Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 3, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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plaintive
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs and TenseA modal verb must always be used with a main verb—they cannot stand completely on their own. But because we cannot use modal verbs with main verbs that are in a past-tense form, the verb that follows a modal must always be in what form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 RouletteRoulette emerged in late 18th-century European casinos and has remained popular with gamblers to this day. In the game, a horizontal wheel is spun and a ball is dropped onto it. Players may bet on which of the wheel's numbered slots the ball will come to rest in, what color the slot will be, and whether the number will be odd or even. Though roulette is ostensibly a game of chance, players have repeatedly tried to improve their odds. How did one engineer exploit the game to win $325,000 in 1873? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 George Washington Creates Thanksgiving Day (1789)Though the feast held in 1621 may be better remembered, the first official national Thanksgiving in the US was declared in 1789. On that day, Washington, the president at the time, offered thanks for "the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty" following the revolution. Thanksgiving feasts were declared sporadically until 1863, when President Lincoln established it as a lasting holiday. Traditionally, the president pardons a live turkey each year. Why have recent presidents pardoned two? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Alfred Wight, AKA James Herriot (1916)After working for many years as a veterinary surgeon in rural England, Wight was persuaded by his wife to write down his collection of anecdotes. His humorous, fictionalized reminiscences were published under the pen name James Herriot in If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972), issued in the US as the single and massively successful volume All Creatures Great and Small. Why did Wight feel the need to write under a pseudonym? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pay dirt— Something very, particularly, or abundantly valuable or useful, especially that which has been discovered after a long or arduous search. Used especially in the phrase "hit/strike pay dirt." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Olney White Squirrel Count (2025)The community of Olney, Illinois, boasts a population of rare white squirrels. It is believed that the animals first appeared in the area just after the American Civil War. For many years, Olney has been concerned with preserving the squirrels. Every year an official count is done to determine how the white squirrel population is surviving. Professors from nearby Central College, with the help of volunteers, try to gauge whether the number of animals is increasing or decreasing and whether any migration is taking place. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: uproardonnybrook - Donnybrook is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, once famous for its annual fair and now used to describe a scene of uproar or disorder. More... hurly-burly - Turmoil or an uproar. More... rum - Once known as rumbo, rumbowling, rumbustion, or rumbullion—from a Devonshire word meaning "uproar." More... stampede - From Mexican Spanish estampida, "crash, uproar." More... | |