Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 16, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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penurious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbial ComplementsAdverbial complements are adverbs or other adverbial elements in a clause that are required to complete the meaning of the verb. How do they differ from adverbial adjuncts? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Eight Evil ThoughtsEvagrius Ponticus struggled with adulterous desires and physical illness before devoting his life to Christianity, becoming an ascetic monk in 383 CE. Despite later accusations of heresy, Evagrius exerted a tremendous influence on the church through his writings and is best known for categorizing eight forms of temptation. These eight evil thoughts are gluttony, greed, sloth, sorrow, lust, anger, vainglory, and pride. Who later revised the list to form the more commonly known Seven Deadly Sins? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Prohibition Era Begins in the US (1920)By January of 1919, members of the US temperance movement had been campaigning against excessive drinking for a century. Their efforts resulted in the 18th Amendment, which, when it went into effect in 1920, prohibited the sale—but not the consumption—of liquor. Prohibition spawned what John D. Rockefeller called "a vast army of lawbreakers" who profited from the illegal sale of alcohol, and the failed ban was repealed in 1933. What was delivered to the White House immediately after the repeal? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Dian Fossey (1932)Fossey was an occupational therapist when, on a trip to Africa in 1963, she met famed anthropologist Louis Leakey, who encouraged her to pursue her dream of studying gorillas. In 1966, she began living a solitary life in the mountains of central Africa, gradually gaining the acceptance of the gorillas she observed and building a vast body of knowledge about their habits, communication, and social structure. In 1985, she was found hacked to death in her Rwandan forest camp. Who murdered her? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It has been observed that one's nose is never so happy as when thrust into the affairs of others, from which some physiologists have drawn the inference that the nose is devoid of the sense of smell.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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wide berth— A good distance (between things, people, etc.). Originally referred to ships. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival (2025)This extravaganza of ice sculptures takes place from January 5 to February 4 in the port city of Harbin, the second largest city of northeast China, located in Heilongjiang Province. The sculptures, using themes of ancient legends and stories and modern historic events, depict pavilions, temples, and mythic animals and persons. Located in Zhaolin Park, they shimmer in the sun by day, and at night are illuminated in a rainbow of colors. Theatrical events, art exhibitions, and a photo exhibition mark festival time, and wedding ceremonies are often scheduled at this time in the ice-filled park. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: positivelitotes - From Greek litos, "simple, single," it refers to an ironical understatement (e.g. no small amount) or two negatives used to make a positive (e.g. it was not unsuccessful); it is pronounced lie-TOH-teez, LEYED-uh-teez, LID-uh-teez, or leye-TOHD-eez. More... set point - One's set point (for happiness) is a genetically determined level of happiness, to which one returns after positive or negative emotional experiences. More... Positive, comparative, superlative - Positive is the ordinary form of a word, with comparative conveying a sense of greater intensity of the adjective and superlative reflecting the greatest intensity of the adjective. More... acceptable face - The positive or reasonable side of something. More... | |