Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, March 7, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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tinder
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Mitigators and IntensifiersAdverbial phrases are commonly formed when an adverb's intensity is being modified by another adverb. These modifying adverbs are known as "mitigators" and "intensifiers." How do mitigators and intensifiers each function in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 KhatKhat is a flowering plant native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it has been used for centuries as a stimulant. It contains cathinone, an addicting, amphetamine-like substance that causes excitement and euphoria. Use of the drug, which is generally ingested by chewing the plant's leaves, has been reported throughout the world, though it is, in many countries, a controlled and illegal substance. In what country can one apply for a permit to import small amounts of khat? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Alexander Graham Bell Awarded US Patent for Telephone (1876)Originally an audiologist, professor, and teacher of the deaf, Bell became interested in the idea of transmitting sound waves by wire when he misread a thesis by a German physicist. He mistakenly believed that the thesis implied such a transmission was possible. It did not, but Bell's idea was sound. Later, he described his mistranslation as a "valuable blunder." Three days after receiving a patent for his device, he spoke the first sentence ever transmitted by telephone. What was it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Anna Magnani (1908)An illegitimate child abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandparents in a Roman slum, Magnani overcame incredible odds to become an internationally acclaimed, Academy Award-winning actress. She began her performing career singing bawdy street songs in the nightclubs of Rome, but before long she was starring on the stage and screen, earning recognition for her dynamic and forceful portrayals of earthy, lower-class women. A believer in the supernatural, Magnani claimed to have what power? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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rags-to-riches— adjective (used before a noun) Characterized by a rise from poverty to great or exceptional wealth. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burbank Day (2022)The birthday of naturalist and plant breeder Luther Burbank (1849-1926) is observed in California in much the same way Arbor Day is observed in other states—that is, with activities promoting the value of natural resources and the protection of trees and birds. Burbank moved from his native Massachusetts to Santa Rosa, California, in 1875 and spent the rest of his life there experimenting with new varieties of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. On March 7, a birthday and Arbor Day celebration is held at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: roadscarfax, carrefour - A carfax or carrefour is a place where (usually four) roads or streets meet, from French carrefurcs, from Latin quadrifurcus, "four forks." More... multivious - Having many paths or roads. More... invious - Describes something that is pathless or without roads. More... jiggle-bars, rumble strips - The rough spots intentionally created on the sides of roads to alert drivers are jiggle-bars or rumble strips. More... | |