Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 20, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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midden
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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DashesThere are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes: the en dash ( – ) and the em dash ( — ). What are en dashes used to indicate? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Sexual DimorphismThe term sexual dimorphism describes the physical differences between males and females of the same species that arise as a consequence of sexual maturation. These differences can manifest as variations in size and color, and the presence or absence of body parts used in courtship displays or fights. In some cases, the sexual dimorphism is so striking that males and females of the same species are mistaken as members of entirely different species. What is one example of this? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Tennis Court Oath (1789)In the first days of the French Revolution, the deputies of the Third Estate were locked out of their usual meeting hall at Versailles. Believing that their newly formed National Assembly was to be disbanded, they met at a nearby tennis court and took an oath not separate until a constitution was established for France. The oath was an assertion that power came from the people not the monarch, and their solidarity forced King Louis XVI to concede. Who was the only deputy not to sign the oath? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lillian Hellman (1905)After working as a book reviewer, press agent, and play reader, Hellman began writing plays in the 1930s. Her first major success, The Children's Hour, concerned two schoolteachers falsely accused of lesbianism. She examined family infighting in her hit The Little Foxes and political injustice in Watch on the Rhine. All were made into successful films. Hellman was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. What happened when she refused to testify? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Conscience is harder than our enemies,Knows more, accuses with more nicety. George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make (oneself) useful— To do something that is actively helpful or of assistance to others. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 West Virginia Day (2019)West Virginia Day is a state holiday in West Virginia to celebrate its joining the Union in 1863 as the 35th state. The creation of the state was a result of the Civil War. The settlers of western Virginia defied the state's vote to secede from the Union, and on June 20 West Virginia formally entered the Union as an anti-slave state. The day is marked with ceremonies at the state capitol in Charleston and at the West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. It was there that the conventions were held to declare West Virginia's independence from Virginia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shockshock - An encounter between two charging hostile forces. More... enfant terrible - Actually applies to young adults (generally male) who go out of their way to shock or embarrass but at the same time are considered talented. More... perculsive - Describing something that gives you a shock. More... ay, chihuahua - This interjection expresses surprise or shock—even dismay, annoyance, or resignation. More... | |