Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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significative
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Suffixes to Create Nouns of RecipienceNominalization refers to the creation of a noun from verbs or adjectives. For verbs that become nouns to represent someone who is the recipient of an action, we often use which suffix? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 South Africa's "Big Hole"In 1866, a small, white pebble, which turned out to be a 21-carat diamond, was found on the banks of the Orange River in South Africa. When a second, larger diamond was found in 1871, a diamond rush brought miners to the area by the thousands. Eventually, five big holes were dug, and the largest, known as the "Big Hole," yielded three tons of diamonds before it was closed in 1914. What company, founded during the rush, is now responsible for about 40 percent of the world's diamond production? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Kasparov Beats Deep Blue (1996)Garry Kasparov is a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players in history. He was the youngest person to become the World Chess Federation's World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1985 until 1993. In 1996, Kasparov played against a super-computer called "Deep Blue," which was capable of evaluating 100 billion positions each turn. He lost the first game, but rebounded in the next five games to beat the machine. What happened when Kasparov faced the computer in a rematch a year later? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Michael Jordan (1963)Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan ended his career with a regular-season scoring average of 30.1 points per game, the highest in NBA history. He won six NBA championships, was league MVP five times, and earned two Olympic gold medals. Jordan's mid-air acrobatics and slam dunk skills are legendary and earned him the nickname "Air Jordan." After retiring from basketball in 1993, Jordan surprised fans by beginning a career in what sport? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Oh, the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called Man! Oh, the little that unhinges it: poor creatures that we are!Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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boots and all— With maximum effort or enthusiasm; completely and without restraint. Primarily heard in Australia, New Zealand. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Holetown Festival (2023)The Holetown Festival, which takes place in the historic town of the same name in Barbados, marks the approximate date of English settlement and has been an annual event since 1977. The opening celebrations are held at the Holetown Monument, which commemorates the settlers' landing. There are fashion shows, beauty contests, exhibitions, an antique car parade, and a carnival. Along with music concerts showcasing authentic Caribbean music and dancing, there are traditional hymns, folksongs, and a music festival at the historic St. James Church. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: slopeescarpment, scarp, palisade(s) - A cliff formation or line of cliffs can be called an escarpment, scarp (from Italian scarpa, "slope"), or palisade(s). More... scree - A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain. More... katabatic - Skiing is a katabatic sport—moving down a slope or valley. More... | |