Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 21, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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neophyte
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositional Phrases as AdverbsWhen a prepositional phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, it is considered to have the function of an adverb within the sentence. What are these phrases called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Chalk StreamsChalk streams are watercourses originating from chalk hills, where rainwater soaks into the ground and is trapped by porous chalk rock. The chalk acts as an aquifer, filtering the water that passes through it and creating a clear, mineral-rich spring lower down on the slope. Because the chalk also regulates the flow of water to the waterway below, there is little day-to-day variation in the amount of water entering the stream. Such conditions make chalk streams an ideal venue for what activity? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Permanent ARPANET Link Is Established (1969)Funded by the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), ARPANET was the first digital network that utilized packet switching, a method of data transmission. A revolutionary technology, it ultimately led to the creation of the modern Internet. The network's first permanent connection was made between computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Stanford Research Institute. By 1983, more than 300 computers were connected. What was the first message sent through ARPANET? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hetty Green (1834)Green was an American financier and reputedly the wealthiest American woman of her time. In 1865, her father and aunt both died, leaving her an estate valued at $10 million. She invested her inheritance so shrewdly that she came to be regarded as the greatest woman financier in the world, amassing an estate valued at $100-200 million. An extremely miserly woman, the "Witch of Wall Street" allegedly refused a hernia operation because it cost $150. What are some other examples of her stinginess? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Friendless, adj.: Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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get in touch (with someone)— To initiate or establish contact or communication with someone More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Arbaeen Pilgrimage (2016)In the year 680 CE, Imam al-Hussein died during the Battle of Taf in Karbala, Iraq. He was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and, for Shiite Muslims, one of the three holiest figures in their religion. To commemorate his passing, Shiites from around the world hold the week-long Arbaeen Pilgrimage to his gravesite 40 days after his death. This period of 40 days is the traditional Muslim mourning period following a death. Imam al-Hussein's tomb is in the town of Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. For Shiite Muslims, the city is also believed to be a gate to paradise. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: noisycorroboree - A large, noisy gathering. More... crash - May have been created as an imitation of the sound of noisy breaking, or may be a blend of craze and dash. More... obstreperous - Meaning "clamorous, noisy" and "argumentative," it is from Latin ob-, "against," and strepere, "to make a noise." More... strepent, strepitent - Strepent and strepitent mean "noisy." More... | |