Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 12, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gargantuan
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Punctuating Direct SpeechDirect speech refers to the direct quotation of something that someone else said. When we use direct speech in writing, how do we indicate it? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Whale FallsWhale carcasses that have sunk to the sea floor are known in the scientific community as whale falls. Around them spring up complex localized ecosystems, which feed off the rich sustenance they provide for decades. The phenomenon was accidentally discovered in 1987 by a team of University of Hawaii oceanographers, who were exploring the ocean depths with a robotic submersible. Many previously unknown species have since been discovered at whale falls. Which organisms thrive in this environment? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Isaac Singer Granted Patent for Sewing Machine (1851)Before the advent of the sewing machine, sewing was a laborious task. Singer's 1851 sewing machine patent made him a very rich man. Several other people laid claim to having invented the sewing machine, notably Elias Howe, who won a lawsuit against Singer for infringement. Nevertheless, Singer's company was already well established and was able to pool its patents with other claimants to avoid litigation. At times, Singer used alternate names to accomplish what scandalous feat? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ross and Norris McWhirter (1925)In 1954, a few years after identical twins Norris and Ross McWhirter founded a London fact-finding agency, they met a director of the Guinness brewing company, Sir Hugh Beaver, who commissioned a compilation of world records that was intended to settle bar-room disputes. The first edition of the McWhirters' Guinness Book of Records was given to bars for free as a marketing gimmick, but the book quickly became a phenomenal success. In 1975, Ross was assassinated. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 November, n.: The eleventh twelfth of a weariness.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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quake like a leaf— To tremble violently with fear or nervousness. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Queen's Birthday (Thailand) (2025)The Queen's Birthday is a nationwide celebration in Thailand of the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit (b. 1932). Throughout the country, buildings are decorated to honor the queen, but the most splendid are in Bangkok, where buildings and streets are brilliant with colored lights. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: interchangeablealthough, though - Although and though are interchangeable as conjunctions, but to start a clause, use although. More... fungible - Interchangeable, returnable, or easily replaced. More... convertible - If terms are interchangeable or synonymous, they are convertible. More... inalienable, unalienable - Inalienable and unalienable are interchangeable for "unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor." More... | |