Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 18, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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browbeat
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Noun ClausesA noun clause is a type of dependent clause that is able to function grammatically like a noun in a sentence. What words most commonly begin a noun clause? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Human MailTraveling by mail is both dangerous and illegal, yet several people throughout history braved the risks anyway. One famous case was that of Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped slavery in 1849 by shipping himself to an area of the US where slavery had been outlawed. Just a few years ago, a man escaped a German prison by mail. Though it is fairly rare in actuality, scenarios involving human mail frequently appear in works of fiction. What children's book features a protagonist who travels by mail? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Priest Urbain Grandier Burned at the Stake for Witchcraft (1634)Grandier was a 17th-century French Catholic priest who was accused of bewitching the nuns of the Ursuline convent. Although he was acquitted by an ecclesiastical council, Grandier had published scathing criticisms of Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister and virtual ruler of France, who arranged to have him re-tried. Accused of having entered a pact with the devil, Grandier was tortured, found guilty, and burned at the stake. What was presented as evidence of the Grandier's diabolical pact? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Virginia Dare (1587)The first English child born in the Americas, Dare began her life in the colony of Roanoke in what is now the state of North Carolina. Strangely, the colony soon disappeared, and what became of Dare and the other colonists remains a mystery. In the 400 years since, Dare has become a prominent figure in American mythology and folklore. To many, she represents concepts like innocence and hope. Others use her name as a rallying cry for bigotry and sexism. How do historians know about her birth? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Circus, n.: A place where horses, ponies and elephants are permitted to see men, women, and children acting the fool.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hangdog look— A self-pitying expression of abjection, defeat, shame, or guilt. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gabon Independence Day (2023)Gabon gained official independence from France on August 17, 1960, after more than a century of domination. August 17 is a public holiday, but celebrations often extend to the days before and after Independence Day, with parades and dancing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: problemslife coach - An advisor who helps people with problems, decisions, and goal attainment in daily life. More... empathy, sympathy - Empathy denotes a deep emotional understanding of another's feelings or problems, while sympathy is more general and can apply to small annoyances or setbacks. More... gravity - Comes from Latin gravitas, from gravis, "heavy, important"—and it can apply to situations and problems as well as to people. More... insoluble - Can be applied to problems that cannot be solved as well as substances that will not dissolve in liquids. More... | |