Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 8, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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luminary
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative ImperativesWhen we make an imperative sentence, we use the infinitive form of the verb (without "to"), and we omit the subject of the verb. What can we put before the infinitive verb to make an imperative statement negative? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Henry Wadsworth LongfellowLongfellow was a popular 19th c. American poet. He wrote some of the most popular poems in American literature and his works created a new body of romantic American legends. In preparation for professorships, he traveled to Europe twice to study languages. His works were immensely popular during his lifetime and remain so, despite critics' complaints that they are simple, sentimental, and moralizing. As a teenager, Longfellow began a lifelong friendship with what other famous American novelist? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 2008 Summer Olympics Begin in Beijing, China (2008)At 8:08 PM on 8-8-08, the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics began. Held in the new Beijing National Stadium—nicknamed "the Bird's Nest"—it marked China's first time hosting the Olympics. The nearly four-hour event, which showcased Chinese culture, was a popular and logistical success, and the games became one of the most-watched TV events in history. However, in the international torch relay before the opening ceremony, protests in what city caused the Olympic torch to be extinguished? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Esther Hobart Morris (1814)Morris was the first female justice of the peace in the US. A mother of three, she began her tenure as justice in 1870, after the previous justice resigned in protest of Wyoming's passage of the women's suffrage amendment. She attracted national attention and tried some 70 cases, becoming a legendary figure in the suffrage movement. The state of Wyoming officially commemorated her role as a leading suffragist in 1890. Why then is the extent of her contribution to the suffrage movement debated? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Ugliness, n.: A gift of the gods to certain women, entailing virtue without humility.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a fine state of affairs— A situation that has gone wrong and is very problematic. The term is an instance of irony or sarcasm. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair (2019)Although craft fairs can be found all over New England during the summer months, the Craftsmen's Fair at Mt. Sunapee Resort in Newbury, New Hampshire, is considered to be the oldest that is continuously held, dating back to 1934. The fair features more than 200 craftspeople who sell their work and display their skills through demonstrations in such diverse areas as decoy carving, printmaking, weaving and spinning, basket making, embroidering, pipe making, and blacksmithing. Visitors to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair can buy just about any other craft they can imagine. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: small quantityfingerfull - A pinch or small quantity. More... quantulum - A small quantity. More... dreg - A small remnant or a small quantity. More... dribs and drabs - First recorded in the 19th century; both of the words mean "small quantity or amount," making this an emphatic phrase. More... | |