Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 9, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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demean
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Grading and Non-Grading AdverbsAdverbs of degree can be mild, medium, strong, or absolute in how they describe the intensity, degree, or extent of the word they modify. Adverbs that are mild, medium, or strong are known as "grading adverbs." What are "non-grading adverbs"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Gut FloraThe average human body, which consists of an estimated ten trillion cells, has about ten times that number of microorganisms in its digestive tract. These bacteria, known as intestinal, or gut, flora, normally reside within the lumen of the intestine and fulfill a number of useful functions for the host, including producing vitamins, training the immune system, fermenting unused energy substrates, and producing hormones that prompt the host to store fats. Can a person survive without gut flora? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First iPhone Announced (2007)Development of Apple's iPhone began in 2004, when a team of about 1,000 employees began work on the highly confidential "Project Purple." Their efforts fundamentally changed the cell phone industry and prompted the development of a host of increasingly advanced smartphones that essentially function as mobile computers. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone on January 9, 2007, at the Macworld Conference in San Francisco. What business did he prank-call as he tested features for the audience? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Simone de Beauvoir (1908)De Beauvoir was a prominent French writer and feminist, as well as a leading existentialist. Among her most celebrated works is the profound analysis of the status of women The Second Sex, which was completed in 1950 and has become a classic of feminist literature. De Beauvoir is also noted for her lifelong polyamorous relationship with famed existentialist thinker Jean-Paul Sartre, whom she met while studying at the Sorbonne. What had de Beauvoir wanted to do with her life until age 14? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A woman is more considerate in affairs of love than a man; because love is more the study and business of her life.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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an/the olive branch— A symbol, expression, or gesture of peace, reconciliation, truce, etc. Used most commonly in the phrase "hold out/offer (someone) an/the olive branch." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Agonalia (2022)In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and of doorways. The worship of Janus is believed to have been started by Romulus, one of the legendary founders of Rome. Usually depicted with two faces, one looking forward to the future and the other looking back to the past, his image appeared on an early Roman coin with a ship's prow on the reverse side. During the festival in honor of Janus known as the Agonalia, the rex sacrorum, or officiating priest, sacrificed a ram. Offerings of barley, incense, wine, and cakes called Januae were also common. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: terrierwhippet - A cross between a greyhound and a terrier. More... terrier - A dog that "takes the earth" or unearths its prey, from Latin terra, "earth." More... Dobermann, pinscher - Dobermanns are named for German dog breeder Ludwig Dobermann; pinscher means "terrier" in German. More... Jack Russell - A type of terrier—not recognized as a distinct breed— named for the Rev. John Russell (1795-1883) of Devonshire. More... | |