Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 5, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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shimmy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Conjunctive Adverbs of PurposeWe often use conjunctive adverbs to indicate a relationship of reason or purpose between two independent clauses. When we join two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb, they are traditionally separated with what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Texas City DisasterOn April 16, 1947, a fire aboard the SS Grandcamp turned into the deadliest industrial accident in US history when it caused the fertilizer-laden ship to explode at the docks in Texas City, killing approximately 580 people and injuring thousands more. The city's fire department was decimated by the initial blast, which leveled more than 1,000 buildings on land and knocked nearby aircraft out of the sky. What further intensified the disaster hours later? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Battle of Yorktown Begins (1862)The Battle of Yorktown took place during the Peninsular Campaign of the American Civil War, a major Union offensive aimed at capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. The battle began when Union forces, under the command of Major General George McClellan, encountered enemy troops near Yorktown. Though the Union forces initially vastly outnumbered the Confederate troops, they failed to exploit this advantage and instead laid siege to the city. Why? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Spencer Tracy (1900)Tracy began his acting career in the theater, but he is now recognized as a Hollywood icon and one of the most versatile performers in motion picture history. He earned his first film role in 1930, and within five years, he had appeared in more than 25 films. A two-time Academy Award winner, Tracy earned nine Oscar nominations throughout his illustrious career. He and Katharine Hepburn were a frequent on-screen team. How many films did the pair make together? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 My experience is that as soon as people are old enough to know better, they don't know anything at all.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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snow on the mountain— Silver, grey, or white hair on one's head, as due to aging. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Thay Pagoda Festival (2022)This Vietnamese festival is held in honor of Buddhist monk Dao Hanh, who lived during the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225 CE). Dao Hanh was said to have invented what is known as mua roi can, "water puppetry," an activity that plays an important part in the festival. In addition to water puppet performances, the festival features firecracker competitions, folk singing, rowing contests, and mountain-climbing events. It is held in the village of Thay (or Thuy Khe village) in the Quoc Oai District of Ha Tay Province. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: refrainballade - A verse or poem made up of three stanzas of equal length with a recurrent line or refrain at the end of each of the stanzas. More... condone - From Latin condonare, "refrain from punishing," it does not mean "approve of, endorse"; it means "let something pass without interference even though you probably disapprove," or "pardon, forgive, overlook." More... burden, refrain, chorus - The burden is the main theme or gist of a speech, book, or argument—or the refrain or chorus of a song. More... deport - The earliest sense of deport was "bear with; refrain." More... | |