Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 3, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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despondent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Stative VerbsStative verbs are used to describe static conditions. They are usually unable to progress through time, and they therefore cannot be used when forming the continuous or progressive forms of verb tenses. What verb tenses can stative verbs be used in? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 British East India CompanyChartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the British East India Company was founded to break the Dutch monopoly on the spice trade. It gradually acquired unequalled trade privileges in India, reaping huge profits. Guarding against foreign and domestic competition, it began to intervene in Indian politics, sometimes with military force. The British government came to increasingly control the company. What prompted the government to finally take over the company—and India—in 1858? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Last Pair of Great Auks Killed (1844)Extinct since 1844, the great auk was a flightless seabird once found in great numbers on rocky islands off eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and Britain. The bird was hunted on a significant scale by humans for food, eggs, and down since at least the 8th century, but massive exploitation for its down and the collecting of its eggs eventually contributed to the demise of the species. Specimens are now exhibited in many museums. Where was the last pair of great auks killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Robert Adam (1728)One of the greatest architects of the late 18th century, Adam was a Scottish architect and designer whose work influenced the development of Western architecture both in Europe and North America. Along with his brother James, he developed the Adam style, an essentially decorative style of architecture that is most remembered for its application in interiors and is characterized by contrasting room shapes and delicate Classical ornaments. What are some of Adam's most famous projects? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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grand total— The final amount after adding several different numbers or sums. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kutztown Dutch Folk Festival (2023)The Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, is an annual celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch foods, crafts, and customs. There are special foods, such as apple butter, rivvel soup (rivvels are like dumplings), and the fruit pies that the Pennsylvania Dutch claim to have originated. Traditional artisans featured at the fair include tinsmiths, weavers, pretzel-makers, candlemakers, potters, and quilters. There are reenactments of a Pennsylvania Dutch funeral feast and demonstrations of nipsi—a complicated game that involves batting a piece of wood. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: laylay - As in layperson, it derives from Greek laikos, "of the people"—as opposed to clerics. More... nest egg - Poultry farmers formerly placed a porcelain or other fake egg in a hen's nest to encourage it to lay more eggs—from this came nest egg, money saved to encourage the making of more. More... lay, lie - To lay is to place something; to lie is to recline. More... | |