Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 15, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Should"The modal verb "should" is used to politely express obligations or duties. It is also used to ask for or issue advice, suggestions, and recommendations; to describe an expectation; to express surprise; and to create what kind of sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 The Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping (1976)Chowchilla is a small California town that made national headlines when kidnappers took control of a school bus full of children in 1976. The 26 children and their bus driver, Ed Ray, were driven around in two vans for 11 hours before being forced into a moving van buried in a quarry. After 16 hours underground, Ray and the children managed to escape. All were safely returned home, and the kidnappers were soon arrested. What technique helped Ray to recall the kidnappers' license plate number? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Dame Iris Murdoch (1919)An Irish-born novelist and philosopher, Murdoch studied at Cambridge under prominent philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein before pursuing a career in writing. Her novels focus on the idea that free will is illusory and depict humans as "accidental" creatures, seemingly free but actually bound to self, society, and the natural world. She penned 26 novels and many philosophical works before Alzheimer's ended her writing career. To what non-medical condition did she initially attribute her symptoms? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) other half— One's spouse, romantic partner, or boyfriend/girlfriend. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hakata Gion Yamagasa (2021)The Gion Matsuri at Kyoto is the model for several other Gion festivals in Japan, and the largest of these is the Gion Yamagasa Festival at Fukuoka. The elaborate floats for which the festival is famous are called yamagasa, and beautiful new dolls are made for them each year. The festival begins on July 1, when participants purify themselves by collecting sand from the seashore. The highlight of the festival occurs on the morning of July 15, when the Oiyama race is held. This is a five-kilometer race in which teams of 28 men run while carrying yamagasa, weighing about a ton. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: startsptarmic - Describing a substance that starts a sneezing bout. More... early adopter - A person who starts using a technology or product as soon as it becomes available. More... prolepsis - Anticipation before something starts is prolepsis. More... start from scratch - Comes from giving handicaps to some competitors in racing; a contestant who starts from scratch (a line scratched in the turf or gravel) is the one who has no special advantage. More... | |