Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 20, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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finicky
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Adjectives in QuestionsWhen interrogative adjectives appear in normal direct questions, they are placed at the beginning of the sentence and are immediately followed by the noun that they modify. What other types of questions can interrogative adjectives appear in? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FunkCharacterized by a syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive bass line, funk is a musical style that originated in the US in the 1960s when African-American musicians blended soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues into a danceable new form of music. Following the popularity of Motown artists like The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Supremes in the 60s, funk emerged with artists such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and George Clinton. More recently, funk has been fused with what genres? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Tragedy at Sea: MV Doña Paz Passenger Ferry Sinks (1987)The passenger ferry MV Doña Paz was traveling along the Tablas Strait in the Philippines when it collided with the MT Vector, an oil tanker carrying 8,800 barrels of petroleum products. The cargo ignited, causing a fire that spread onto the Doña Paz. Survivors had to jump ship, and both vessels quickly sank in shark-infested waters. The accident claimed over 4,000 lives, as the Doña Paz was grossly overcrowded. How many passengers was it supposed to hold? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Robert Gordon Menzies (1894)A successful lawyer, Menzies gave up his practice to pursue a career in politics and eventually became Australia's longest continuously serving prime minister. He started out in the House of Representatives in 1934 and served as attorney general until 1939, when he became leader of the United Australia party and prime minister. In 1941, his party lost the election, but in 1949 he again became prime minister and this time remained in office until his retirement in 1966, on what national holiday? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mooch off (of) (someone or something)— To ask for or obtain (something) through the charity of someone or something; to sponge off someone or something else. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Halcyon Days (2021)The ancient Greeks called the seven days preceding and the seven days following the Winter Solstice the "Halcyon Days." Greek mythology has it that Halcyone (or Alcyone), Ceyx's wife and one of Aeolus's daughters, drowned herself when she learned her husband had drowned. The gods took pity on her and transformed them both into kingfishers. Zeus commanded the seas to be still during these days, and it was considered a period when sailors could navigate in safety. Today, the expression "halcyon days" has come to mean a period of tranquillity, often used as a nostalgic reference to times past. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nourishmentfoster - Comes from the Germanic base for "food" and it originally meant "food, nourishment." More... inanity, inanition - Inanity is intellectual or spiritual emptiness; inanition is the lack of nourishment. More... meat - First meant "food, nourishment"—especially solid food as opposed to drink. More... nourishment - Wine or spirits given medicinally can be called nourishment. More... | |