Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 1, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dissemble
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adjectival Prepositional PhrasesWhen a prepositional phrase modifies a noun, pronoun, gerund, or noun phrase (all of which function grammatically as nouns), it is considered to function as an adjective within the sentence. We call these "adjectival prepositional phrases," or sometimes just "adjective prepositional phrases." Where do they always appear in relation to the noun they are modifying? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Battle of CarrhaeFought in 53 BCE, the Battle of Carrhae stopped the Roman invasion of Parthian Mesopotamia. The Romans were led by Marcus Licinius Crassus, who wanted a victory to balance those of his fellow triumvirs Pompey and Julius Caesar. With seven legions—about 44,000 men—but little cavalry, he was defeated in the desert by 10,000 mounted Parthian archers and was killed. His death gave impetus to Caesar's quest for power. The defeat also damaged Roman prestige, especially because of the capture of what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Takes Effect (1994)Signed by Canada, Mexico, and the US, NAFTA created the world's largest free-trade area. The agreement immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations, and it called for the gradual elimination of most of the remaining barriers to cross-border investment and to the movement of goods and services among the three countries. Critics claim that NAFTA has led to job loss in the US due to the prevalence of maquiladoras, which are what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Stieglitz (1864)Stieglitz was the first art photographer in the US. More than any other American, he compelled the recognition of photography as a fine art. After editing a series of photography magazines, he established the famous gallery "291" in New York City. The gallery soon broadened its scope from fine-art photography and introduced to the US works by members of the modern French art movement, including Cézanne and Picasso. It also exhibited the works of what American artist whom Stieglitz later married? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Human life consists in mutual service.Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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look askance upon (someone or something)— To view or regard something in a disapproving or distrustful manner. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cuba Liberation Day (2025)This national public holiday commemorates the overthrow of the military government of Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973) led by Fidel Castro (b. 1926) that succeeded on January 1, 1959. July 26 is National Day, another public holiday marking the beginning of the revolution Castro led in 1953. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: umbrellaumbrella - Etymologically, it is a "little shadow." More... parapluie - A French word for umbrella, derived from Latin pluvia, "rain." More... bumbershoot - Another word for umbrella, formed by combining an alteration of the word umbrella and an alteration of the word parachute. More... nuclear umbrella - A protective status in which a nuclear state promises to use its arsenal to defend an ally without nuclear capabilities. More... | |