Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, July 26, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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titter
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MayThe modal verb "may" is used to ask, grant, or describe permission, and to politely offer to do something for someone, among other things. Why is "can't" more commonly used in questions than "may not"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Urbex: Urban ExplorationUrbex is the exploration of the normally unseen or off-limits structures of urban environments or industrial facilities, such as abandoned subway tunnels, missile silos, grain elevators, asylums, schools, and amusement parks. Urban explorers often face myriad dangers in such areas, including toxic chemicals, broken glass, and collapsing floors. Arrest for trespassing is also a risk. The unspoken rule of urbex is: Take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Liberia Gains Independence (1847)Situated on the west coast of Africa, Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society (ACS), a controversial group of white Americans—including both slaveholders and abolitionists—who aimed to colonize Africa with freed slaves. ACS officials obtained Cape Mesurado in 1821, and the first African-American immigrants arrived a year later. By the 1840s, however, the ACS was facing bankruptcy, and Liberia became independent in 1847. What African country had Britain settled similarly? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jane "Jinny" Bunford (1895)Standing well over seven and a half feet tall, Bunford was twice recognized during her lifetime as the tallest person in the world. She is also believed to have had the longest hair, at 8 ft 1 in (2.5 m) long. Though she died in 1922, she was featured in the 1971 Guinness Book of World Records after her skeleton was discovered on display at Birmingham University. Bunford's height likely resulted from her pituitary gland secreting excessive growth hormones after what childhood accident? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Were you born in a tent?— Have you no basic manners? (Usually said after someone has left open a door to the outside.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Anne's Day (2022)In 1650, a group of Breton sailors built a tiny frame church at the place where the town of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, now stands. They wanted to honor St. Anne, the traditional name for the mother of the Virgin Mary and wife of Joachim or St. Joseph. The pilgrimage to her shrine in Beaupré is one of the major pilgrimages on the North American continent; Romanies from Canada and the United States also arrive to celebrate Santana ("St. Anna"). They camp on the church property, prepare a slava feast of special foods for and prayers to St. Anne, and visit their families. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: noticeadvertisement - From advertir, Old French for "to notice," and ultimately from Latin advertere, "to turn toward." More... emit, emission, emissary - Emit, emission, and emissary come from Latin emittere, "send out," and emit once meant "publish a book or notice." More... notable, noticeable - Notable means "worthy of notice" and noticeable means "readily observed." More... remark - From an intensified French word marquer, "observe, notice," i.e. "making a verbal observation." More... | |