Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, November 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Converting the Active Voice into the Passive VoiceThe passive voice is a type of grammatical voice in which the subject is acted upon by the verb. What must be present for a sentence to be converted from the active voice into the passive voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The SistrumThe sistrum is a percussion instrument that functions much like a tambourine. Often made of metal, it consists of a handle and a U-shaped frame run through with thin, loosely set crossbars. The crossbars can have little metal rings or loops on them, and when the sistrum is shaken, the crossbars and loops jangle. The sistrum was used in ancient Sumer, Rome, and Egypt, and some Egyptian goddesses were depicted holding the instrument. What churches still use the sistrum in religious services? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Shakespeare's Othello Performed for the First Time (1604)First performed at London's Whitehall Palace, Shakespeare's Othello—a timeless story of jealousy, betrayal, and racism—is still studied and debated today. The play is likely an adaptation of a short story by Italian writer Cinthio called "Un Capitano Moro" and may have been inspired by certain events of the day—such as the arrival of a Moorish delegation in London in 1600. In Shakespeare's tale, the protagonist strangles his wife, but in Cinthio's story, she is killed in what brutal way? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Grantland Rice (1880)Born in Tennessee, Rice began his career as a reporter with the Nashville News in 1901 before moving to New York. There, he became known as the "Dean of American Sportswriters." For decades, he was in charge of selecting the All-American football team for Collier's magazine. In his widely syndicated column, "The Sportlight," Rice coined some of sports' most memorable phrases. What famous quote about winning and losing is derived from one of Rice's poems? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 By indignities men come to dignities.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a cat nap— A very brief but restful period of sleep. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Algeria National Day (Anniversary of the Revolution) (2025)This national holiday, also known as Revolution Day, commemorates the day in 1954 Algerians began their revolution against the French, who had ruled since 1830. Huge crowds of people celebrate in the capital city of Algiers on the Mediterranean coast. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inhabitantinfernal - An inhabitant of the underworld can be called an infernal. More... sherpa - Literally means "inhabitant of an eastern country." More... aborigine - From Classical Latin meaning "ancestors," it was spelled with a capital A as the name of the primeval Romans; the first people called aborigines were the original inhabitants of Italy and Greece and aborigine was specifically applied to the inhabitants of a country ab origine, "from the beginning." More... sylvans - Natives or inhabitants of forests or woods. More... | |