Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 4, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pedestrian
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Focusing AdverbsFocusing adverbs are used to draw attention to a particular part of a clause. They frequently point to verb phrases. Where can focusing adverbs be placed in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Thomas Paine's The Age of ReasonSocial agitator Thomas Paine was an influential political writer whose support of revolution and republican government emboldened the American colonists to declare independence from England. However, his reputation was irreparably harmed by one of his later writings, The Age of Reason. Published in the 1790s, it criticizes organized religion and espouses Paine's deist beliefs. Many people mistook it for an atheist tract and widely ostracized Paine thereafter. To whom was it dedicated? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sofia Liberated from Ottoman Rule (1878)Sofia was established as a Thracian settlement around the 8th century BCE and has since developed into a major world city and the capital of Bulgaria, due in part to its central position in the Balkans. Today it is home to attractions like the 6th century Church of St. Sofia and 15th century Banya Bashi mosque. During its long history, the city passed through the hands of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. After nearly 500 years of Turkish rule, Sofia was liberated by what country? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Isaac Newton (1643)Widely considered the greatest scientist who ever lived, Newton was an English physicist and mathematician. His most famous publication, Principia Mathematica, regarded as the seminal work of modern science, includes his works on the laws of motion, tidal theory, and the theory of universal gravitation. Newton also worked out the fundamentals of calculus, though this work went unpublished for more than 30 years. How might Newton's study of alchemy have influenced his theory of gravity? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free.Edith Wharton (1862-1937) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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horse-trade— To negotiate, trade, or bargain in a shrewd, judicious manner. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Myanmar Independence Day (2024)The southeast Asian country of Burma (renamed Myanmar in 1989 by its military government), was given independence in 1948, when it refused to rejoin the British Commonwealth following Japanese occupation in World War II. The former capital, Yangon (formerly Rangoon), is decorated for Independence Day festivities, and the day is marked by sports and fairs in most cities. Burmese people dress in their national costume, which consists of an aingyi (blouse or shirt) and a longyi (skirt); panthay khowse (noodles and chicken) is traditionally served on this day, as is nga sak kin (curried fish balls). More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pillargnomon, gnomonics - A gnomon is the pillar or rod that casts a shadow on a sundial; gnomonics is the art or science of dialing or of constructing dials to show the hour of the day by the shadow of a gnomon. More... pilaster - First referred to a square or rectangular column or pillar. More... pillar - From Latin pila, "pillar," the source of compile, pilaster, and pile. More... column - Its underlying notion is of "height, command, extremity," and it comes from Latin columna, "pillar," which probably came from columen/culmen, "top, summit." More... | |