Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 15, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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escritoire
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Emphasizing Duration with the Present Perfect ContinuousThe present perfect continuous is especially useful for putting emphasis on the length of time that has passed while something is happening. What is the present perfect continuous verb in the following sentence? "They have been studying for three weeks for this exam." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Pazzi ConspiracyIn the late 1400s, Pope Sixtus IV, his nephew Gerolamo Riario, Archbishop Salviati, and members of the wealthy Pazzi family hatched a plot to assassinate Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici. The Pazzi and Medici families were rivals, but the Pazzis were merely tools in the conspiracy, which aimed to increase Riario's power in Florence. On April 26, 1478, while attending High Mass at the Duomo, Giuliano was stabbed to death. What happened to Lorenzo? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Department of Agriculture Is Created (1862)US President Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture, which he referred to as the "people's department," at a time when most Americans were farmers. It played a key role in the survival of many during the Depression, and today it continues to ensure that those in need receive food. It also aids farmers, inspects meat and dairy products, oversees food stamp and school lunch programs, and administers national forests. Before Lincoln, the Agricultural Division was part of what office? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Richard Avedon (1923)A major figure in fashion photography, Avedon studied photography in the US Merchant Marine. He became a regular contributor to Harper's Bazaar in the 1940s and was later was associated with Vogue. Known for his stark, black-and-white portraits of people in unusual poses, Avedon redefined fashion photography as an art form. However, many consider his magnum opus to be what 1985 book documenting something very different from fashion? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A sudden, bold, and unexpected question, doth many times surprise a man, and lay him open.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on in years— Advanced in age; old or becoming old. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Feast of San Isidro the Farmer (Madrid) (2025)The Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer is celebrated in Madrid, Spain, with eight days of bullfighting at the Plaza de Toros, colorful parades, and many artistic, cultural, and sporting events. Street vendors sell pictures of the saint, small glass or pottery bells believed to ward off harm from thunder and lightning, and whistle-stemmed glass roses, which provide a noisy accompaniment to the feasting and dancing that go on. The Festival of San Isidro is celebrated in other Spanish towns as well, particularly León and Alicante. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: monkascetic - Pronounced uh-SET-ik, it is derived from Greek asketes, "monk, hermit." More... dean - Comes from Latin decanum, "chief of a group of ten," and Greek dekanos, "a monk or dignitary in charge of ten others." More... nun - Derived from Latin nonna, the feminine of nonnus, "monk," originally a title given to an elderly person. More... monk, friar - A monk stays in a monastery; a friar does not. More... | |