Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 1, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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uncongenial
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Imperative MoodAlthough we can use the subjunctive mood to express commands or requests, it is becoming less common in modern English. Instead, we usually use the imperative mood to form imperative sentences when we want to issue direct orders, commands, or general instructions. Why is the imperative considered an irrealis mood? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Fairy RingsAlso known as pixie rings, fairy circles, and elf circles, fairy rings are naturally occurring rings or arcs of mushrooms found in forested areas or grasslands. The rings are formed when a spore grows underground and pushes out mycelia—fungal threads—in all directions, eventually producing a ring of mushrooms or a dark circle of grass. In English folklore, fairy rings were said to be caused by elves, fairies, or pixies dancing in a circle. What are some superstitions about fairy rings? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Lockheed SR-71 Flies from New York to London in Under Two Hours (1974)Shrouded in secrecy, the SR-71 Blackbird was a US reconnaissance plane used from the 1960s through the 90s. Difficult to detect by radar and virtually untouchable by anti-aircraft missiles, it flew at three times the speed of sound and at altitudes of up to 85,000 feet (26,000 m). Its existence was publicly acknowledged in 1964. A decade later, an SR-71 flew from New York to London in just under 1 hour and 55 minutes, crushing the previous record. What life support measures kept the crew alive? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Walter Reuther (1907)Reuther was a US labor leader. As a local union leader in Detroit, Michigan, he helped organize sit-down strikes that made the United Automobile Workers (UAW) a power in the auto industry. He was president of the UAW from 1946 until his 1970 death in a plane crash. He was an architect of the 1955 merger of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). What role did Reuther play in the so-called Chicken War between the US and Europe in the 1960s? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 All truly great art is optimistic. The individual artist is happy in his creative work. The fact that practically all great art is tragic does not in any way change the above thesis.Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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I suppose (so)— An expression of vague affirmation or assent. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ksamavani (2020)Jainism, a religion that originated in ancient India, advocates peaceful coexistence. Forgiveness is thus regarded as a sacred act and is foundational to spiritual health. In the spirit similar to that of Paryushana, a better known Jain festival, Ksamavani invites believers to ask for and receive forgiveness. Every member of the Jain community approaches family members, neighbors, colleagues, and co-workers and asks them for forgiveness for harms done, irrespective of their social standing. The ritual is intended to help repair severed ties and relations. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: parentabdicate - Implies a giving up of sovereign power or the evasion of responsibility (as a parent). More... half blood - Relationship through only one parent. More... in loco parentis - Latin for "in the place of a parent." More... patrial - Means having the right to live in the UK through the British birth of a parent or grandparent. More... | |