Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 28, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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corpulent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Habitual AspectThe habitual aspect, like the continuous aspect, is also a subclass of the imperfective aspect. It is used when an action occurs repetitively and (usually) predictably. English only has two marked ways of expressing habitual aspect. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Suez CanalOne of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes, the Suez Canal extends 101 mi (163 km) from Port Said to the Gulf of Suez and connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, allowing ships to sail directly between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. After its completion in 1869, its ownership remained in French and British hands until Egypt nationalized it in 1956, sparking an international crisis, during which it was closed for one of the two times in its history. When was the second? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice First Published (1813)Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice while living at "Steventon," her father's Hampshire vicarage where she spent the first 25 years of her life. However, the book was not published until much later—in 1813, four years before her death. Like Austen's other novels, Pride and Prejudice is a comedy of manners that depicts the self-contained world of provincial ladies and gentlemen. In 2003, the novel placed second in a BBC poll for the "UK's Best-Loved Book." What book came first? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Rubinstein (1887)Rubinstein was a Polish-American pianist whose enormous popularity spanned many decades. He debuted in 1900 and performed with moderate success until the 1930s, when he stopped performing for five years to improve his technique and reemerged as a giant of 20th-century music, active into his 80s. In the US, he was equally noted as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire ranged from Bach to 20th-century Spanish composers, but he was particularly noted for his interpretation of what composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There's none so blind as they that won't see.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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brainwave— A sudden idea or moment of inspiration; a brainstorm. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Charlemagne's Day (2020)Charlemagne wasn't actually a saint at all; he was an emperor and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, crowned in 800 by Pope Leo III. Although he was never able to read and write himself, Charlemagne, whose name means "Charles the Great," founded the University of Paris. In fact, his reign was marked by a huge cultural revival, including significant advances in scholarship, literature, and philosophy. He died on January 28, 814. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pursuitdachshund - German for "badger hound," from its original breeding purpose to pursue a badger (etc.) that has taken refuge in a burrow. More... invite - Comes from Latin invitare, from an Indo-European root meaning "to go after something, pursue with vigor, desire." More... logology - The pursuit of word puzzles; also the science of words. More... sue - From Latin sequi, "follow," it first meant "follow, go in pursuit of." More... | |