Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, June 17, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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execrable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Predicate NounsPredicate nouns are a subset of a larger category known as "subject complements," which rename or re-identify the subject. What type of verb do subject complements follow? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The AbacusAn abacus is a calculation tool, often a frame with beads sliding on wires. Used for centuries before the adoption of the written Arabic numeral system, it is still utilized by merchants in China and elsewhere. Though often attributed to the Chinese, it is thought to have been invented by the ancient Babylonians. The first abacus was probably a flat tablet covered in sand. Lines were drawn in the sand and pebbles were used to make calculations. What is the origin of the instrument's name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)Early in the American Revolution and soon after the battles of Lexington and Concord, colonial troops laid siege to Boston. When they began occupying hills overlooking the city, newly reinforced British troops attacked. After two failed assaults, a third charge dislodged the Americans, who had run out of gunpowder. Though the British technically won, their unexpectedly heavy casualties were a psychological blow, and American morale soared. On what hill was the battle actually fought—and why? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Charles François Gounod (1818)Gounod was French composer who also studied for the priesthood and worked as an organist. Throughout his life, he remained torn between the theatre and the church. His reputation largely rests on his hugely popular 1859 opera, Faust, but he also wrote 15 lesser-known operas, 17 masses, more than 150 songs, and two symphonies. One of his short pieces, "Funeral March of a Marionette," became well-known—albeit not by name—as the theme to what popular TV show beginning in the 1950s? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Men marry because they are tired; women because they are curious. Both are disappointed.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the nosebleeds— A seating area very high up in a stadium or theater, as for a sporting event, musical performance, play, etc., which typically costs less money but has a restricted view. "Nosebleed" refers jocularly to the effects of extremely high altitudes on the body, which can often cause nasal hemorrhaging, among other symptoms. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (2025)In 1994 the United Nations established World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on June 17. The date coincides with the June 17, 1994, signing of the Convention to Combat Desertification. Observances draw attention to the need for cooperation between nations in order to stop desertification and respond to drought. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: huevalue, chroma, hue - A color's value is its brightness, its chroma is its strength, and its hue is its position in the spectrum. More... tone - A color variation with more variations than a shade—having to do with the value of a hue or its chroma. More... Munsell - A.H. Munsell was a U.S. painter (1858-1918) who developed a color classification system for chroma, hue, and value. More... pure color - A color or hue that is unmixed with other hues. More... | |