Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, May 20, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gyrate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present Perfect Continuous TenseThe present perfect continuous tense is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb "have" along with "been" and the present participle of the "main" verb. The present perfect continuous is very close in meaning to how we use the present perfect tense. How do they differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Rule of ThumbNow used to refer to a convenient principle with a broad application not intended to be strictly accurate in every situation, the term "rule of thumb" first appeared in print in Sir William Hope's The Compleat Fencing-Master in 1692. The phrase is thought to have originated with woodworkers who used the length of their thumbs, rather than rulers, for measurements. However, it is often erroneously claimed that the term originally referred to a law that limited the thickness of what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Lincoln Signs Homestead Act into Law (1862)The Homestead Act was a federal law that sought to shape the American West by populating it with farmers. The act provided for the transfer of 160 acres of unoccupied public land to each homesteader at $1.25 an acre after six months of residence or for a nominal fee after five years. However, the generous law became subject to fraud and corporate abuse. The settlers did not fare much better, given the harsh land and arid conditions out West. Who was the last person to take advantage of the law? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Cher (1946)In a career spanning almost 50 years, Cherilyn Sarkisian, better known as Cher, has established herself as an enduring pop culture icon and one of the most popular female artists in music history. Cher first rose to prominence in the 1960s as one half of the pop duo Sonny and Cher. In 1965, their first hit, "I Got You Babe," topped US and UK charts. Cher went on to become an accomplished solo artist as well as a TV and film actress. What was the biggest-selling single of her career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The truth is, we each of us have an inborn conviction that the whole world, with everybody and everything in it, was created as a sort of necessary appendage to ourselves. Our fellow men and women were made to admire us and to minister to our various requirements.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take the weight off (one's) feet— To lie or (especially) sit down, generally after being upright for a long period of time. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Mecklenburg Independence Day (2022)The citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, like to think that their ancestors were the first to call for independence from the British when they adopted the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775. But historians now believe that the resolutions calling for independence were never actually presented there. Even though the Mecklenburg patriots may not have been the first to declare their independence from British rule, their actions represent an important step on the road to the American Revolution. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: prune | |