Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, March 14, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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doggerel
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative ImperativesWhen we make an imperative sentence, we use the infinitive form of the verb (without "to"), and we omit the subject of the verb. What can we put before the infinitive verb to make an imperative statement negative? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Sugar SubstitutesSugar substitutes are popular for people who are watching their weight and their dental hygiene. While natural sugar substitutes exist—sorbitol, derived from berries, is one example—many sweeteners are artificial. Saccharin, a coal-tar derivative three hundred times as sweet as sugar, was discovered in 1879. Cyclamates were approved for consumer use in 1951 but were banned in 1969 because of suspected carcinogenic properties. How was the common artificial sweetener aspartame discovered? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin Awarded Patent (1794)By the end of the 18th century, the mechanization of fabric production in England had created a huge demand for US cotton, but cotton production was hampered by the large amount of manual labor required to remove the sticky seeds from the raw fiber. Whitney's cotton gin solved this problem, performing the work mechanically and quickly. Cotton production in the US skyrocketed, as did the slave population—which quadrupled by 1850. Why was Whitney unable to profit from his invention? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Johann Strauss I (1804)Tragically orphaned at the age of 12, Strauss was apprenticed to a bookbinder but studied violin on the side. After completing his apprenticeship, he performed in string quartets around Vienna before deciding to start his own band and write his own music. He enjoyed much professional success, but his family life was tempestuous. He forbade his children to study music, but they did anyway, with Johann II eventually overshadowing him. In 1849, he died after contracting scarlet fever from whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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marry above (one's) station— To marry someone who is of a higher social class or standing than oneself. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Heroes Day (2025)St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation comprised of a group of more than 30 islands in the Caribbean Sea, with St. Vincent being the largest. March 14 is National Heroes Day, when citizens honor their national hero, Chief Joseph Chatoyer. He led the nation in preventing the Europeans from colonizing the islands. On March 14, 1795, Chatoyer was killed by British troops at Dorsetshire Hill. A monument honoring Chatoyer stands on this spot; as part of the Heroes Day celebration, a wreath-laying ceremony is held at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: observationsight - A measurement or observation taken with an optical device. More... auspice - Originally denoted the observation of bird flight as a form of divination. More... noegenesis - The generating or obtaining of new knowledge from experience through observation and the inferring of relations. More... contemplate, contemplation - The base of contemplate and comtemplation is Latin templum, "open space for observation." More... | |