Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 28, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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flunky
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Present Perfect ContinuousThe present perfect continuous is often used to talk about something that began happening in the past (anytime "before now") and which is still happening (unfinished) in the present. We usually specify the duration of time involved, especially using which two prepositions? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Giuseppe MazziniMazzini was an Italian patriot, revolutionist, and an outstanding figure of the Risorgimento, the era of nationalism and activism that led to Italy's unification. In his youth, he devoted himself to literary and philosophical studies and later joined the Carbonari, a secret society with political purposes. He was imprisoned, went into exile, and founded Giovine Italia, a secret society that pushed for a united Italian republic. How did Mazzini's contributions factor into the formation of the EU? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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01.jpg) Thomas Cromwell Is Executed (1540)Arguably the architect of the Reformation, Cromwell was an English statesman who gained nearly complete control of the government as the closest advisor of King Henry VIII of England. Cromwell abused his power but only fell from Henry's favor after convincing him to marry Anne of Cleves, whom Henry found unattractive. After the marriage fizzled, Anne was sent away with a generous pension, but Cromwell was beheaded—on the same day that Henry did what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Malcolm Lowry (1909)Lowry was an English writer known for his articulation of the spiritual desolation of the modern individual. His reputation rests on the semi-autobiographical 1947 novel Under the Volcano. Set in Mexico—from which Lowry was once deported—it recounts the last day of a dispirited, alcoholic, former British consul. Though critically praised, it received popular recognition only after Lowry's death—probably from the effects of alcoholism—at 47. What is listed as his official cause of death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The good befriend themselves.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Humpty Dumptyism— The act or practice of misusing or misinterpreting a word, phrase, or article of text to suit one's own meaning or purpose. Taken from the character Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, who states, "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dodge City Days (2020)Dodge City's name alone is enough to conjure up memories of the Old West for the residents of Kansas and the surrounding states who come here to celebrate Dodge City Days every summer. There are staged shootouts between "Marshal Dillon" and the bad guys, a rodeo, a horse show, and parades featuring costumed characters from the Old West on horseback. In recent years the festival has featured entertainment by top country-and-western music stars, and the events have expanded to include a golf tournament, auto racing, and other decidedly non-traditional activities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: triflebagatelle - From French or Italian for "trick" or "trifle." More... burlesque - From French, which got it from Italian burlesco, a derivative of burla, "joke, fun"—which may have come from Latin burra, "trifle." More... trifle - In the sense of the dessert, it gets its name from being a "light" confection. More... trifle - From French truffle/truffe, "deceit, trickery." More... | |