Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 28, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dither
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Em Dashes with Missing TextOccasionally, dashes can be used to represent words or parts of words that are omitted from a sentence. These can be intentional omissions, as for censorship purposes, or because the missing text is unknown. If only a part of a word is missing, how many em dashes in a row are used to indicate the missing letters? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 HarlequinadeHarlequinade was a type of theatrical performance popular in 18th-century Britain. It was a slapstick adaptation of the commedia dell'arte, itself a 16th-century Italian comedy tradition featuring stock characters in improvised performances. A typical Harlequinade showcased a series of interwoven scenes culminating in a skit about the clever protagonist Harlequin and his love interest, Columbine. Which Harlequinade character became so popular that he remains instantly recognizable today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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01.jpg) Thomas Cromwell Is Executed (1540)Arguably the architect of the Reformation, Cromwell was an English statesman who gained nearly complete control of the government as the closest advisor of King Henry VIII of England. Cromwell abused his power but only fell from Henry's favor after convincing him to marry Anne of Cleves, whom Henry found unattractive. After the marriage fizzled, Anne was sent away with a generous pension, but Cromwell was beheaded—on the same day that Henry did what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Malcolm Lowry (1909)Lowry was an English writer known for his articulation of the spiritual desolation of the modern individual. His reputation rests on the semi-autobiographical 1947 novel Under the Volcano. Set in Mexico—from which Lowry was once deported—it recounts the last day of a dispirited, alcoholic, former British consul. Though critically praised, it received popular recognition only after Lowry's death—probably from the effects of alcoholism—at 47. What rumors surround his cause of death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Certainly virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pester (someone) for (something)— To continually annoy someone with requests for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Crop Over (2025)This harvest festival in Barbados was originally celebrated in the 1800s by slaves at the end of the sugar-cane harvest. Today, Crop Over is a civic celebration which takes place during the last three weeks of July and usually ends on the first Monday in August. There are historical displays, craft shows, fairs, open-air concerts, calypso music and dancing, and "stick licking"—a self-defense sport similar to fencing. The first Monday of August is the finale, known as the Kadooment, which includes the judging of costumed bands at the National Stadium and a grand calypso procession. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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