Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, March 3, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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chaise
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Present Perfect ContinuousThe present perfect continuous is often used to talk about something that began happening in the past (anytime "before now") and which is still happening (unfinished) in the present. We usually specify the duration of time involved, especially using which two prepositions? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PandoraAccording to Greek mythology, Zeus ordered that the first woman, Pandora, be created as a punishment to humankind for Prometheus's theft of fire. The gods endowed her with every charm, but also with curiosity and deceit. Zeus sent her to marry Prometheus's brother, Epimetheus, and gave her a box that he forbade her to open. Despite Prometheus's warnings, Epimetheus allowed Pandora to open the box, letting out all the evils that have since afflicted man. What alone remained inside the box? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Alexander II of Russia Signs the Edict of Emancipation (1861)Signed by Czar Alexander II, the 1861 Edict of Emancipation granted liberty to more than 23 million serfs, about a third of the Russian population. The edict extended to the serfs the full rights of citizens, in particular, the right to own property—which they were to receive from the landlords and pay off over time. However, the process by which they were to acquire the land was slow, complex, and expensive. What was the village commune that controlled the peasants' landholdings called? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jamsetji Tata (1839)Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and pioneer industrialist known as "the father of Indian industry." He began his career at his father's trading firm but formed his own company in 1868 and had early success in the textile industry, buying, selling, and setting up cotton mills. He went on to establish the Tata Group of companies, which now has interests in steel, automobiles, information technology, energy, tea, and hotels. Tata died in 1904 while on a trip where? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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help (oneself) (to something)— To serve oneself (something); to take, consume, or indulge in (something) freely or without permission or restraint. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hina Matsuri (2024)Hina Matsuri is a festival for girls, celebrated in homes throughout Japan since the Edo Period (1600-1867). A set of 10 to 15 dolls (or hina), usually family heirlooms from various generations, is displayed on a stand covered with red cloth. Dressed in elaborate silk costumes, the dolls represent the emperor and empress, court ministers, and servants. In parts of Tottori Prefecture, girls make boats of straw, place a pair of paper dolls in them and set them afloat on the Mochigase River. The custom dates back to ancient times when dolls were used as talismans to exorcize evil. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shipsnauscopy - The ability to sight land or ships at a distance. More... spring a leak - First referred to ships, describing the way the timbers sprang out of position and let in water. More... square meal - May derive from the square platters used for serving meals on ships. More... longshoremen - When sailors passed goods from the ships to men along the shore, those men came to be called longshoremen. More... | |