Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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commix
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining ModifiersModifiers are, quite simply, any word or group of words that modifies (describes or elaborates upon) another element in a sentence. How can we determine if a modifier is an adjective or an adverb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Essential OilsKnown and traded since ancient times, essential oils are highly volatile organic compounds distilled from plants. Each type of oil imparts the "essence," or characteristic odor, of the plant from which it is derived. This aroma can rarely be reproduced using synthetic components. Essential oils are used for flavoring food, scenting perfume, and in medicine. Clove oil, for instance, is used in dentistry, and eucalyptus oil as a disinfectant. What other uses do essential oils have? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 William Herschel Discovers Uranus (1781)For many years, astronomers mistakenly believed that the planet Uranus, which is sometimes visible to the naked eye, was a star. Herschel, a German-born English astronomer, originally believed that it was a comet. It soon proved to be, indeed, a verifiable planet—the first to be discovered in modern times with the aid of a telescope. The planet was only named Uranus—for the Greek personification of heaven—after the original name of Herschel's choosing proved unpopular. What was it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Daniel Lambert (1770)Lambert is famous for having been recognized, in his own time, as the fattest man in England. An active and athletic youth, he began his dramatic weight gain after taking over his father's job as keeper of a prison in Leicester. Though he initially led a quiet life and was well liked by his prisoners, he eventually—and reluctantly—went on tour. By then, he weighed more than 700 pounds (318 kg), and spectators paid a shilling each to see him. What complication arose when he died at Stamford? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 This simple accident of falling in love is as beneficial as it is astonishing.Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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legal eagle— An especially clever, aggressive, or skillful attorney. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kasuga Matsuri (2021)The Kasuga Shrine in Nara is one of the most beautiful and ancient in Japan. Every year on March 13, a festival is held there with elaborate ceremonies and performances that recall the shrine's heyday. The hiki-uma horse ceremony, in which a sacred horse is led in procession through the streets, and the elegant Yamato-mai dance performed by Shinto women are reminiscent of the culture and customs of the Nara and Heian Eras. Construction of the Kasuga Shrine was started during the Nara period (710-784) and was completed in the first years of the Heian period (794-1185). More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: personalityanima, persona - Anima is Carl Jung's term for the inner part of the personality, or character, as opposed to the persona, or outer part. More... anima, animus - Anima is the source of the female part of personality and animus is the source of the male part. More... anthropomorphism - The ascription of a human attribute or personality to anything impersonal or irrational. More... personality - First referred to the quality of being a person and not a thing. More... | |