Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, July 23, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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scathing
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Participle Phrases in Initial PositionWhere a participle phrase appears in a sentence changes the way we punctuate it, as does its importance to the meaning of the sentence as a whole. When a participle phrase occurs in the initial position, how is it usually separated from the rest of the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Jade Burial SuitsConsidered a mere myth by archaeologists for years, the use of jade burial suits among wealthy Han Dynasty nobles was proved in 1968 with the discovery of two complete suits in tombs in China's northern province of Hebei. Belonging to Chinese prince Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan, the ceremonial burial suits were constructed using 2,498 plates of solid jade and 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) of gold wire. Experts now believe the practice was fairly common. What other wire materials were used? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Egyptian Revolution of 1952 Begins (1952)The Egyptian Revolution was a coup d'état led by a group of army officers that overthrew Egypt's King Farouk I. Organized by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the "Free Officers Movement" decried the Egyptian monarchy as corrupt, pro-British, and ineffective and was incensed by Egypt's defeat in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Days after the coup began, Farouk abdicated and General Muhammad Naguib took over as leader of Egypt. The monarchy was later abolished, and a republic was declared. What became of the king? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Emil Jannings (1884)Jannings was an acclaimed silent film actor who, in 1929, won an Academy Award for best actor—becoming the first person presented with an Oscar. He earned the award for his performances in two films, one of which, The Way of All Flesh, is now considered a "lost film" since no copies of it are known to exist. The advent of sound in film effectively ended his Hollywood career, as he had a thick German accent. What scandalous association doomed any chance he later had of making a comeback? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When you are young you take the kindness people show you as your right.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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which way the wind blows— What appears probable or likely; how a certain course or situation is likely to develop. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Minneapolis Aquatennial Festival (2020)The Aquatennial Festival that takes place in Minneapolis is not only a celebration of summer, but of the region's many rivers and lakes as well. Of the nearly 50 events in the festival, one of the most popular is the Milk Carton Boat Race, a competition for vessels made entirely from milk cartons. First held in 1940, the Aquatennial Festival also features such events as the evening Torchlight Parade and the Grande Day Parade, a sand castle competition, a sailing regatta, a triathlon, and a fireworks display. More than 800,000 people attend the 10-day annual festival. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: robbribe - From Old French, it was originally a piece of bread given to beggars; the original sense of bribe is "extort, rob." More... clip joint - Based on clip, meaning "swindle, rob." More... pilfer - Originally, pilfering was a serious matter, synonymous with plundering, but it came to mean "stealing small things"; its source was Anglo-Norman pelfrer, "plunder, rob." More... plunder - Etymologically, it means "rob of household goods," from Dutch plunde/plunne, "household goods." More... | |