Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 2, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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fancier
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Common Errors with Compound SentencesCompound sentences are made up of at least two independent clauses expressing closely related ideas of equal or similar importance that are joined using a comma and a conjunction or just a semicolon. What are the two most common errors that occur with compound sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PocahontasThe daughter of Powhatan, a Native American chief who controlled almost all of tidewater Virginia, Pocahontas helped maintain peace with the English colonists by befriending the settlers at Jamestown. According to the famous story, she saved colonial leader John Smith from execution after he had been taken prisoner by her father's men. She later furthered efforts toward peace by marrying colonist John Rolfe. "Pocahontas" was actually a childhood nickname. What was her real name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" (1901)While speaking at the 1901 Minnesota State Fair, US Vice President Theodore Roosevelt used the proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Four days later, President McKinley was shot, and, after McKinley died on the 14th, Roosevelt became president. The statement he made in Minnesota became forever associated with his foreign policy of backing up negotiations with implicit military might, and political cartoons often portrayed him toting the proverbial stick. What is the rest of the saying? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.png) Frederick Soddy (1877)Working with Ernest Rutherford, Soddy developed a theory of the disintegration of radioactive elements. In 1912, the British chemist was among the first to conclude that elements might exist in chemically indistinguishable forms—now known as isotopes—of different atomic weights. In his 1920 book Science and Life, he described the use of isotopes in determining geologic age. He later applied his scientific background to economic theories. What H.G. Wells novel was inspired by his work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In the country the darkness of night is friendly and familiar, but in a city, with its blaze of lights, it is unnatural, hostile and menacing. It is like a monstrous vulture that hovers, biding its time.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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rolling in dough— Exceptionally wealthy; having large amounts of money to spend. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vietnam National Day (2025)The Socialist Republic of Vietnam observes its declaration of independence from France as a national holiday. On this day in 1945, Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. To celebrate Vietnam's national holiday, people gather in major cities, including Hanoi, for speeches, parades, fireworks, and other festivities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pityalms - Goes back to Greek eleemosune, "compassion, pity," and eleos, "mercy." More... bemoan, lament - Bemoaning is motivated when pity or grief is over an event that is joined to a consequence, whereas lamenting is motivated when the grief is over the event itself. More... pity, piety - Pity and piety shared the meanings "compassion" and "dutifulness, reverence" for a while. More... ruth, ruthless, ruthful - Ruth, meaning "compassion, pity," is part of ruthless and ruthful. More... | |