Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 1, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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muster
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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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 HermaphroditismA hermaphrodite is an animal or plant that has both male and female reproductive systems. The term derives from Greek mythology—Hermes and Aphrodite's son Hermaphroditus possessed physical traits of both sexes after fusing with a nymph. Hermaphroditism is quite common in flowering plants and in invertebrates like snails. "Hermaphrodite" has also been used to describe humans with both male and female genital tissues but is now considered misleading and stigmatizing. What term is preferred? 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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 Brains are at a discount in the married state. There is no demand for them, no appreciation even.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| 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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 Samhain (2023)This ancient Celtic harvest festival was celebrated at the beginning of winter. According to Celtic folklore, this was the day when the souls of the dead and other supernatural entities gathered and would have access to the human realm—thus giving rise to the fears about ghosts and goblins that we now associate with Halloween, or Samhain Eve. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: punishexecute - Derives from Latin exsequi, "carry out, follow up; punish." More... gruelling - Comes from the verb gruel, "to exhaust, punish." More... punish - Derives from Latin punire, "punish," which came from poena, "penalty, punishment." More... penal, punitive - Penal means "relating to punishment," while punitive means "serving to punish." More... | |