Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 11, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ataractic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Future TenseGrammatically speaking, there are no future tenses in the English language; verbs do not inflect (conjugate) a certain way to reflect future actions. For that reason, we use different sentence constructions to achieve a future point of view. How is this is most often accomplished? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Angel FallsThe world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, Venezuela's Angel Falls drops 3,212 ft (979 m) and is 500 ft (150 m) wide at its base, where it feeds into the Churun River. It is named for American aviator James Angel, who in 1937 crash-landed his plane near the top of the falls and was forced—with his companions—to descend on foot. Their trek took 11 days. How long did the plane remain atop the mountain? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Kyoto Protocol Is Adopted (1997)The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to fight global warming that calls on industrialized nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. It was adopted during a UN Conference on Climate Change held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. Later that year, international representatives settled the details necessary to convert the agreement into a binding international treaty, and it came into force in 2005 after ratification by more than 125 nations. What nations declined to adopt the treaty? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hector Berlioz (1803)Berlioz was a French Romantic composer. He studied music in Paris against his parents' wishes, and his first great score, Symphonie fantastique, became a landmark of the Romantic era. An impassioned and contentious critic, he was constantly at war with the musical establishment. Although he was the most compelling French musical figure of his time, his distinctive compositional style kept almost all his music out of the repertory until the mid-20th century. What are his most famous works? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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abysmal failure— Failure that is total and extreme in measure or implication. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burkina Faso Republic Day (2019)On this day in 1958, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) voted to become an independent republic within the French community. It was then internally self-governing until it achieved independence in 1960. This is considered the most important national holiday in Burkina Faso, with many events held in the capital city of Ouagadougou. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mammalamniocentesis, amnion - Amniocentesis is formed by amnion, the innermost membrane enclosing a fetus, and Greek kentesis, "pricking." More... endoskeleton - Contained entirely within the body of an animal, like that of mammals. More... pelage - The fur, hair, wool, etc. of a mammal. More... rhinarium - The hairless, habitually moist nose of some mammals, such as the antelope. More... | |