Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, June 24, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-assured
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Imperative SentencesWe use imperative sentences to give orders, commands, and general instructions. Such sentences are said to be in the Imperative Mood. What happens to the subject in an imperative sentence? 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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 Saint John of the Cross (1542)Saint John of the Cross was a Spanish mystic, poet, and monastic reformer. A Carmelite monk, he was ordained a priest in 1567. The following year, he joined St. Teresa of Ávila in her effort to restore the Carmelites to their original austerity, cofounding the Discalced Carmelite order. He opened the first Discalced Carmelite monastery in 1569 and was imprisoned in 1577 for causing friction within the order. He escaped and later won high office in the order. What did he write while in prison? 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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a hill of beans— Something of little or no importance, value, or worth. 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: monkascetic - Pronounced uh-SET-ik, it is derived from Greek asketes, "monk, hermit." More... dean - Comes from Latin decanum, "chief of a group of ten," and Greek dekanos, "a monk or dignitary in charge of ten others." More... nun - Derived from Latin nonna, the feminine of nonnus, "monk," originally a title given to an elderly person. More... monk, friar - A monk stays in a monastery; a friar does not. More... | |