Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 25, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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oenophile
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conditional SentencesConditional sentences are in the conditional mood, which is used for hypothetical scenarios that are dependent on a certain condition or conditions. What are the four "degrees" of conditionals? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Kingdom of SwazilandThe Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked, mountainous country in southeast Africa. In 1968, Swaziland achieved complete independence, but retained membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. The country is cut by four major river systems, which are increasingly used for irrigation. Sugarcane is the country's leading export, but pineapple, citrus fruit, and cotton are also important agricultural exports. Why does Swaziland have the one of the world's lowest life expectancy rates? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 R&B Artist Aaliyah Killed in Airplane Crash (2001)Signed to a record deal at age 12, Aaliyah became a popular R&B singer with hits such as "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number" and "Are You That Somebody." She went on to appear in films, but her skyrocketing career came to a halt when she and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001 after filming a music video. Aaliyah was only 22 years old. Though the pilot was unlicensed and had traces of alcohol and cocaine in his system, the crash was primarily blamed on what other issue? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jane Stanford (1828)Jane Stanford was the wife of a prominent American railroad builder and politician. After the death of the couple's only child in 1884, they began looking for ways to honor his memory. The next year, they founded Leland Stanford Junior University, popularly known as Stanford University. When her husband passed away in 1893, Jane stepped in to run the university and saw it through a difficult financial period, at times using her personal finances to fund the school. Who poisoned her in 1905? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If a man could pass through Paradise in a dream, and have a flower presented to him as a pledge that his soul had really been there, and if he found that flower in his hand when he awake—Aye, what then?Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make advances at (someone)— To approach someone in a flirtatious, amorous, or sexual manner; to try or begin to seduce someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Uruguay Independence Day (2021)This national holiday commemorates the declaration of independence of Uruguay from Portuguese rule on this day in 1825. By 1828, Uruguay was officially autonomous. Patriotic ceremonies are held in the capital city of Montevideo, with speeches and the singing of the national anthem. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pineapplecollective fruit - That which is formed from a mass of flowers, as the mulberry, pineapple, etc. More... Hawaiian pizza - A pizza topped with pineapple and ham or prosciutto. More... pineapple - Originally, pineapple was the word for pinecone, since the cone is the fruit of the pine and apple had the former general meaning "fruit"; pineapple is neither "pine" nor "apple," but is a very big berry and is also called "king pine" or "excellent fruit." More... multiple fruit, fruitlet - The pineapple is termed a multiple fruit because it forms from the individual ovaries of several flowers; each raised button on its surface is called a fruitlet. More... | |