Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, November 20, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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fixity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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First ConditionalFirst conditional sentences contain a conditional verb in the simple present tense in the "if clause," and a future tense verb preceded by the auxiliary verb "will" in the main clause. What are first conditional sentences used to explain? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Howard BaskervilleBaskerville was an American teacher and Presbyterian missionary who led a group of student soldiers against Mohammad Ali Shah during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in the early 20th century. He is thus often referred to as the "American Lafayette in Iran"—a reference to the French military officer who participated in the American Revolution. He was shot and killed 9 days after his 24th birthday in 1909. What did Persian artisans create in recognition of his courage and sacrifice? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Microsoft Windows 1.0 Is Released (1985)Though Microsoft announced its new operating system in the fall of 1983, it was not ready for release until two years later, and the long delay led critics to label the product "vaporware." Even after Windows 1.0 finally hit the market, it was not particularly popular. Still, Windows was more user-friendly than the spare MS-DOS upon which it was built, and it allowed users to multitask. Two years later, it was superseded by Windows 2.0. When did Microsoft finally stop supporting Windows 1.0? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alistair Cooke (1908)Cooke was a British-American journalist and broadcaster. To British audiences, he was famous for his lively and insightful interpretations of American life and culture. His weekly Letter from America, which aired for 58 years, was one of the longest-running programs in radio. To American television audiences, he was the epitome of the elegant English gentleman, hosting public television's Masterpiece Theater for 20 years. After he died, his bones were stolen and used for what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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rubber jungle— An aviation term among pilots and airline crew for the effect created when the rubber oxygen masks in a commercial aircraft deploy from its ceiling. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Opening of the Underground Caves Day (2025)The end of World War II is marked annually by the people of Butaritari Island (northern islands of the independent republic of Kiribati). Each year, they open the caves that were built to shelter them during the war. Accompanied by a celebration, the event takes place on the anniversary of the day the caves initially were opened after the war ended in 1945. The event's main activities take place in Ukiangang village on Butaritari Island, featuring singing, dancing, feasting, and indoor and outdoor games. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plateassiette - A prepared dish of food, French for "plate, course of a meal." More... dish, plate - Dish is a more general term and plate is more specialized. More... plate - Etymologically, something "flat," from Latin plattus, "flat," and Greek platys, "broad." More... placard - Comes from French plaquier, "to plate; lay flat." More... | |