Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 6, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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catkin
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Absolute PhrasesWe generally use absolute phrases at the beginning of a sentence to introduce additional information, or at the end of a sentence to provide a final comment on the sentence as a whole. It is also possible to use an absolute phrase in the middle of a sentence. What does that placement add to the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Etiquette in the Middle EastTravelers who fail to familiarize themselves with a region's customs before visiting that area risk inadvertently offending or insulting their hosts. For example, in Iraq and Iran, the "thumbs up" gesture—a Western expression of approval—is considered an offensive insult. In the Middle East, where Islam is the predominant religion, modesty and hospitality are strongly valued traits, but their practice varies across ethnic groups. How do Middle Easterners show their respect for the elderly? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Leningrad's Name Reverts to Saint Petersburg (1991)Russia's second largest city, Saint Petersburg is a major seaport, rail junction, and industrial, cultural, and scientific center. The city was built in 1703 by Peter the Great, who sought an outlet to the sea and a port for trade through the Baltic. It was the capital of the Russian Empire from 1712 to 1917. The city's name was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924. The city's original name, Saint Petersburg, was restored in 1991. Who made the decision to restore the original name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jane Addams (1860)In 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr, Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settlements in the US. Based on the settlements begun in England by Samuel Barnett, Hull House served as a community center for the poor and as a center for social reform, and influenced the settlement movement throughout the country. An active reformer throughout her career, Addams was a leader in the women's suffrage and pacifist movements. With whom did she share the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In this world you've just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cloud the issue— To obfuscate or distract from the topic at hand by introducing irrelevant and/or misleading information. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Aloha Festivals (2019)Aloha Festivals is a celebration of Hawaiian culture. Once a week-long event called Aloha Week, it's now a two-month affair with 300 events that starts in Honolulu in early September and runs through the end of October, with a week of festivities on every island of Hawaii. The celebrations include canoe races between the islands of Molokai and Oahu, coronations of royal courts as commemorations of the former Hawaiian monarchy, street parties, cultural events, parades, and pageantry. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: summitcolophon - A crowning or finishing touch, from Greek kolophon, "summit" or "finishing stroke." More... knoll - The summit or rounded top of a mountain or hill, it seems to derive from Old Teutonic knoo-lo, meaning "ball, clod, knot." More... acrobat - Derived from Greek akrobatos, "walking on tiptoe," from Greek akron, "summit," and baino, "walk." More... | |