Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 21, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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plenteous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Focusing Adverbs that Add InformationFocusing adverbs are used to draw attention to a particular part of a clause. When we want to emphasize information that is being added to previous information, what three focusing adverbs can we use? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The NarwhalFound in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans, the narwhal is small whale known for the single, tightly spiraled tusk—up to 9 ft (2.7 m) long—that protrudes from the upper jaw of males as well as some females of the species. The tusk is an overgrown, nerve-rich incisor tooth and may be used as a sense organ or to attract mates. Now hunted by native peoples for its meat, the narwhal was formerly killed for its tusk, which was believed to have magical properties and was sold for centuries as what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Premieres (1937)Snow White was the first full-length animated feature film in history. It was animated entirely by hand and took Walt Disney and his studio three years to complete. It was exponentially more expensive than the animated shorts the studio had produced until that time and met with considerable opposition. Disney eventually had to mortgage his house to help finance the project, which was derisively nicknamed "Disney's Folly" by those in the film industry. How much did the film go on to earn? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Leroy Jackson (1948)Jackson is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 movies since making his feature film debut in the 1970s, and he claims to have seen every one of his films in theaters alongside paying customers. He is best known for his role as a philosophical hit man in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. In 2006, he decided to star in the film Snakes on a Plane based solely on its title. What other film did Jackson agree to appear in without reading the script? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go stir-crazy— To become acutely anxious, restless, irritable, irrational, and/or depressed from remaining for too long in an unstimulating, confined, and/or isolated environment. "Stir" in this usage is a slang word for prison. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day (2019)Since 1990, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council have sponsored this day to bring attention to the plight of the nation's homeless population and to encourage the public to act on their behalf. Local groups across the country are encouraged to arrange a ceremony to remember the homeless persons in their community who died in the previous year. Candlelight marches, vigils, graveside services, religious services, and public policy advocacy are suggested ways of remembering. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tableswaitron - A person, male or female, who waits on tables at a restaurant. More... backgammon - Appears to literally mean "back game," and was first called tables; gammon is the ancestor of game. More... busboy - A person who clears the dirty dishes from diners' tables, so called from his "bus" or trolley. More... turn the tables - May come from backgammon, as the game itself was once called tables, and the two halves of the playing board are still called tables. More... | |