Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 13, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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carrel
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Reflexive Pronoun UsageReflexive pronouns are used when someone or something is both the subject and the object of the same verb—that is, both that which is performing the action of the verb and that which is receiving the action. Thus, a reflexive pronoun can never be used as what in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Crystal GazingAlso called crystal gazing, scrying is the magical practice of divining the past, present, or future by gazing into a usually reflective, translucent, or luminescent medium, such as crystal, mirror, water, or fire. The Cup of Jamshid, described in Persian mythology as a magical cup containing an elixir of immortality, is said to have revealed to the observer all the layers of the universe. Mirrors, meanwhile, have been said to reveal what to young women who gaze into them in a darkened room? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "The Cinderella Man" Becomes World Heavyweight Champion (1935)For budding boxer James J. Braddock, 1929 was a bad year. The promising pugilist narrowly lost a 15-round championship fight and, months later, the Great Depression struck. Braddock, struggling to support his family and losing many more bouts than he won, eventually gave up boxing to work the docks. In 1934, he returned to the ring, and a year later, he landed a title shot against Max Baer. Braddock was a 10-to-1 underdog but won in a stunning upset. Who beat Braddock for the title in 1937? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff Gordon (1863)A leading British fashion designer of the Edwardian era, Gordon made less restrictive clothing for women that she sold in her own "Lucile, Ltd." shops in London, Paris, Chicago, and New York. To promote her wares, she organized tea times when models would parade around in her designs, a precursor of the modern fashion show. Gordon was a passenger on the Titanic and survived its sinking by boarding Lifeboat 1 with her husband. What did the tabloids allege about their escape from the ship? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 She might yet be able to help him to the building of the rainbow bridge that should connect the prose in us with the passion. Without it we are meaningless fragments, half monks, half beasts, unconnected arches that have never joined into a man.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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meet trouble halfway— To worry, grow anxious, or distress oneself unnecessarily over something that has yet to happen. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays (2018)The largest agricultural show in New Zealand takes place for four days during the second week in June in Hamilton, and attracts visitors from more than 40 countries. There are exhibits covering every type of rural activity, demonstrations of how to use the latest farm equipment, and contests in such areas as hay-baling, wire-fencing, tractor-driving, and helicopter log-lifting. In a country that in 1990 had more than 60 million sheep and only 3.3 million people, these regional agricultural shows attract the kind of audience that is usually associated with major athletic competitions. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: snapchop - A snap with the jaws or mouth is a chop. More... crepitation, crepitate, crepitant - Crepitation is the sounds of Rice Krispies cereal (snap, crackle, pop); crepitate or crepitant is "making a crackling sound." More... oh snap - Also simply "snap"; an exclamation of dismay or disbelief, surprise, or joy. More... snack - First meant "bite, snap (of a dog)," from a Dutch word meaning "to bite." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Pluto Has Dunes, But They're Not Made of SandPluto is an uncanny-valley world, with landscapes and vistas that seem strikingly similar to those of Earth — until you take a closer look. NASA's New Horizons mission, which flew by the dwarf planet in July 2015, found that Pluto has towering ... More... | |