Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dupery
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Past Perfect ContinuousTo form the past perfect continuous, we use "had been" + the present participle of the main verb. It is nearly identical in structure to the present perfect continuous tense, except for what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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-2.jpg) BirdsongsBirds sing using the syrinx, the avian vocal organ. Singing is usually confined to males and is at its height during the breeding season, when it is used to attract a mate. Birdsongs are usually more complex and longer than birdcalls. There is evidence that songs are learned, while certain calls are inherited. A male chaffinch hatchling, for example, sings a "subsong" but only learns the true song by hearing and imitating adult males. Deaf birds sing, but their songs are different in what way? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The January Uprising Begins (1863)The January Uprising began as a spontaneous rebellion of young Poles in Russian Poland against conscription into the Imperial Russian Army. They were soon joined by Lithuanians living in the territory, but they were severely outnumbered and isolated, and they failed to win any major victories or capture any major cities. The Russians crushed the uprising and began an intensive program of Russification. During the uprising, Russian soldiers are said to have defenestrated what composer's piano? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Johan August Strindberg (1849)Strindberg was a master of the Swedish language and an innovator of dramatic and literary styles. He achieved renown with the novel The Red Room, in which he satirized hypocrisy in Swedish life. It helped initiate Swedish realism and revealed his remarkable style, which he developed in an impressive assortment of novels, plays, stories, histories, and poems. Which of Strindberg's plays, now considered the first modern Swedish drama, was originally rejected by the national theater? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Few are the hearts whose happy lot it is at once to recognize in each other's voices the partner intended for them by Providence.Edwin Abbott (1838-1926) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lost in translation— Of a word or words, having lost or lacking the full subtlety of meaning or significance when translated from the original language to another, especially when done literally. (Usually formulated as "be/get lost in translation.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Vincent's Day (2025)São Vicente St. Vincent of Saragossa is the patron saint of Lisbon, Portugal. In Lisbon, people celebrate his feast day with processions and prayers. But in the surrounding rural areas, there are a number of folk traditions associated with this day. Farmers believe that by carrying a resin torch to the top of a high hill on January 22, they can predict what the coming harvest will be like. If the wind extinguishes the flame, the crops will be abundant; if the torch continues to burn, a poor growing season lies ahead. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shotshot - Referring to a fluid dram of liquor, the term is fairly new, dating to 1928 (PG Wodehouse). More... deadline - Originally a Civil War term for a line that marked the distance a prisoner could go before being shot on sight. More... schuss - A straight downhill ski run, it is literally German for "a shot." More... beside the point - The expression is from ancient archery, and literally means one's shot is wide of the target. More... | |