Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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apposite
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Past Simple TenseThe past simple tense (also called the simple past tense, or simply the past simple) is used to express completed actions. The past simple is often used with what other part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 HaruspicyHaruspicy is a method of divination that involves the examination of animal entrails, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep and poultry. A priest who practices this form of divination is known as a haruspex. The technique is thought to have originated in the Near East with the Hittites and Babylonians. It later spread with the Etruscans to the Roman Empire, where it became so popular that a college was opened to preserve the practice. What did haruspices believe the entrails could tell them? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Quebec City Founded by Samuel de Champlain (1608)Frenchman Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City as a trading post at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and St. Charles rivers. From this and subsequent settlements Catholic missionaries, explorers, and fur traders pushed across N America. Begun with just 32 colonists, the city is now home to about 500,000. Most residents are of French descent, despite the fact that the area was ceded to the British in 1763. Because many continental explorations began in the region, Quebec is known as what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879)Korzybski was a Polish-American linguist who developed a school of thought known as general semantics. He aimed to distinguish between words and the objects they describe, as well as between individual objects all described by the same word. He stressed the arbitrary nature of language and other symbols and the problems that result from misunderstanding their nature. Why did Korzybski once trick his students into eating dog biscuits during a lecture? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cool customer— Someone who remains even-tempered, especially in stressful situations. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bascarsija Nights (2019)One of Bosnia and Herzegovina's biggest events, Bascarsija Nights is a month-long celebration of culture. Artistic expressions ranging from street theatre to classical symphony make up this festival held in the country's capital, Sarajevo; one well-established tradition is the opening night performance by the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. The remaining days are marked by events offering sophisticated entertainment—theatre, book readings, ballet, art exhibits—as well as popular fare like rock concerts, movie screenings, and folklore presentations. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sendinggranulated sugar - So called because the last step in processing white table sugar is sending it through a granulator, where it is dried and formed into tiny grains. More... mission - First denoted sending the Holy Spirit into the world, from Latin mittere, "send." More... perennial - First meant "remaining leafy throughout the year"; plants living three or more years—dying aboveground and sending up fresh growth every year—are perennials. More... radio - An abbreviation of radiotelegraphy, the sending of messages by electromagnetic rays. More... | |