Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 1, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Nine Reflexive PronounsThe reflexive pronouns are "myself," "ourselves," "yourself," "yourselves," "herself," "himself," "itself," "themselves," and "oneself." The last of these is formed from the gender-neutral indefinite pronoun "one." Is "one" a personal pronoun? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Vote PairingAlso called vote swapping, vote pairing is an election system that allows people to vote tactically. A person who engages in this sort of vote trading agrees to vote for a less-preferred candidate who has a greater chance of winning in his district, and in exchange, a voter from another district agrees to vote for the candidate the first voter prefers. Though the practice is fairly informal, it can sometimes be quite sophisticated and involve websites that pair up voters. Is the practice legal? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Chinese Seize Control of Taiwan from Dutch East India Company (1662)In 1624, the Dutch founded forts in southern Taiwan. Two years later, the Spanish occupied the northern part of the island. The Dutch expelled the Spanish in 1641 and assumed control of the entire island but were, in turn, forced to abandon it when Koxinga, a general of the Ming dynasty of China, successfully laid siege to the main Dutch settlement, Fort Zeelandia, and took the island in 1662, establishing an independent kingdom. What happened to the colony's governor, Frederick Coyett? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Langston Hughes (1902)Hughes was an American poet and a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His writing is largely concerned with depicting African-American life, particularly the experience of the urban African American, and often uses dialect and jazz rhythms. Along with several collections of poetry, Hughes published numerous other works, including several plays, books for children, and novels. While working as a busboy, Hughes launched his literary career by presenting his poems to what poet as he dined? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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rue the day (that something happened)— To curse or bitterly regret a point in time (in which something happened or one did something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Rwanda National Heroes' Day (2024)Rwandans celebrate Heroes' Day on February 1. National celebrations take place starting early in the morning with the laying of wreaths at the Heroes' Cemetery at Remera, Kigali, by the president, officials of the government, and the families of the country's heroes. Wreaths are also laid at Nyange in memory of students who stood against the rebel forces of the Rwandan genocide. The national Heroes' Day celebration at Nyange features songs, dances, and poems praising the virtues and good example of the national heroes. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: modelphantom - A model of a baby used in obstetric demonstration. More... configure - First meant "fashion according to a model." More... pattern - Comes from patron, "something serving as a model." More... Frisbee - Was modeled on pie tins from Mrs. Frisbie's Pies—made by the Frisbie Bakery of Bridgeport, Connecticut—which students began tossing around in the 1920s. More... | |