Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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facet
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Irregular Superlative AdverbsJust as there are irregular adverbs, there are irregular superlative adverbs. "Least" is an example of an irregular superlative adverb. What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ZoroasterZoroastrianism is a dualistic religion founded by Iranian prophet and religious poet Zoroaster, who lived between 628 and 551 BCE. At the age of 30, Zoroaster had his first vision and began teaching that Ahura Mazda was the highest god and alone was worthy of worship—a concept that rejected the polytheism practiced in Iran at the time. His attempts to proselytize initially failed, but after he converted King Vishtaspa, the religion rapidly spread. What are the main tenets of Zoroastrianism? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Senate Ratifies the Antiballistic Missile Treaty (1972)The Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972 limited the number of defensive antiballistic missile systems allowed to the US and USSR. Effective ABM systems had been sought since the Cold War, when the nuclear arms race raised the specter of complete destruction by unstoppable ballistic missiles. In the West, the treaty was seen as a deterrent to nuclear war, since neither side would be able to fully protect against nuclear attack. Why then did the US withdraw from the treaty in 2002? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Leon Uris (1924)Uris was an American novelist known for his many popular novels, especially the 1958 bestseller Exodus, a fictional account of Israel's early history that was eventually translated into dozens of languages. Meticulously researched, much of his fiction is set in historical periods of the 20th century. Uris also wrote screenplays, notably for the classic Western Gunfight at the OK Corral, and many of his novels were made into films. Who starred in the film version of Exodus? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cipher— A person who is unimportant, insignificant, or without influence. It refers to the mathematical symbol for zero (0). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of the Blessed Sacrament (2019)The Festival of the Blessed Sacrament held annually in New Bedford, Massachusetts, coincides with a similar festival on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The American festival, which was first held in 1914, celebrates the safe arrival of the Portuguese immigrants who came to New Bedford in the early 19th century. Preparations go on throughout the year, and the events include a parade, Portuguese folkloric dancers and singers, Portuguese specialties such as cabra (goat) and bacalhau (codfish), and a colorful procession to the Immaculate Conception Church. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: punctuationem dash, en dash - The em dash is the long dash used in punctuation whose length is based on the width of the letter M; the en dash is shorter (the width of an N) and the hyphen is even shorter. More... punctual - From Latin punctum, "point," it can mean "pertaining to punctuation," or "of or relating to a point in space." More... square brackets, parentheses, braces - Square brackets were formerly called crotchets, round brackets are commonly called parentheses, and curly brackets are called braces; the punctuation called brackets derives from the bookshelf type, implying that, in writing, these marks "lift up" a section of a sentence. More... stigmeology - The art of punctuation. More... | |