Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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lifelike
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Passive Perfect Participle PhrasesIf we want to describe a noun that was passively acted upon in an event that happened before another one, we can use what is known as the "passive perfect participle" (sometimes called the "perfect passive participle"). How is this structured? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Maxim GunDeveloped in 1884 by US-British inventor Hiram Maxim, the Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun. Capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute, the water-cooled weapon profoundly altered modern warfare. It inflicted heavy casualties during the Russo-Japanese War, and guns modeled after its design dominated the WWI battlefield. The gun was lighter and easier to transport than earlier hand-cranked ones, but military authorities were initially reluctant to use it because of what issue? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 West Point Opens (1802)Before it was home to young men and women training to be US Army officers, West Point, New York, was the site of a military post. Congress signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy there in 1802, though it was initially an apprentice school for military engineers. Its curriculum broadened in 1866, and, after World War I, Superintendent Douglas MacArthur pushed for major changes in the physical fitness and athletic programs. What collegiate tradition began at West Point? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Calvin Coolidge (1872)In 1920, Coolidge was elected vice president of the US under Warren G. Harding, who died in 1923—making Coolidge president. Untouched by the scandals of the Harding administration, Coolidge was directly elected president in 1924. He was a popular and deliberately hands-off leader, and though he was an effective public speaker, he was a man of few words when out of the spotlight. Upon hearing that "Silent Cal" had died in 1933, writer Dorothy Parker is said to have delivered what famous remark? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 People who have tried it, tell me that a clear conscience makes you very happy and contented; but a full stomach does the business quite as well, and is cheaper, and more easily obtained.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the down low— In a state of secrecy or minimal public knowledge; being known only by a select few people. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Esplanade Concerts (2020)Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979), a violinist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, started this outdoor concert series on July 4, 1929. Held at the Hatch Memorial Shell since 1940, the concerts are free, and it is not uncommon for hundreds of thousands to gather on the grassy riverbank or listen to the concerts from boats moored in the Charles River lagoon for the Fourth of July holiday. A musically synchronized fireworks display follows the concert. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: manuscriptacephalous - A manuscript lacking a beginning could be called acephalous. More... autograph - Comes from Greek, then Latin autographum, meaning "self-written"; it originally meant "author's own manuscript." More... manuscript - Originally an adjective meaning "written by hand"; manuscript can refer to a handwritten piece of music. More... palimpsest - Can describe a manuscript or writing surface that has been reused, erased, or altered while retaining traces of its earlier form—and, by extension, an object, place, or area that reflects its history. More... | |