Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 6, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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round-shouldered
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Dummy PronounsDummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. What do they refer to in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Japanese Spider CrabThe Japanese spider crab, Macrocheira kaempferi, is the largest living arthropod in the world. Fully grown, it can reach a leg span of almost 13 ft (4 m), a body size of up to 15 in (37 cm), and a weight of up to 44 lb (20 kg). The crab's natural habitat is on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean around Japan, at depths of several hundred meters. It is believed to have a life expectancy of up to 100 years. Why is catching Japanese spider crabs usually prohibited during springtime? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Maria Montessori Opens Her First School (1907)Montessori was an educator and the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy. While working in a clinic for mentally disabled children, she developed a method of teaching that involves immersing children in an environment filled with "learning games" that naturally motivate learning and allow them to develop at their own pace. She opened her first children's school in 1907 and spent the next 40 years traveling and promoting her method. How many times was she nominated for the Nobel Prize? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sun Myung Moon (1920)Moon was an engineering student and dock worker before founding the Unification Church—based on his interpretation of Christianity—in South Korea in 1954. After building a multimillion-dollar business empire, he introduced the movement to the United States in the 1960s. Moon, who claims to be the Messiah and presides over ceremonies often called "mass weddings," is considered a controversial figure, and his movement is often viewed as a cult. In 1982, he was convicted of what crime? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The value of old age depends upon the person who reaches it. To some men of early performance it is useless. To others, who are late to develop, it just enables them to finish the job.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a hot hand— A continuous period of great success, luck, or fortune; a winning streak. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dezome-shiki (New Year's Parade of Firemen) (2024)Each year on January 6, the Tokyo Fire Department hosts a parade of vehicles and a display of ladder stunts to remind citizens of the dangers of fire. The event dates from the Edo Period. In those days, ladders were indispensable tools, and the firefighters needed great agility and strength to scale them. The highlight of the present-day parade hearkens back to this tradition, as men dressed from the Edo Period perform acrobatic stunts on bamboo ladders. The event also features large-scale fire-fighting and emergency drills, and a parade of more than 100 fire engines and helicopters. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wanderingevagation - Means mental wandering or digression, also a digression in speech or writing. More... mundivagant - Means "wandering around the world." More... vagation - The action of wandering, straying, or departing from the proper or regular course. More... wanderjahr - Literally German for "wander year," it refers to a year of wandering or travel. More... | |