Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, February 27, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pillbox
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Participle Phrases in Initial PositionWhere a participle phrase appears in a sentence changes the way we punctuate it, as does its importance to the meaning of the sentence as a whole. When a participle phrase occurs in the initial position, how is it usually separated from the rest of the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Space PenMarketers of the Space Pen claim that the writing implement can be used in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, over wet paper, at any angle, and in extreme temperatures. The pen, which was invented by American industrialist Paul C. Fisher, uses pressurized ink cartridges to force thixotropic ink through its tungsten carbide ballpoint. Though standard ballpoint pens can be used in space, both the American and Russian space programs use Fisher's pen. Why is it dangerous to use pencils in space? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Carbon-14 Discovered (1940)Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon having a mass number of 14 and a half-life of approximately 5,700 years. It occurs naturally, arising from cosmic rays, and is used as a tracer in studies of metabolism and in radiocarbon dating—a method of determining the age of carbonaceous, once-living material. Carbon-14 was discovered by Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben at the University of California Radiation Laboratory, but its existence had been predicted six years earlier by whom? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Steinbeck (1902)Steinbeck was an American writer perhaps best remembered for his strong, Pulitzer Prize-winning sociological novel The Grapes of Wrath, which is widely considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century. His later novels include Cannery Row, The Pearl, and East of Eden. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. One of Steinbeck's last works was Travels with Charley, a travelogue about a road trip across America. Who was Charley? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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beer muscles— An inflated notion of one's strength, ego, or bravado due to excess consumption of alcohol (not necessarily beer). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ecuadoran Civicism & National Unity Day (2024)Public displays of patriotism are commonplace for Ecuadorans on this national holiday, observed on the anniversary of the Battle of Tarqui in 1822. The flag of Ecuador is prominently featured during the day's celebrations. Along with receiving a public display at government and private buildings, the flag also appears in the traditional ceremonies at schools throughout the country. Students with exemplary academic records will have the honor of being flag bearers in official parades, and all students are expected to deliver an oath and kiss the flag as a symbol of their allegiance. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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