Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 5, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hookah
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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When to Conjugate for PersonEvery verb in English (except modal auxiliary verbs) conjugates for grammatical person. However, this conjugation only occurs in one specific instance: if the subject is singular and in the third person, and if the verb is in the present simple tense. If this is the case, we most often conjugate the verb by adding what to the end? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LaharsA lahar is a destructive mudflow that travels down the slopes of a volcano when water, often from a heavy rainfall, lake breakout, or water body or glacier displaced or melted by an eruption, mixes with rocky debris and volcanic ash. Lahars can travel up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and are similar to concrete in consistency. In 1985, lahars created by the eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz buried 22,000 people in 26 ft (8 m) of mud. What places are considered to be particularly at risk for lahars? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Secretary of State George Marshall Announces the Marshall Plan (1947)World War II left the finances and industry of Europe crippled. In 1947, Marshall proposed a plan for the US to finance the European recovery. From 1948 to 1952, it provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures. While most of Europe embraced the plan, it was strongly opposed by the Soviet Union and some Eastern European nations. How, according to Marshall, would this plan benefit the US? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887)Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose "cult of grief" did Benedict despise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet; the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns, arches, pyramids, what are they but heaps of sand—and their epitaphs, but characters written in the dust?Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) moment in the sun— A brief period of time in which one is or has been particularly successful, popular, famous, etc., especially when set against an otherwise moderate or unremarkable life. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Denmark Constitution Day (2025)This public holiday commemorates the constitution signed on June 5, 1849, that made Denmark a constitutional monarchy, and the one signed on June 5, 1953, that created parliamentary reforms. A parade takes place in Copenhagen, and other festivities are held in villages throughout Denmark. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shydemur, demure - Demur is the verb "to object or voice opposition," while demure is the adjective meaning "modest, shy." More... farouche - Means "sullen or shy in company." More... milquetoast - Comes from a comic strip character created in 1924 who was shy, timid, and unassertive. More... shrinking violet - Violets actually shrink as if they become shy, giving us this term. More... | |