Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 14, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dulcet
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining ClausesClauses are groups of words that contain both a subject and a predicate. There are two main types of clauses: independent clauses (which can function independently as sentences) and dependent clauses. What do dependent clauses depend on? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 "…and Bob's Your Uncle.""Bob's your uncle" is an expression used in British English. It typically concludes a simple set of instructions and is equivalent to "you're all set." The phrase first appeared in print in the 1930s, and its origins are unclear. It may have been derived from the saying "all is bob," which means "all is well." Some theories point to specific "Bobs" who may have inspired the phrase. One such candidate, British Prime Minister Robert Cecil, appointed his nephew to what prestigious post in 1887? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Group of Explorers Reaches South Pole (1911)Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had been planning for a trip to the North Pole until he heard that someone had beaten him to it. Instead, he and his team set sail for Antarctica. There, they spent nearly a year preparing for the final two-month trek that made them the first people to reach the South Pole. With good equipment and plenty of sled dogs, the team was extremely well prepared compared to other polar expeditions of the day, some of which ended badly. How was their clothing better? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George VI, King of Great Britain and Ireland (1895)The subject of the Academy Award-winning 2010 film The King's Speech, George VI became king of the United Kingdom following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. George was an important symbolic leader of the British people during World War II, supporting the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill and visiting his armies on the battlefield. He earned the respect of his people by scrupulously observing the responsibilities of a constitutional monarch and by overcoming what handicap? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a mixed picture— A portrayal of a situation highlighting both positive and negative aspects of its nature or status. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Christmas Bird Count (2021)The Christmas Bird Count is an international event sponsored annually by the National Audubon Society, from December 14–January 5. Each group of volunteers is assigned a specific geographic area and asked to record the number and species of birds they see. Counts take place in all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Pacific Islands. The data gathered every year helps the Audubon Society and scientists worldwide to understand the status and distribution of bird populations in early winter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pleasantamicable, amiable - Amicable implies being well disposed; amiable is acting well disposed and is commonly applied only to people—though sometimes it is used for occasions, while amicable is not applied to people at all but to human interactions and their outcomes. Amiable first meant "kind" or "lovely, lovable," and amicable first applied to things and meant "pleasant, benign." More... jolly - Comes from Old French jolif, "merry, festive, pleasant." More... merry - First meant "peaceful" or "pleasant," which is what it first meant in "Merry Christmas." More... | |