Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 15, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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enliven
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Aspects of the Present TenseWe use different aspects with verbs in the present tense to describe exactly how an event is structured in relation to the present moment in time. What is the present simple structure used to express? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 It's Raining Cats and Dogs!Although it is a rare phenomenon, the occurrence of animals "raining" from the sky has been reported many times throughout history. One hypothesis often proposed to explain this phenomenon is that strong winds traveling over bodies of water sometimes pick up aquatic animals, such as fish or frogs, and carry them for up to several miles, finally depositing them on land. However, this phenomenon has never been witnessed or scientifically tested. What are some other possible explanations? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Canada Adopts Maple Leaf Flag (1965)By the 1960s, Canada had been an organized dominion for a century and an equal, autonomous partner of Britain for decades. Consequently, its British-derived flag had become the subject of intense controversy. Following the Great Flag Debate of 1964, Canada's Parliament considered several possible designs before choosing the red-and-white maple leaf flag. In what foreign conflict had the previous flag's design, which incorporated the Union Jack, caused trouble for Canadian peacekeeping forces? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Irena Sendler (1910)Working with Polish resistance groups and a network of helpers, Sendler saved 2,500 Jewish children during WWII by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, sometimes hidden in suitcases. After changing the children's names and arranging for their care, she buried records of their identities in jars, hoping to someday reunite them with their parents. Though she was arrested, tortured, and reportedly executed in 1943, she actually survived the war and lived to be 98. How did she survive the Nazis? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lap of the gods— A state beyond possible human control, intervention, or responsibility; a state or condition that is or will be decided by nature or fate. Usually used in the phrase "in the lap of the gods." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Serbia Statehood Day of the Republic (2021)On February 15, 1804, Serbian patriot Djordje Petrovic Karadjordje led an uprising against the Turkish Ottoman Empire to gain independence. A second uprising occurred in 1815 and was successful; Serbia formally gained independence in 1829. In 2001, the Serbian Parliament declared February 15 a state holiday to commemorate the day that the first Serbian uprising began. A ceremony is held in Orasac to celebrate the uprising and first constitution (signed in 1835). The main celebrations include festive concerts, film and theater premiers, exhibitions, and many other events. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: madnessire, rage, fury - Ire suggests greater intensity than anger, rage suggests loss of self-control, and fury is destructive rage verging on madness. More... mania - Based on a Greek word meaning "madness," ultimately from an Indo-European root for "mind." More... rage - Traces back to Latin rabia, an alteration of rabies, meaning "fury, madness." More... woodness - Madness or insanity, from Old English wood, "out of one's mind." More... | |