Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 5, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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loup-garou
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using GerundsBecause they act like nouns, gerunds can be used as the subject of a sentence, the subject complement of the linking verb "be," the object of a preposition, or the object of a verb. They can also be used to form what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ScrollsA scroll is a roll of paper, parchment, or papyrus that can be unwound for writing upon or reading. A popular format for recording texts prior to the development of codices, scrolls fell out of common use by the Middle Ages. However, some Hebrew scribes still copy scrolls of the Torah by hand, adhering to extremely strict guidelines used since antiquity. If a copy differs from the original by a single letter, the entire scroll can be invalidated. How many letters are contained in a Torah scroll? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Christopher Columbus Becomes the First European on Hispaniola (1492)Soon after landing on the island now known as Hispaniola—home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti—Columbus returned to Spain with news of the New World, leaving behind a group of colonists. On his second expedition, he discovered that the colony had been destroyed, and he established another one. The new colony soon fell into a state of disorder, which he tried to quell with strict discipline. The colonists appear to have disliked Columbus's tyrannical leadership. What did they do about it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (1901)Disney began his career as a cartoonist in 1920. By the time he died in 1966, he had built an entertainment empire. His enormously successful cartoons and films—both animated and live-action—employed groundbreaking technology and introduced now-famous characters such as Mickey Mouse. A skilled businessman as well as an innovator, Disney oversaw his company's expansion into theme parks and mass merchandising. According to legend, what were the mysterious last two words Disney wrote? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have always a sacred veneration for any one I observe to be a little out of repair in his person, as supposing him either a poet or a philosopher; because the richest minerals are ever found under the most ragged and withered surface of the earth.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be in for a surprise— To be guaranteed to receive or experience an unexpected outcome, especially a negative one. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Chester Greenwood Day (2020)Chester Greenwood (1858-1937) made his first pair of "ear protectors" when he was 15 years old. He was granted a patent in 1877 and established an entirely new industry in his hometown of Farmington, Maine, where he continued to refine the design and manufacture of what we now know as earmuffs. Farmington residents celebrate Chester Greenwood Day on the first Saturday in December (Greenwood was born on December 4) with a parade, flag-raising ceremony, and a foot race. Everyone is encouraged to wear earmuffs for the festivities, including pets. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: puzzlerebus - A puzzle in which one must decode a message consisting of pictures representing syllables and words. More... puzzle - Comes from Old French opposaile, "thing set before one," "bewildering thing"; as a verb, it first meant "be beset by difficulties." More... cabobble - To mystify, puzzle, or confuse. More... word search - A puzzle consisting of letters arranged in a grid which contains a number of hidden words written in various directions. More... | |