Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, June 9, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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empower
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Dummy PronounsDummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. They are also commonly referred to as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 TaxidermyTaxidermy is the process of skinning, preserving, and mounting dead vertebrate animals so that they appear lifelike. It began with the ancient custom of keeping skins and hunting trophies. By the 19th century, hunters were having upholsterers sew up animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton. The term "stuffed animal" evolved from this crude form of taxidermy. Modern taxidermy involves constructing and sculpting anatomically correct manikins of clay and plaster. What is rogue taxidermy? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Secretariat Wins the Triple Crown (1973)Thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat was the first US Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting records in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes that still stand today. In fact, in the 40 years since, only one Derby winner has even come close to matching Secretariat's time of 1:59.40. Secretariat advanced from last to first to win the Preakness and won the Belmont Stakes by an unprecedented 31 lengths. What controversy arose regarding the time calculations of the 1973 Preakness? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Cole Porter (1891)Though pushed by his grandfather to pursue law, Porter studied music at Harvard and in Paris. A gifted composer and witty lyricist, he wrote a dazzling series of successful film scores and Broadway musicals from the 1920s to the 1950s, including the musicals Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate. His most popular songs include "Night and Day" and "Let's Do It." A 1937 accident required him to undergo more than 30 operations, but he continued composing until 1958. Why did he stop? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mooch off (of) (someone or something)— To ask for or obtain (something) through the charity of someone or something; to sponge off someone or something else. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ravinia Festival (2020)Chicago's 12-week festival of classical music, theater, and dance takes place in Highland Park, one of the city's northern suburbs. Although today the festival can boast performances by some of the world's most distinguished conductors, soloists, symphony orchestras, and dance companies, its history since 1904 has been punctuated by periodic financial crises and, in the 1940s, a fire that destroyed the Ravinia Park pavilion. But since that time the festival has rebounded, expanding to include pop, jazz, and folk music as well as several weeks of theater performances. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: malesalpha male - A domineering man; the dominant member in a group of males, especially animals. More... kiva - In Native American Pueblo practices, an underground chamber used by the males for religious rites. More... mixed voices - Voices of both males and females united in the same performance. More... | |