Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 28, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative PronounsA relative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to connect a relative clause (also known as an adjective clause) to the main clause in a sentence. What are restrictive relative clauses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Velvet WormOften called the "missing link" between annelids—such as earthworms and leeches—and arthropods—such as crustaceans, insects, and centipedes—velvet worms are found in wet, warm to temperate habitats on several continents. They are named for the feel of their skin, which is covered in fine hairs. Velvet worms are predators that can immobilize animals several times their own size with an adhesive substance ejected from glands in their heads. In what unusual way do velvet worms breathe? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Louis B. Mayer Opens His First Movie Theater (1907)Born in Russia, Mayer immigrated to Canada and then the US with his family and began working in his father's scrap-iron business at 14. At 23, he bought a small nickelodeon in Massachusetts, and by the time he reached his mid-30s, he owned New England's largest movie theater chain. In 1925, he merged his film production company with others to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which, under his leadership, became Hollywood's most prestigious studio. Mayer aspired to have "more stars than" what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Friedrich Engels (1820)With Karl Marx, Engels was one of the founders of modern Communism. After forming a partnership to promote the socialist movement, the two organized revolutionary movements and collaborated on several works, most notably the Communist Manifesto. Though Marx's personality has overshadowed that of Engels, Engels served as the foremost authority on Marx and Marxism after Marx's death in 1883. Despite his criticism of capitalism, Engels supported Marx's publications by doing what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Jealousy is never satisfied with anything short of an omniscience that would detect the subtlest fold of the heart.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hawks and doves— Respectively, those who favor or support aggressive military action, especially regarding foreign policy, versus those who are inclined to more peaceful, diplomatic solutions. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha (2023)The Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha is a holy day in the Baha'i religion that commemorates the death of Abbas Effendi in 1921 in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel). The eldest son of Mirza Husayn Ali, known as Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha'i faith, he was named the leader of the Baha'i community in his father's will. In turn, Abdu'l-Baha appointed his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi (1896-1957) as his successor. Today the affairs of the worldwide Baha'i community are administered by the Universal House of Justice, a body that meets in Haifa and is elected every five years. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: profitRoman holiday - Enjoyment or profit derived from others' discomfort or suffering, based on the gladiator matches enjoyed by ancient Romans. More... bottom line - A reference to the line at the bottom of a financial statement that shows the profit or balance. More... improve - First meant "to make a profit for oneself" or "to employ to advantage; to make profitable use of." More... broker - Originally, a broker or brokour bought wine cheaply in quantity and sold it at a profit; broker came to mean any retailer who did this, or a middleman/agent. More... | |