Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 16, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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astound
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Adverbial Prepositional PhrasesAdverbial prepositional phrases that modify adjectives and adverbs can be difficult to identify because the adjectives and adverbs are usually paired with verbs. Remember that these prepositional phrases always follow the adjective or adverb and will contain information specific to the adjective and adverb. What is the prepositional phrase in the following sentence? "I was delighted with the results." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Mie PoseDuring particularly emotional moments in the performance of Japanese Kabuki theater, specifically the aragoto style of Kabuki, actors convey intensity and drama by freezing in any of a variety of powerful, distinctive poses and facial expressions. Each of these poses, called mie poses, has a name. Some of the poses are well known and are associated with particular characters in the theater. An actor is said to "cut" a mie when he performs it. What is the "heaven and earth" mie? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 LSD Is First Synthesized by Swiss Chemist Albert Hofmann (1938)Ergot, a toxic fungus that grows on rye, can cause spasms and hallucinations if accidentally ingested. In 1938, Hofmann was researching potentially useful derivatives of ergot when he first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). However, he did not discover its hallucinogenic properties until five years later, when he accidentally absorbed some of the substance through his fingertips. In 1947, his laboratory introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug. What is "Bicycle Day"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George Simon Kaufman (1889)Kaufman was an American dramatist and humorist who co-wrote more than 40 plays, many of which became tremendously successful. His collaboration with Moss Hart produced such plays as Once in a Lifetime and You Can't Take It With You, and he also worked on the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera. Kaufman was also an influential drama critic for New York newspapers and was known for his caustic wit. What did he once suggest as a way to avoid crowds during a flu epidemic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be a different kettle of fish— To be entirely different in scope or description from someone or something that was just being discussed. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Plebeian Games (2020)The Roman leader Flaminius is thought to have instituted the Plebeian Games in 220 BCE. They originally may have been held in the Circus Flaminius, which he built. Later, they may have moved to the Circus Maximus, a huge open arena between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The Games were dedicated to Jupiter, one of whose feast days was November 13, and included horse and chariot races and contests that involved running, boxing and wrestling. The first nine days of the festival (November 4-12) were devoted to theatrical performances. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: manuscriptacephalous - A manuscript lacking a beginning could be called acephalous. More... autograph - Comes from Greek, then Latin autographum, meaning "self-written"; it originally meant "author's own manuscript." More... manuscript - Originally an adjective meaning "written by hand"; manuscript can refer to a handwritten piece of music. More... palimpsest - Can describe a manuscript or writing surface that has been reused, erased, or altered while retaining traces of its earlier form—and, by extension, an object, place, or area that reflects its history. More... | |