Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cenotaph
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Viewpoint Adverbs to Specify an Aspect of SomethingWe use specific viewpoint adverbs to delimit, or specify, what part or aspect of something we are talking about. What are these adverbs often called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 HonorificabilitudinitatibusThe longest word in the English language featuring alternating consonants and vowels, honorificabilitudinitatibus appears only once in Shakespeare’s works—in Love's Labour's Lost (1598). Its use has been cited by Baconists as evidence that Francis Bacon was the real author of Shakespeare's plays. They see in it an anagram for hi ludi, F. Baconis nati, tuiti orbi, meaning "these plays, F. Bacon's offspring, are preserved for the world." What does the original word mean? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Kent State Shootings (1970)In 1970, the US was in the midst of the Vietnam War, and antiwar demonstrations among students were common. When students at Ohio's Kent State University decided to protest the incursion of US forces into Cambodia, no one imagined it would end in tragedy. But National Guard troops called in to disperse the crowd opened fire, killing four and wounding nine others. The shooting sparked nationwide outrage and became a rallying point for antiwar activists. Where else were student protesters killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Horace Mann (1796)Mann overcame limited early education to enter law and politics. He became secretary of Massachusetts' new board of education in 1837, at a time when the public school system was in poor condition. In his 12 years there, he established high schools, enhanced teacher training and pay, curbed child labor, and improved facilities and equipment. He fought for free, nonsectarian, universal schooling, greatly advancing education in the US. What quote is engraved on his monument at Antioch College? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The inward pleasure of imparting pleasure—that is the choicest of all.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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chance of a lifetime— An extremely important and/or fortuitous opportunity, especially one that is not likely to ever present itself again. Often (but not always) used hyperbolically. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition (2020)One of the world's most prestigious music competitions and the largest musical event in Brussels takes place throughout the month of May each year. Open to young competitors from around the world, it focuses on violinists, pianists, singers, and cellists in alternating years. Named for Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, it was started by violinist-composer Eugène Ysaÿe in 1937. The public is invited to attend every stage of the contest, from the initial tests at the Royal Conservatory of Music to the winner's performance at the Beaux Arts Palace. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nourishmentfoster - Comes from the Germanic base for "food" and it originally meant "food, nourishment." More... inanity, inanition - Inanity is intellectual or spiritual emptiness; inanition is the lack of nourishment. More... meat - First meant "food, nourishment"—especially solid food as opposed to drink. More... nourishment - Wine or spirits given medicinally can be called nourishment. More... | |