Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, May 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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chipper
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Collective Adjectives and Verb TenseCollective adjectives are a subgroup of nominal adjectives, or adjectives that act as nouns. They are used to refer to a group of people based on a characteristic that they share. What verb forms do collective adjectives have to take? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FaginFagin is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist who has sparked much debate over the years. Allegedly based on an actual criminal, the character teaches boys to steal and is described as villainous, selfish, miserly—and Jewish. He is called "the Jew" more often than "Fagin," despite the fact that Dickens removed over 180 instances of it after befriending a Jewish couple. Which of Dickens's later Jewish characters may be an apology for his anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 New York Public Library Dedicated (1911)When former New York governor Samuel J. Tilden died in 1886, he left $2.4 million in his will for the creation of a grand public library. At that time, there were two other important libraries in New York City—the Astor and the Lenox—but they were struggling. With Tilden's gift, they were merged in 1895. The new library's cornerstone was laid in 1902 at the old Croton Reservoir on Fifth Avenue, and it finally opened to the public in 1911. By 1910, how many miles of shelves had been installed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Rosemary Clooney (1928)Clooney was an American singer popular in the 1950s with hits such as "Come On-a My House." She also appeared in several movies, including White Christmas (1954), which co-starred Bing Crosby. In the 1960s, mental illness and drug addiction took a toll on her career, but she made a comeback in the mid-1970s and performed until her death in 2002. Her 1968 mental breakdown was precipitated by the assassination—as she stood nearby—of what personal friend? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It was the policy of the good old gentleman to make his children feel that home was the happiest place in the world; and I value this delicious home-feeling as one of the choicest gifts a parent can bestow.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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meet (someone's) expectations— To be as good as or have the qualities that someone predicted, expected, or hoped for. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Declaration of the Bab (2022)Declaration of the Bab is a joyous Baha'i festival to celebrate the Bab's announcement in 1844 in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), that he was the "gate" (which is the meaning of Bab) to the coming of the promised one of all religions. This proclamation is considered the beginning of the Baha'i faith, although the religion was founded after the Bab's death. This day is holy to Baha'is and a day on which work is suspended. Its observation begins at about two hours after sunset on May 22. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: swinegruntle - Can be used for swine, meaning "to make a little grunt." More... pig - Originally meant just "young pig" until the 16th century—the word in Old and Middle English for the animal was swine. More... swine - The collective (and ancestral) term for domesticated pigs and hogs; a hog is 120 pounds and ready for market, while a pig is immature and weighs less. More... | |