Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, July 8, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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orthography
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Active VoiceYou should always use the active voice if an agent is identifiable or contains information that is relevant to the rest of the sentence. On the other hand, when an agent is unknown or irrelevant, we usually switch to the passive voice and do what to the agent? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Jhumpa LahiriJhumpa Lahiri is a contemporary Indian-American (Bengali) author based in New York City. Her debut, Interpreter of Maladies, addresses sensitive dilemmas in the lives of Indian immigrants, exploring themes involving marital difficulties, miscarriages, and the disconnection between first and second generation immigrants in the US. A film adaptation of her novel, The Namesake, will be released in November 2007. She is a vice president of what important organization? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.svg.png) Dow Jones Averages Reaches Its Lowest Point of the Great Depression (1932)The Dow Jones Industrial Average, often referred to as the Dow, is the best-known and most widely followed market indicator in the world. Tracking the performance of 30 blue-chip US stocks—which sometimes change—the Dow is thought to reflect the overall condition of the US economy. In 1932, the Dow reached its lowest point of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22—down almost 90 percent since 1929. It did not return to pre-1929 levels until 1954. Who is the Dow named after? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Davison Rockefeller (1839)After two years of high school, Rockefeller—the man destined to become, by some estimates, the richest person in history—got a job as a bookkeeper. A few years later, he formed a food handling firm that prospered in the American Civil War. In 1863, he entered the brand new oil business, and within 15 years, his company dominated the American petroleum industry. A noted philanthropist, he donated $550 million during his lifetime. It has been said that Rockefeller had what two ambitions in life? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(it's) just as well (that) (something happened)— It is or turned out to be beneficial (that something happened). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Durham Miners' Gala (2017)Soon after founding the first union in 1869, a group of mine workers in northern England initiated a campaign to lobby their pit bosses, who met regularly in the city of Durham. What began as a formal protest became a grand party, and by 1871, the first official Durham Miners' Gala was held. Today, the gala has become more of a heritage celebration of coal mining. The event usually features about 30 community brass bands, which march through the streets. The procession ends at Durham University, where attendees gather to hear speeches from trade union leaders and politicians. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inncaravanserai - A type of inn in Eastern countries where caravans are put up. More... harbergery - An inn or place of entertainment. More... inn - Etymologically a place "in" which people live or stay, from Proto-Germanic innam. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Seafaring Spiders Depend on Their "Sails" and "Anchors"Spiders can travel large distances across water like ships, using their legs as sails and their silk as an anchor, a new study has found. The study explains how spiders are able to migrate across vast distances and why they are quick to ... More... | |