Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, September 10, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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orifice
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conjugations of "Be"Linking verbs are used to describe the state of being of the subject of a clause. The verb "to be" is the most common linking verb. Unique among English verbs, "be" has eight different conjugations. Can you name them all? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Black Sea Deluge TheoryAlthough the hypothesis is actively debated by scientists, the Black Sea deluge theory posits that a catastrophic flood in about 5,600 BCE rapidly filled the Black Sea basin, inundating 60,000 sq miles (155,000 km²) of land with 10 cu miles (42 km³) of water per day during the event—or 200 times the amount that flows over Niagara Falls each day. The supposed deluge has even been connected with various great flood myths, including Noah's flood. Where did the floodwaters purportedly come from? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Empress Elizabeth of Austria Is Assassinated (1898)Renowned for her beauty, Elizabeth of Bavaria married her cousin, Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, but disliked the rigid etiquette of the Viennese court. She therefore spent much of her life wandering abroad. In 1898, an Italian anarchist stabbed the 60-year-old empress in the chest with a sharpened file while she was travelling in Geneva, killing her. Her domestic life is said to been an unhappy one, marred by family tragedies like the death of her only son in what sensational incident? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hilda Doolittle, AKA H.D. (1886)Born in Pennsylvania, Doolittle traveled to Europe in 1911 and stayed there the rest of her life. In England, under the influence of Ezra Pound, she became associated with the imagists and developed into one of the most original poets of the group. She combined classical themes with modernist techniques to create clear, impersonal, sensuous verse. Doolittle, who became an icon of the gay-rights and feminist movements after her death, was once involved in a love triangle with what other writers? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He is the best physician who is the most ingenious inspirer of hope.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lay (something) at the feet of (someone)— To make or hold someone, especially a group of people, responsible for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Joust of the Quintain (Giostra della Quintana) (2017)In the 17th century a tournament known as the Joust of the Quintain was held in Foligno, Perugia, Italy, to commemorate the equestrian exercises of the early Roman legionnaires. The tournament was revived in 1946, adhering as closely as possible to the original rules. Early Sunday morning there is a parade of people in Renaissance dress, accompanied by musicians and dancers. Ten "knights" representing the city's 10 districts gallop past the statue of Mars and try to remove the ring in its outstretched hand by spearing it with the tip of a lance. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: utterarrant - Means "complete, utter," as in arrant knave, "an extremely untrustworthy individual." More... explore - Comes from Latin, meaning "search out," from ex-, "out," and plorare, "utter a cry." More... whicker - To utter a half-suppressed laugh. More... yodel - From Bavarian jodln, "to utter the syllable jo (yo)." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Doctors thought she was psychotic, but her body was attacking her brainEmily Gavigan was convinced that a nearby truck was following her. Someone was after her. She was a sophomore at the University of Scranton in January 2009 when the "bizarre" behavior began, said her father, Bill. Her parents noticed that she had been ... More... | |