Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 4, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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importune
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative AdverbsNegative adverbs and negative adverbials are used to modify the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, or entire clause in a negative way. What are double negatives? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The GentryThe term "gentry," in general, refers to people of gentle birth, good breeding, or high social position. In England, the term historically referred to the class of English landowners ranking just below the nobility. The gentry, particularly in England and Wales, were those not entitled to sit in the House of Lords. By the later Middle Ages, the gentry included knights, esquires, and gentlemen, and, after the 17th century, baronets. What are some examples of the gentry in other countries? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Crocodile Hunter" Killed When Stingray Barb Pierces His Heart (2006)Australian wildlife expert and conservationist Steve Irwin shot to fame with his wildlife documentary television series The Crocodile Hunter, earning an international following with his exuberance and oft-repeated catchphrase "Crikey!". The beloved naturalist was snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, filming a segment for a documentary, when he was fatally pierced in the chest by a poisonous stingray barb. He was just 44 and is survived by his wife and two children. Where is he buried? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Dadabhai Naoroji (1825)Naoroji was an Indian nationalist leader who moved to England at age 30 and worked for the improvement of British policies toward India. He wrote and lectured extensively on the "drain" of wealth from India to England, which he saw as the principal cause of Indian poverty. His work helped to stimulate economic nationalism in India, and the younger generation of nationalist leaders hailed him affectionately as the "Grand Old Man of India." He was the first Indian to do what in England? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make matters worse— To make an already bad, unpleasant, or difficult situation even more so. (Sometimes used as an independent clause in the infinitive form: "to make matters worse.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Roman Games (2021)Like the Plebeian Games, the Roman Games were held in honor of Jupiter. They date back to the dedication of the temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline hill on September 13, 509 BCE, and were originally a one-day event. By the time of Caesar, the Games lasted a full 15 days, beginning on September 4. A grand procession to the Circus Maximus, a huge arena just outside Rome, signaled the beginning of the festival. Events included boxing, running, and wrestling contests, occasional mock battles, and two- and four-horse chariot races. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |