Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, October 12, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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plethora
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - ShallThe modal auxiliary verb "shall" is used in many of the same ways as "will," including to form future tenses and to make requests or offers. Generally, "shall" is only used with what subject pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 TektitesTektites are naturally occurring glass rocks that may have fallen from the sky. Normally jet black to olive green, the small, often aerodynamically shaped objects exist only in limited areas called strewn fields. Tektites are believed to have formed from droplets of molten rock, blasted into the atmosphere by meteorite or asteroid impacts, which then cooled and fell back to Earth. However, there are those who believe that they are in fact the result of meteorite impacts with what celestial body? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 WWI Nurse Edith Cavell Executed for Aiding Allied Soldiers (1915)An English nurse, Cavell was working to improve the nursing standards at a Brussels hospital when World War I broke out. After Germany occupied Belgium, she became involved with an underground group that helped about 200 Allied soldiers escape to the Netherlands. In 1915, she was arrested by the German occupation authorities and court-martialed. Despite diplomatic pressure on Germany, she was executed and became a celebrated martyr of the Allies. What reportedly went wrong at the execution? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Luciano Pavarotti (1935)Originally a schoolteacher, Pavarotti only began his vocal training in his 20s but nevertheless became one of the most successful tenors of all time. He made his professional debut in 1961 and then debuted at La Scala in 1965 and the Metropolitan Opera in 1968. A popular favorite, Pavarotti was noted for the rich and ringing clarity of his voice as well as for his immense personal charm. At the peak of his career, his concerts drew hundreds of thousands of attendees. Where did he last perform? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Painting, n.: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mouth-breathing— (used before a noun) Dimwitted, foolish, or stupid; of low or stunted intelligence. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar (2021)According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James the Apostle when he was in Saragossa (Zaragoza), Spain. She spoke to him from the top of a pillar, which he interpreted as a sign that he should build a chapel where the column stood. The Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar is observed with special masses and processions, such as the Gigantes—giant cardboard and canvas figures representing Spanish kings and queens or famous literary and historical figures—and the cabezudos, or "big heads"—grotesque puppets with huge heads. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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