Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 15, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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quotidian
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Infinitive PhrasesInfinitives are used to express an action as a concept, rather than what is being done or performed by the subject of a clause. In this way, they can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. They can also form infinitive phrases when combined with what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Figure SkatingFigure skating is a sporting event involving spins, jumps, and a variety of other moves, performed on ice, often to music. The skates used by figure skaters differ from those used in other ice-based sports, as they are designed to accommodate the specific movements common in this sort of skating. For example, they have a set of jagged teeth at the front of the blade that facilitate jumping. How has television played a role in the development of the rules of competitive figure skating? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ray Kroc Opens His First McDonald's Franchise (1955)Brothers Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940 and introduced the "Speedee Service System," establishing the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. Ray Kroc, a mixer salesman, recognized the idea's potential and partnered with the brothers. Kroc opened his first McDonald's franchise in Illinois in 1955 and later bought out the McDonald brothers. The company now has a global presence. What controversies have stemmed from its success? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Catherine I of Russia (1684)Originally a Baltic peasant named Martha, Catherine was captured by Russian soldiers in 1702. That same year, she became the mistress of Peter I. In 1703, after the birth of their first child, she was received into the Russian Orthodox Church and rechristened Catherine. She married Peter in 1712, and in 1724 he had her crowned tsarina and joint ruler. When Peter died in 1725 without naming a successor, she served two years as empress of Russia until her death. How did she and Peter meet? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbors.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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over (one's) head— Too complicated to be understood by one. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birthday of Kim Il-Sung (2022)The birthday of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung on April 15, 1912, is marked as a public holiday throughout North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea). The holiday is known as the Day of the Sun. All over the country, people lay floral wreaths and baskets before the hundreds of statues that commemorate Kim. The main observances take place in the capital city Pyongyang, where officials of numerous organizations and citizens lay flowers at one of the nation's grandest monuments to Kim, located on Mansu Hill. Kim Il-Sung ruled North Korea from 1945 until his death in 1994. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: musical instrumentpiano word - One in which all of its letters can be played as notes on a musical instrument (e.g. cabbage). More... cord, chord - Cord comes from Greek khorde, "gut, string of a musical instrument," and chord is a refashioning of cord. More... sweet potato - An informal name for the ocarina, a musical instrument. More... tone color - The same as timbre, the quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or musical instrument from another. More... | |