Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ballyhoo
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Short vs. Long AdverbsIf we use more than one adverb to describe a verb, there is a general order in which the different categories of adverbs should appear. However, an adverb's length can also impact where it is placed in a sentence. Do short adverbs or long adverbs tend to be positioned first? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 OcherAmong the earliest pigments used by mankind, ocher has a yellow-orange to orange color and is made of varying proportions of iron oxide and clay. The world's first known works of art, found in South Africa’s Blombos Cave and dated to 75,000 years ago, consist of ocher pieces engraved with abstract designs, and Cro-Magnon artists living about 10,000 to 40,000 years ago used ocher in their cave paintings. The 2nd-century BCE Egyptian Ebers Papyrus lists what non-artistic use for ocher? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sir Francis Drake Begins Circumnavigation of the Globe (1577)Drake, an English buccaneer and navigator, set out in 1577 with five ships to raid Spanish holdings on the Pacific coast of the New World. After abandoning two ships, he navigated the Straits of Magellan with the remaining three, becoming the first Englishman to do so. Another ship was destroyed in a storm, and a fourth returned to England, but Drake continued alone up the coast of S America, crossed the Pacific, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived in England in 1580. How was he rewarded? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Talcott Parsons (1902)From 1927 until his retirement in 1974, Parsons, an American sociologist, trained three generations of students at Harvard University. He was known for his attempt to construct a single theoretical framework within which general and specific characteristics of societies could be systematically classified and was largely responsible for introducing the work of Émile Durkheim and Max Weber to American sociologists. Why was Parsons considered one of the most controversial sociologists in the world? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is impossible for good or evil to last for ever; and hence it follows that the evil having lasted long, the good must be now nigh at hand.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go off in a huff— To leave in an angry, belligerent, or vexed mood. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Malta Republic Day (2019)On September 21, 1964, Malta was granted its independence from Britain. According to its constitution, Queen Elizabeth II would initially serve as the supreme leader of Malta. On December 13, 1974, Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth, with the President as head of state. To commemorate this day, December 13 has been declared Republic Day in Malta. A big feast is held and Malta's National Anthem is played and/or sung at the end of all masses. In addition, the President of Malta presents national awards, namely the Order of Merit and Gieh ir-Repubblika. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: hoodapartheid - From Dutch apart, "separate," and -heid, "-hood," it is pronounced uh-PAHR-tayt or uh-PAHR-tight. More... chaperone, chaperon - Chaperone comes from French chaperon, meaning "hood" or "cowl, head covering," which was worn from the 16th century by ladies who served as guides and guardians; chaperon is the standard spelling and chaperone is a variant resulting from pronunciation. More... cobra - From Portuguese cobra de capello, "snake with hood"—based on Latin colubra, "snake." More... hood - Etymologically, hood and hat are the same word, ultimately both meaning "head-covering." More... | |