Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 1, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unskillful
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Active VoiceThe active voice is a type of grammatical voice in which the subject is also the agent of the verb—i.e., it performs the action expressed by the verb. In active-voice sentences, where is the agent always positioned? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Third Servile WarThe Servile Wars were three slave uprisings—the last of which was led by the gladiator Spartacus—that took place in the later years of the Roman Republic. With a force of 90,000 gladiators, slaves, and peasants, Spartacus overran most of southern Italy in 73 BCE. He led his army north, hoping to release them to find freedom, but they refused to abandon their campaign. After Spartacus was killed in battle, the revolt was cruelly put down by Crassus and Pompey. How were the survivors punished? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Malbone Street Wreck (1918)One of the deadliest train crashes in US history took place during a strike of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, some of whose members operated elevated trains for the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT). To keep service running, the BRT brought in inexperienced motormen to replace the striking workers. That evening, a five-car train derailed in the Malbone Street tunnel after negotiating a curve too quickly, killing 93. How many hours of training had the train's operator received? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antonio Canova (1757)Canova was an Italian sculptor who was extremely influential in the development of neoclassicism. He produced his first important sculpture, Daedalus and Icarus, in 1779 and was accused of making plaster casts from live models because his figures were so realistic. Among his most important commissions were the tombs of Popes Clement XIII and Clement XIV. In 1802, he became court sculptor to Napoleon I in Paris. How did his love of sculpting ultimately contribute to his death in 1822? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are only two styles of portrait painting, the serious and the smirk.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(as) nice as ninepence— Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival Day (2021)The Ottoman Empire suppressed any expression of unity or national pride by the Bulgarian people. That situation underwent a dramatic reversal during the period known as the Bulgarian National Revival. On November 1, Bulgaria celebrates a national holiday to honor and remember those visionaries who did so much to establish a sense of national pride. Parades honoring students and teachers are held throughout the country. In the capital city of Sofia, the parade progresses beneath huge portraits of those leaders who nourished Bulgaria's cultural rebirth. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: punishexecute - Derives from Latin exsequi, "carry out, follow up; punish." More... gruelling - Comes from the verb gruel, "to exhaust, punish." More... punish - Derives from Latin punire, "punish," which came from poena, "penalty, punishment." More... penal, punitive - Penal means "relating to punishment," while punitive means "serving to punish." More... | |