Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 14, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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demure
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Evaluative Adverbs that Indicate a Degree of CertaintyThere are several types of evaluative adverbs, which can be classified according to their function. We can use evaluative adverbs to state how certain we are about something. "Obviously" is an evaluative adverb that we can use in this way. What are others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 London's East EndOnce a heavily industrial area, the storied East End of London attracted large numbers of immigrants and became known for its poverty and dense population. Vividly described by Charles Dickens, the neighborhood was haunted by Jack the Ripper in 1888, decimated by World War II bombing, and hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics. Natives of the East End, called Cockneys, are known for their dialect. A traditional definition holds that to be a Cockney, one has to have been born within the sound of what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The War of the Pacific Begins (1879)For much of the 19th century, the mineral-rich Atacama Desert was the object of conflicts between Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Tensions boiled over in 1879, when a dispute over nitrate fields progressed to all-out war between Chile and a united Bolivia and Peru. Chile defeated both countries and took control of valuable mining areas in each. Bolivia lost its entire Pacific coast and was left landlocked, and Peru foundered economically for decades. What were the long-term effects of this outcome? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George Ferris (1859)American engineer George Ferris worked on a number of bridge projects in the 1880s and 90s, but he is best remembered today for his contribution to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago—a huge revolving observation wheel. The "Ferris wheel" was designed to be an engineering marvel that would rival the Eiffel Tower, the icon of the 1889 Paris Exposition. A resounding success, it drew about 1.5 million riders over the course of the fair. How many could take a whirl on the wheel at once? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Promises and pie-crusts are made to be broken.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pull a prank (on someone)— To carry out a trick, deception, or practical joke (against someone). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Douglass Day (2022)Each year on February 14, Frederick Douglass's birthday is commemorated with a ceremony at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, DC. The event features speakers on human rights, recitations of excerpts from Douglass's speeches, music performances, and a wreath-laying ceremony. Activities, including lectures, readings from his works, and film presentations about his life, are also planned in New Bedford, in Rochester, New York, where Douglass's grave is located, and in many other locations throughout the country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trickssnow park - An area of a piste, or ski trail, created for snowboarders and skiers to do tricks. More... intricate - From Latin in-, "into," and tricae, "tricks, perplexities." More... monkeyshines - A combination of monkey and shines, "capers, tricks." More... whist - The game was originally called whisk, from "whisking away" the cards after the tricks had been taken. More... | |