Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, February 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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skeptic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Predicative AdjectivesA predicative adjective (or predicate adjective) is used in the predicate of a clause to describe either the subject of the clause or the direct object. Predicative adjectives that describe the subject of the clause will follow a linking verb. In such cases, they are known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Schmidt Sting Pain IndexThe Schmidt Sting Pain Index is a scale that rates the relative pain caused by the stings of nearly 80 species of insects in the Hymenoptera order, which includes wasps, bees, and ants. It is mainly the work of entomologist Justin O. Schmidt, who spent years subjecting himself to the stings, ranking them, and describing some of the experiences in colorful detail. Which insect's sting was described as producing "trembling in the form of a totally uncontrollable urge to shake the affected part"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The February 26 Incident (1936)The February 26 Incident was an attempted military coup in Japan launched by a radical faction of the Imperial Japanese Army that sought to stamp out corruption and poverty in rural Japan by assassinating certain elder statesmen. Before the coup was suppressed, the rebels managed to briefly occupy the center of Tokyo and kill several leading politicians, including the finance minister. The prime minister, however, survived thanks to a case of mistaken identity. Who was killed in his place? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Victor-Marie Hugo (1802)Hugo was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. The son of a general, he was an accomplished poet before age 20. With his verse drama Cromwell in 1827, he emerged as an important figure in Romanticism. His best-known novels are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, an evocation of medieval life, and Les Misérables, the story of the convict Jean Valjean. Their immense popularity made him the most successful writer in the world at that time. Why was Hugo forced into exile in 1851? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Cruelty was the devil's own trade-mark, and if we saw any one who took pleasure in cruelty we might know who he belonged to ... On the other hand, where we saw people who loved their neighbors, and were kind to man and beast, we might know that was God's mark.Anna Sewell (1820-1878) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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you shouldn't have— A message of thanks for a (usually unexpected) gift. Can be used sincerely or sarcastically. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kuwait Liberation Day (2019)After Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, several countries in the United Nations formed a military coalition—including troops and equipment from the U.S., France, and Britain—to force them out. Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and for five weeks, U.S. and British air forces relentlessly bombed Baghdad. This was followed by four days of a ground war, which resulted in Hussein's troops leaving Kuwait. February 26 is a national holiday in Kuwait celebrating the end of Iraq's military presence in Kuwait. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: smilesmilet - A little smile. More... mandarin crease, risorius of Santorini - Below each side of the mouth is the mandarin crease; the muscle that pulls the corners up to smile is the risorius of Santorini. More... miracle - From Latin miraculum, "object of wonder"; its ultimate root meant "to smile upon." More... gelasin - The dimples that appear when you smile are gelasins. More... | |