Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 21, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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misbehave
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative Pronouns as Objects of PrepositionsIn certain cases, relative pronouns can be used as objects of prepositions, meaning the relative pronoun works in conjunction with a preposition to modify the subject or verb of the relative clause. Only three relative pronouns can function as objects of prepositions. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Secondhand SmokeSecondhand smoke is cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke that is inhaled unintentionally by nonsmokers. The amount of such smoke inhaled by a nonsmoker is relatively small when compared to the amount inhaled by a tobacco user; however, so-called passive smoking can aggravate respiratory illnesses and contribute to serious diseases, including cancer. This danger has led many countries to adopt smoking bans in indoor spaces. How has the tobacco industry responded to the issue of secondhand smoke? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bengali Language Movement: Police Shoot Student Protesters (1952)The day that police opened fire on a group of students protesting the exclusion of Bengali as an official language of Pakistan marked a turning point in the Bengali Language Movement. At the time, Pakistan was made up of two provinces, East and West Pakistan. Though East Pakistan was the more populous province, the government favored West Pakistani interests, as evidenced by its attempt to make Urdu the only official language of the dominion. When was Bengali added as an official language? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Nina Simone (1933)After winning acclaim in 1959 with her recording of George Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy," American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone toured the US and Europe. She soon put her talents and newfound fame to work for the civil rights movement, writing and performing protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black." Dissatisfied with the treatment of African Americans in the US, the "High Priestess of Soul" expatriated herself in the 1970s. Where did she go? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Silver is sometimes more valuable than gold ... that is, in large quantities.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be put out of business— To be caused or forced to cease carrying on commercial trading or transactions. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vanuatu Father Walter Lini Day (2022)A former Anglican priest, Father Walter Lini became the first prime minister of the newly independent country of Vanuatu in 1980. Despite those who remember him for his authoritarian ways, Lini is honored on February 21 as the father of Vanuatu's independence. To mark the 25th anniversary of the country's independence, the 2005 celebration of Lini Day included a special remembrance service at the Tagabe Anglican Church with President Kalkot Matas Kelekele attending. Prime minister Ham Lini, Walter Lini's brother, presided over a ceremony in which a wreath was placed on the late priest's grave. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plumdrupe - A fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone (e.g. almonds, cherries, plums, olives), it comes from Latin drupa, "overripe olive," from Greek druppa, "olive." More... plum, prune - Plum and prune are ultimately the same word, coming from Greek proumnon. More... plum job - Relates to the 1600s British term "plum" for 1,000 pounds, meaning a serious amount of money. More... plum pudding - So named because it was originally made with plums—the word was retained to denote "raisin," which became the main ingredient. More... | |