Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 16, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inauthentic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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When to Conjugate for PersonEvery verb in English (except modal auxiliary verbs) conjugates for grammatical person. However, this conjugation only occurs in one specific instance: if the subject is singular and in the third person, and if the verb is in the present simple tense. If this is the case, we most often conjugate the verb by adding what to the end? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean in the world, constituting one-fifth of Earth's total ocean area and covering approximately one-seventh of the Earth's surface. Crisscrossed by historically important trade routes, it is home to 40 percent of the world's offshore oil production, and the relatively high traffic of oil tankers has prompted a surge in piracy off the Somali coast. Its northernmost current system usually flows clockwise, but in the winter, it reverses direction. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 UK Calls Off the Toddlers' Truce (1957)Today we are used to turning on the television at any hour of the day or night and having access to countless channels broadcasting all manner of program, but this was not always the case. In television's early days, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was the UK's sole public broadcaster; it started out with just one channel, and it cut its feed from 6PM to 7PM to accommodate parents putting their children to bed. What caused the BBC to eventually abandon the so-called Toddlers' Truce? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Giambattista Bodoni (1740)As did many tradesmen of his day, Bodoni followed in his father's footsteps, training from a young age to become a printer. He apprenticed at the press of the Vatican before assuming the management of the Royal Press of the duke of Parma in 1768. He paid little mind to the quality of text he printed, prizing typeface and layout above all else. By the 1780s, he was designing his own typefaces, some of which are still in use. What distinguished his typefaces from the "old style" of William Caslon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is cruel to discover one's mediocrity only when it is too late.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be put behind bars— To be arrested and held in prison; to be serving time in prison. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Washington's Birthday Celebration (Laredo, Texas) (2020)This celebration in honor of George Washington has been held since 1898 by Laredo, Texas, and its sister city on the other side of the Mexican border, Nuevo Laredo. The two Laredos (los dos Laredos in Spanish) are linked by history and by three bridges across the Rio Grande. Both cities also celebrate Mexico's Independence Day in September. Washington's birthday events include dances, fireworks, mariachi music, a fun run, a jalapeño-eating contest, and parades with lavishly decorated floats. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: prosperityland of milk and honey - In the Bible, a land of prosperity and plenty promised by God to the Israelites. More... pumpkin time - The end of prosperity and a return to normal. More... thrift - First meant "acquired wealth, prosperity, success." More... welfare - Originally the phrase wel fare—first meaning "happiness" or "prosperity." More... | |