Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 24, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Common Modifier MistakesIf we place a modifier too far away from the thing it describes, it can become a "misplaced modifier." We must also make sure that the thing being modified is explicitly stated in the text, otherwise we might be left with a "dangling modifier." What is a "squinting modifier"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 Pete Rose Is Banned from Baseball (1989)During his 24-year baseball career, Rose played in more games and got more hits than any player in history. Even so, the onetime Most Valuable Player could not avoid a lifetime ban from the sport after being accused of betting on baseball games—including those of his own team. In return for not having the charges formally proven, Rose accepted the banishment, which rendered him ineligible for induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. However, he later spent five months in federal prison—for what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lavinia Fontana (1552)One of the few female Italian artists of the 16th century, Lavinia Fontana was the daughter of Italian mannerist painter Prospero Fontana. She was a fashionable portrait painter in Bologna and Rome who was especially noted for the vibrant color and detail of her works. Her self-portraits and a portrait of Pope Gregory XIII show a fine decorative sense in the treatment of costume. She was also a painter of religious subjects. What are some of her major works? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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in leaps and bounds— By very large degrees; rapidly or in quick progress forward. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Schäferlauf (2024)St. Bartholomew's Day is celebrated in Markgröningen and other towns in the Swabia district of Germany with a barefoot race among shepherds and shepherdesses of the Black Forest. The first known race in Markgröningen was in 1445; today, children of active shepherds still race barefoot, and the winning shepherd and shepherdess are given a sheep or a large mutton roast. After the race there are other pastoral activities, such as a shepherds' dance and a water-carriers' race, in which contestants balance a pail of water on their heads and pour it into a tub at the finish line. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: leftoverspick-up, pick-up dinner - A pick-up or pick-up dinner is one made up of leftovers. More... ort, orts - An ort is a morsel or remaining scrap; orts is another name for leftovers. More... leftover, relic, relief - Before leftovers were called leftovers, they were called relics, and, before that, relief. More... gallimaufry - A medley or confused jumble, especially a dish made of leftovers, from French gallimaufry, "ragout, hash." More... | |