Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 30, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Auxiliary VerbsAuxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs) are verbs that add functional meaning to other "main" or "full" verbs in a clause. What are the three primary auxiliary verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Eight ImmortalsIn Chinese mythology, the Eight Immortals are a group of diverse and legendary figures, each of whom possesses a powerful talisman that can be used to perform magic. They are frequently referenced in Chinese art and culture—either individually or as a group—and are revered in the Taoist faith. They are often depicted in the company of other deities. What Chinese proverb was inspired by the story of the Eight Immortals crossing a sea to attend the Conference of the Magical Peach? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 José Rizal Executed by Firing Squad (1896)Rizal was a Philippine nationalist, author, and physician. In 1886, he published his first novel, a diatribe against Spanish administration and the religious orders in the Philippines. Angered, Spanish officials forced Rizal to leave his homeland. When he returned to Manila five years later, he was arrested as a revolutionary agitator. He was executed for treason four years after that, and his martyrdom incited a full-scale rebellion against Spanish rule. How many languages did Rizal speak? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Rudyard Kipling (1865)Kipling was raised in England but returned to his birthplace, India, as a 16-year-old journalist. He soon became famous for his stories and poetry, which often feature the heat, strife, and ennui of India and romanticize British imperialism. While in the US in the 1890s, he published The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, stories of the boy Mowgli in the Indian jungle that have become children's classics. In 1907, he became the first English language writer to win what award? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Riot, n.: A popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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an honest mistake— A mistake made unintentionally or unknowingly and without the intention of causing harm; a mistake that anyone might have made in similar circumstances. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Rizal Day (2023)A national holiday in the Philippines, Rizal Day commemorates the execution of the national hero, Dr. José Rizal, on this day in 1896. Flags fly at half-staff throughout the country, and special rites are led by the president at the 500-foot Rizal Monument in Manila. Writing from Europe and denouncing the corrupt ruling of the Philippines by Spanish friars, Rizal became known as a leader of the Philippine reform movement. He had no direct role in the nationalist insurrection, but he was arrested, tried for sedition, and executed by a firing squad. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nailshyponychial dirt - After an archaeology dig, you will have hyponychial dirt (under the nails). More... gadzooks - An abridgment of God's hooks, "nails of the cross." More... quick - Any tender or sensitive flesh, as under the nails, around a sore or wound, or under a hoof. More... exungulate - To trim one's nails. More... | |