Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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olfaction
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Active VoiceYou should always use the active voice if an agent is identifiable or contains information that is relevant to the rest of the sentence. On the other hand, when an agent is unknown or irrelevant, we usually switch to the passive voice and do what to the agent? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Paranoid FictionParanoid fiction is a literary genre in which reality is portrayed as subject to manipulation by external forces, such as totalitarian governments, or internal forces, such as insanity. The genre frequently overlaps with dystopian fiction and science fiction and is inspired by the works of authors like Franz Kafka and Philip K. Dick, who penned the novel that was made into the film Blade Runner. What paranoid-fiction writer may have taken some of his inspiration from his own nightmares? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Court Martial of Benedict Arnold Begins (1779)When Arnold was court-martialed in 1779, it was not for the treason that would later make his name synonymous with betrayal. The charges involved fiscal irregularities and were relatively minor. Though he was largely exonerated, the trial sullied his reputation. Despite having distinguished himself in various American military campaigns—he was wounded more than once—Arnold was subsequently passed over for promotion. Embittered, he hatched what plot to aid the British in the American Revolution? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Hadley Billington (1929)Billington is a US scholar and the 13th Librarian of Congress. He earned his PhD in 1953 as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, taught at Harvard and Princeton, and published several significant books on Russia. He served as director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars from 1973 to 1987, when he became Librarian of Congress. There, he has fostered cooperation between libraries worldwide and encouraged the use of digital media. He has been decorated by what countries? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mission creep— The gradual expansion or widening in scope of a project, action, or task, especially a military operation, beyond its initial goal or objective. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Samoa Independence Day (2024)Samoa (called Western Samoa until 1997) gained independence from New Zealand on January 1, 1962. Because the rainy season in Samoa comes in January, however, celebrations are held in June on the first day of the month. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: spidercobweb - A single thread spun by a spider. More... arain - Another word for spider. More... lobster - Comes from Old English loppestre, "spider," because there is some resemblance. More... insect, spider, crustacean - One major difference between insects, spiders, and crustaceans is the antennae; most insects have one pair, spiders have none, and crustaceans have two pairs. More... | |