Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 18, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cat's-paw
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ditransitive Verbs"Ditransitive verbs" take two objects: a direct object and an indirect object. The direct object relates to the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb, while the indirect object relates to the person or thing that indirectly receives or benefits from the action as a result. Where does an indirect object appear in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Taj MahalThe Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian Islamic architecture. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered it built as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The building's white marble exterior is inlaid with semiprecious stones arranged in Arabic inscriptions, floral designs, and arabesques, and its gardens reflect the Islamic Paradise. When was the monument's construction begun? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Day of Two Noons: US and Canada Adopt Standard Time Zones (1883)Before the adoption of time zones, clocks in the US and Canada were set according to the position of the sun overhead, meaning that time varied according to location. For the rail industry, this presented a logistical nightmare, and so many railroads kept their own time, further complicating matters. Standardization solved everything. On "The Day of Two Noons," train stations reset their clocks according to newly adopted time standards. Which US city continued to keep local time until the 1900s? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Asa Gray (1810)Considered one of the most important botanists in American history, Gray laid the foundation for the study of plants in North America. He made botanical expeditions to the western US, established Harvard University's botany department, and wrote prodigiously on the subject of plants, producing several classic, still-valued textbooks. Charles Darwin was such an admirer of Gray's work that he shared his theory of natural selection with Gray before publishing it. What toxin was named for Gray? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lipstick on a pig— Some superficial or cosmetic change to something so that it seems more attractive, appealing, or successful than it really is. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Haiti Battle of Vertières' Day (2025)This official public holiday memorializes the last battle for Haitian independence on November 18, 1803, in which Haitian rebels defeated the French colonialists. The victory at Vertières, near the present-day port city of Cap-Haïtien, signified the end of a long freedom struggle that stretched out over two major phases. Less than two months after the battle, Haiti became the first black independent republic. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pardouble eagle - Three strokes under par on a single golf hole. Also called an albatross. More... par - Latin, literally "equal, equality." More... double bogey - Two strokes over par. More... birdie - The golf term birdie is a diminutive of bird, "first-rate thing," as it is one stroke under par for a hole. More... | |