Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 31, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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irreverent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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How to Form Comparative AdverbsComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. We form comparative adverbs either by adding the word "more" (or "less") before the base adverb, or by adding what ending to the base adverb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PaperweightsAppreciated more for their aesthetic value than their practical aspects, paperweights are collected as examples of fine craftsmanship by approximately 20,000 enthusiasts worldwide. Produced both by sole artisans and in factories where artists and technicians collaborate, paperweights come in many different varieties, and their value is determined based on their design, rarity, and condition. What was the record sum once paid for an antique French paperweight? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Spanish Treasure Fleet Sinks off Florida Coast in Hurricane (1715)From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Spanish Empire used a system of convoys, called treasure fleets, to transport a wide variety of items to Spain from its territories in the New World. Seven days after departing from Havana, Cuba, all 11 of the ships in the 1715 treasure fleet sank during a hurricane near present-day Florida, resulting in the deaths of thousands of sailors. The disaster also resulted in the loss of what precious items, some of which still occasionally wash ashore? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Peter Benenson (1921)Peter Benenson was an English lawyer who organized a letter-writing campaign in 1961 calling for amnesty for "prisoners of conscience." His campaign resulted in the establishment of Amnesty International, a human-rights organization that works to combat violations of human rights, especially abridgments of freedom of speech and religion and the imprisonment and torture of political dissidents. Why did Benenson resign from his position within Amnesty International in 1967? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 As a man without forethought scarcely deserves the name of a man, so forethought without reflection is but a metaphorical phrase for the instinct of a beast.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bankers' hours— A working day that is shorter than usual or acceptable, especially one that begins late and ends early. It refers to the traditional opening times for banks, which formerly opened at 10 AM and closed at 3 PM. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Chincoteague Pony Swim and Auction (2019)The Chincoteague Pony Swim is an annual saltwater roundup of the famous wild ponies of Assateague Island off the Delmarva Peninsula. The volunteer firemen of Chincoteague Island, Virginia, ride to Assateague, round up as many as 300 ponies, and then guide them into the water to swim across the channel to Chincoteague. The next day some foals are sold at auction and the rest of the herd swims back to Assateague. A week of festivities surrounds the roundup, and tens of thousands come to watch the excitement from land and small boats. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rowstubular bells - The orchestral instrument consisting of a row of vertically suspended metal tubes struck with a mallet. More... bib necklace - One consisting of three or more rows. More... mackerel sky - One with rows of white fluffy clouds resembling the pattern on a mackerel's back. More... ordinance - First meant arrangement in ranks or rows. More... | |