his ancestors, whom God appointed to rule. Because such a king answers only to God, resistance to him is seen as sinful. James I of England strongly promoted the concept in the early 1600s, and the coronation ceremony for British monarchs still contains what hints of the doctrine? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Collinwood School Fire (1908)In one of the deadliest disasters of its kind in the United States, 172 children and three adults were killed when an elementary school caught fire in Collinwood, Ohio. Though the building's doors opened outward, they were fitted with regular door latches instead of panic bars, which hindered the evacuation. As the conflagration rapidly spread, many children became trapped. Within two years of the disaster, residents of Collinwood voted to make what dramatic change to their community? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jack Sheppard (1702)A popular English criminal who served as the basis for the character Macheath in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, Sheppard was arrested and imprisoned five times in 1724 alone. The first four times, he escaped. The fifth time, he was executed. Because his crimes were all non-violent, he was well liked, especially by the lower classes, and he became a fixture in the folklore of the era. His execution resembled a party, with the 22-year-old stopping to do what on his way to the gallows? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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laze about— To relax or spend time idly; to do nothing or very little. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Omizutori Matsuri (2021)Omizutori Matsuri is marked by religious rites that have been observed for 12 centuries at the Buddhist Todaiji Temple in the city of Nara, Japan. During this period of meditative rituals in the first two weeks of March, the drone of recited sutras and the sound of blowing conchs echo from the temple. On March 12, young monks on the temple gallery brandish burning pine-branches, shaking off burning pieces. Spectators below try to catch the sparks, believing they have magic power against evil. On March 13, the ceremony of drawing water is observed to the accompaniment of ancient music. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: horrorhorrible, horror, horrid - Horrible, horror, and horrid are from Latin horrere, "stand on end" (hair) or "tremble, shudder," and the original sense of horrid was "bristly, shaggy, rough." More... horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid - In decreasing degree of horror: horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid. More... pant - The shock that makes you "gasp" is behind the word pant, from Latin phantasiare, "gasp in horror." More... terror, horror - Terror is stronger than horror, though it usually lasts for a shorter time. More... | |