Today's Highlights
| Word of the Day | |||||||
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straight-out
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Grammatical TenseGrammatical tense refers to the conjugation of a verb to reflect its place in time—that is, when the action occurred. Verbs in their basic form inherently describe the present time, and they can be conjugated into a unique form that describes the past. What can we then use to create different aspects of the past and present tenses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Sugar on SnowCalled "maple taffee" in English-speaking Canada, "tire d'érable" in French-speaking Canada, and "sugar on snow" in the US, maple candy is a confection made with just two ingredients: maple sap and snow. Part of traditional culture in Quebec and northern New England, the sweet is made by boiling maple sap to a certain temperature and pouring it in its molten state onto clean snow. The cold causes it to rapidly thicken, and it is served fresh. What unlikely food is often paired with the treat? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane's ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernst Krenek (1900)Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(as) silent as the grave— Totally silent, especially as produces an ominous or foreboding effect. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vulcanalia (2025)Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of volcanic or destructive fire. The Vulcanalia, or festival in honor of Vulcan, was held on August 23, right at the time of year when forest fires might be expected and when the stored grain was in danger of burning. For this reason, Vulcan's cult was very prominent at Ostia, where Rome's grain was stored. At the Vulcanalia, which was observed in Egypt, in Athens, and in Rome, the priest or flamen Volcanis performed a sacrifice, and the heads of families burned small fish they had caught in the Tiber River. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: prune | |
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| Mismatch | |
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