Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 1, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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castigate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Regular and Irregular InflectionInflection, the way we change a word's form to reflect things like tense, plurality, gender, etc., is usually governed by consistent, predictable rules. This is known as "regular inflection." However, there are many instances in which the way a word is inflected doesn't seem to follow any rules or conventions at all—this is known as "irregular inflection." What part of speech is most commonly affected by irregular inflection? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Crypt of CivilizationSealed in a chamber on the grounds of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, is an elaborate time capsule called the Crypt of Civilization. Inspired by the lack of information about ancient civilizations, university President Thornwell Jacobs devised the crypt in 1935 and spent the next five years deciding what to put in it. Likely the world's first time capsule, it was sealed in 1940 and is slated be reopened in the year 8113. What items were selected to be stored in the crypt? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Germany Invades Poland (1939)After staging Polish attacks on German forces to create the appearance of Polish aggression, Germany invaded Poland, beginning WWII. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, and all the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, with the exception of Ireland, rapidly followed suit. The German blitzkrieg crushed the Polish defenses. Within a month all of Poland was occupied by German forces as well as the forces of what state with whom Germany had just signed a non-aggression pact? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Rocky Marciano (1923)Marciano turned to professional boxing in 1947, after failing to become a professional baseball player. On his climb to the heavyweight title, he became the second boxer ever to knock out Joe Louis. He won the title in 1952 and defended it 6 times before retiring. The only heavyweight champion with a perfect professional record, he was undefeated in 49 fights—43 won by knockout. A test of the force of his punch found that it carried enough energy to lift how much weight one foot off the ground? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a legend in (one's) own lifetime— A person who has an extraordinary level of fame or reputation while he or she is still alive. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Uzbekistan Independence Day (2024)The Republic of Uzbekistan was one of the central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union until 1991, when it and other republics declared their independence from the U.S.S.R. Independence Day, September 1, is celebrated throughout the country with parties, music, and exhibits. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: threatboast - First meant "threaten" or "threat." More... gunboat diplomacy - Foreign policy carried out with the backing of the threat or use of military force. More... ostrichism - Self-delusion, a refusal to cope with something, such as a threat—figuratively hiding one's head in the sand, as the animal is mistakenly thought to do. More... | |