Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ill-gotten
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Linking Verbs vs. Action VerbsThe verbs "be," "seem," and "become" are always used as linking verbs (except when "be" is an auxiliary verb). However, the other linking verbs all have the capacity to behave as action verbs in a sentence. Sometimes it is tricky to know whether a verb is functioning as a linking verb or as an action verb, but there are ways that we can be sure. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Antikythera MechanismThe Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in the early 20th century from a wreck near the Greek island of Antikythera, but its significance was not recognized until decades later. It is thought to have been built in the 2nd century BCE. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until more than a thousand years later. Its degree of mechanical sophistication is comparable to what devices? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Children Report Visions of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal (1917)In 1917, three children were herding sheep in Fátima when, according to their story, the Virgin Mary appeared to them. They claimed that she continued to appear to them on the 13th of every month, relaying messages and prophesies. Word of the visions spread, and at one point, the children were arrested. Then, on October 13, thousands reported seeing the sun spin in the sky near Fátima, which became a pilgrimage site. Two of the children died before the age of 12. What happened to the third? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Beatrice "Bea" Arthur (1922)Arthur was an American actress, comedian, and singer whose lengthy career began on the stage. In 1966, she won a Tony award for her role in the musical Mame. She went on to achieve fame on television as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both roles. Arthur appeared in what notoriously poorly received 1978 holiday TV special? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The new and terrible dangers which man has created can only be controlled by man.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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land of plenty— A fictional or imagined utopian place where there is an abundance of everything needed to survive and flourish. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Lemuralia (2024)In ancient Rome, the lemures were the ghosts of the family's dead, who were considered to be troublesome and therefore had to be exorcized on a regular basis. The Lemuralia, or Lemuria, was a yearly festival held on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May to get rid of the lemures. Participants walked barefoot, cleansed their hands three times, and threw black beans behind them nine times to appease the spirits of the dead. On the third day of the festival, a merchants' festival was held to ensure a prosperous year for business. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: herdcutting horse - One trained to cut cattle out of a herd. More... pointer, point man - A pointer or point man was first a cowboy riding at the front of a herd of cattle. More... egregious - First meant "remarkably good" and "standing out or apart from the flock or herd; eminent"; its later derogatory sense is probably an ironical use. More... herd - As a verb, it first meant "keep safe, shelter." More... | |