Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 19, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal pronounsA personal pronoun is a pronoun (a word that functions as and acts as a substitute for a noun or nouns) that represents a grammatical person within a sentence. The personal pronoun that is used varies depending on which four grammatical elements? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 K2Standing 28,251 ft (8,611 m) high on the border of China and Pakistan, K2 is the second highest mountain in the world. Although the summit of Mt. Everest is at a higher altitude, K2 is considered a more difficult climb, due in part to its severe weather. Part of the Karakorum segment of the Himalayas, the peak was first scaled in 1954, but only a few hundred climbers have ever reached the summit—compared to the thousands who have ascended Everest. Why is the mountain called "K2"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Afghanistan Gains Independence from United Kingdom (1919)After becoming the major power on the Indian subcontinent in the late 18th century, the British Empire sought to secure northern approaches to India against expanding Russian influence in the region. In doing so, Britain essentially transformed Afghanistan into a buffer state, subjecting it to several wars before finally relinquishing control of its foreign affairs. Subsequent tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan can be traced to what border drawn by the British during this period? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Roman Vishniac (1897)A Russian-American biologist, photographer, linguist, art historian, philosopher, and professor, Vishniac is best remembered for producing a photographic record of Central and Eastern European Jewish communities in the years preceding the Holocaust. His efforts were not without risk; he was imprisoned 11 times and forced to do hard labor in two concentration camps. He escaped to the US in 1940 and returned to his scientific roots, contributing to the development of what photographic techniques? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 So much does friendship triumph over misfortune, that sorrows and sufferings vanish at the meeting not only of real friends, but of the most distant acquaintances, and substitutes happiness in their room.John Filson (1747-1788) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a lot on (one's) plate— A lot to do. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jeshn (2022)Jeshn is a celebration of Afghanistan's independence from British control that has been observed throughout the country but with special ceremonies in Kabul. The Treaty of Rawalpindi, signed on August 8, 1919, gave Afghanistan the right to conduct its own foreign affairs. It was the formal conclusion of the Third Anglo-Afghan War, which actually ended in May 1919, but August is a slack agricultural period and therefore a time when more people can celebrate a holiday. The holiday has been observed with parades, dancing, games, music, and speeches by government figures. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: weavenettles - Got their name because people used to weave them into nets. More... pretext - From Latin praetexere, "to disguise," from prae, "in front," and texere, "weave"—as something serving to conceal plans. More... texture - Once referred to a woven fabric, from Latin texere, "to weave." More... wasp - The insect traces back to an Indo-European root meaning "weave." More... | |