Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 18, 2022)Word of the Day | |||||||
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spurious
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Nominal AdjectivesWe know that adjectives are words that modify (or describe) nouns. Nominal adjectives, on the other hand, are adjectives that perform the function of a noun in a sentence. They are preceded by the word "the" and can be found as the subject or the object of a sentence or clause. What are some examples of nominal adjectives? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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SiriusSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Located in the constellation Canis Major, it is one of the stars nearest to Earth. Because Sirius appears to follow at the heels of Orion the hunter, it is often called the "Dog Star." Many cultures have attached special significance to Sirius. Ancient Egyptians equated it with the goddess Sopdet, while the ancient Romans associated its rising at dawn with the hottest part of the year—the "dog days." What controversies has Sirius inspired? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Jackie Cochran: First Woman to Break Sound Barrier (1953)A pioneering American aviator, Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier and, in 1961, to fly at twice that speed. She was also the first woman to fly in the Bendix transcontinental race, which she won in 1938, a few years after her initial attempt. During WWII, she trained female transport pilots in the British and US Air Force auxiliaries and became the first woman to pilot a bomber across the Atlantic. A successful entrepreneur, Cochran learned to fly to promote her line of what? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Omar Khayyám (1048)Khayyám was a Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer. The details of his life are mostly conjectural, but he is known to have been a celebrated mathematician of his time. Yet, he is now best known for his Rubaiyat, a collection of epigrammatic verse quatrains whose hedonism often masks serious metaphysical reflections. It was little known in Europe until Edward FitzGerald's loose English translations were published in 1859. What does the name Khayyám indicate about his lineage? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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Abstain and enjoy. Aesop (620 BC-560 BC) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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abstract idea— An idea or thought that is intangible or outside the constraints or possibilities of the real world. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Haiti Flag and University Day (2023)National unity is a primary theme of Flag and University Day in Haiti, an independence celebration and an occasion to recognize the country's educational system. Flag Day became an annual celebration shortly after Catherine Flon sewed the first red and blue flag in 1803, a year before Haiti won its independence from France. The government incorporated University Day as part of the celebration in 1919. Haitians wave flags throughout the day's parades and fairs, which take place throughout Haiti as well as in New York and Miami, two cities with large Haitian communities. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: polishedfacetious - Originally meant "having polished or urbane manners," and, along with sequoia, uses all five vowels. More... nitid - A word for "bright, shining, polished, glossy." More... polite - Actually meant "polished" or "burnished" when it came into English. More... urban, urbane - Urban refers to a city; urbane means polished and smooth, as in a person's demeanor. More... |