Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mound
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Semi-Modal Auxiliary VerbsSemi-modal auxiliary verbs, often simply called semi-modal verbs, are verbs that sometimes behave like modal auxiliary verbs. What four verbs are widely considered the standard set of semi-modal verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Royal JellyRoyal jelly is a substance secreted by the pharyngeal glands of worker bees. Although it is fed to all young larvae in a colony, only those destined to be queens get to consume it exclusively and in large quantities. This rapid, early feeding triggers the development of reproductive structures unique to queen bees. Royal jelly is found in various beauty products and is also marketed as a dietary supplement that may provide certain health benefits because it contains what substances? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Rum Rebellion (1808)The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in the history of Australia. It began when New South Wales governor William Bligh was deposed by George Johnston, commander of the New South Wales Corps. The coup was a retaliation against attempts by successive governors to curb the power of the Corps and interfere with its lucrative rum trade—which gave the rebellion its name. The coup was the second time Bligh had been the victim of a rebellion. What was the first? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman (1892)Coleman was an American civil aviator who became the first female pilot of African-American descent and the first person of African-American descent to hold an international pilot license. After attaining her license in France, Coleman continued to train extensively and earned a living as a stunt pilot in air shows, earning the nickname "Queen Bess." She died in an aviation accident in 1926, but her legacy inspired countless aviators. What led to the accident that resulted in Coleman's death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 People who love downy peaches are apt not to think of the stone, and sometimes jar their teeth terribly against it.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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vertically challenged— Short; not tall in stature. (Pseudo-politically correct slang used for humorous effect.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Australia Day (2019)The anniversary of the first British settlement in Australia on January 26, 1788, was formerly known as Foundation Day or Anniversary Day. Captain Arthur Phillip and his company of British convicts arrived first at Botany Bay, and when that proved to be unsuitable they moved on to Port Jackson, where the city of Sydney was eventually established. First officially celebrated in 1818, Australia Day has been a public holiday since 1838. It used to be observed on either January 26 or the nearest Monday, but since 1994 it has been observed on January 26 with celebrations all over the country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: heardphoneme - A word for a hallucination in which voices are heard. More... pig's whisper - A loud whisper, meant to be heard. More... noises off - Sounds created offstage to be heard during a play's production; the term has been extended to mean distracting or intrusive background noise. More... pink noise - Random white noise that has been adjusted so there is equal energy per octave and an equal amount of each signal can be heard. More... | |