Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 9, 2020)Word of the Day | |||||||
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tactile
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Other MoodsThe three true moods in English are the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative. However, there are two sub-categories that are sometimes described as moods in different grammar guides. What are they? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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Kumbh MelaEvery 12 years, Hindu pilgrims gather at four sacred sites where, according to Hindu mythology, four drops of the nectar of immortality were accidentally spilled from a pot that the gods and demons were fighting over. During the festival, pilgrims ritually bathe in the river Ganges to wash away sins of their past lives and pray to escape the cycle of reincarnation. The Kumbh Mela is thought to be the largest periodic human gathering in the world. How many people attended the festival in 2001? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Henry V Becomes King of England (1413)Henry was knighted by Richard II in 1399 and created prince of Wales when his father, Henry IV, usurped the throne the same year. Although his early recklessness was celebrated—and probably exaggerated—by Shakespeare, Henry became a great popular hero. He lifted England from the near anarchy of his father's reign to civil order and a high spirit of nationalism. His main interest, however, was in gaining control of lands in France—lands that he sincerely believed to be his right. Did he succeed? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Tom Lehrer (1928)Despite being a mathematician who led a long career in academia, Lehrer is best known for the few dozen humorous songs he wrote in the 1950s and 60s. He largely tried to dodge the limelight, but his satirical treatment of serious subjects nevertheless gained him a significant cult following and influenced later performers of parody, like "Weird Al" Yankovic. According to an urban legend—one denied by the man himself—Lehrer gave up political satire after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to whom? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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The philosopher is like a mountaineer who has with difficulty climbed a mountain for the sake of the sunrise, and arriving at the top finds only fog; whereupon he wanders down again. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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Don't call us, we'll call you.— cliché Do not be in further contact with us regarding your application/submission/inquiry/etc., we will contact you if we wish to proceed further (generally meaning that no such contact is to be expected). More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Bataan Day (2023)This is a national legal holiday in the Philippines, in commemoration of the disastrous World War II Battle of Bataan in 1942, in which the Philippines fell to the Japanese. It is also known as Araw ng Kagitingan, or Heroes Day. Also remembered on this date are the 37,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers who were captured, and the thousands who died during the infamous 70-mile "death march" from Mariveles to a Japanese concentration camp inland at San Fernando. Ceremonies are held at Mt. Samat Shrine, the site of side-by-side fighting by Filipino and American troops. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: removalbeheadment - The removal of an initial letter of a word to form a new word (e.g. blather becomes lather). More... curtailment - The removal of the last letter of a word to leave another word (e.g. goon becomes goo). More... detail - Comes from French de-, "removal," and tailler, "cut in pieces," and means "to relate or describe minutely." More... water softening - The removal of calcium and magnesium ions from water, or their replacement with sodium, either by chemical reaction or by ion exchange. More... |