Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 5, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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insolence
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs that Request PermissionBecause modal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, it is sometimes unclear when it's more appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "can," "could," "may," and "might" can all be used to ask for permission. Which of these options is the least formal? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Maison du RoiThe Maison du Roi was the entourage that attended to the needs of the French royal family from the 14th to the 19th century. It was administered by the chief steward of France until the 1700s, when a ministry was organized to oversee the thousands of employees tasked with duties such as managing the king's stables, hunting for the king's meat, providing the king's food and entertainment, and attending to the king's spiritual needs. What was the Grand Panetier charged with overseeing? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Electric Traffic Light Is Installed (1914)Prior to 1914, there had been several attempts to create automobile traffic signals similar to those used by railroads, but it was only after a four-way electric signal was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, that the modern traffic light system began to take root. The signal had only two colors, green and red, but the three-color version still in use today was not far off. What US city claims to be home to the oldest working traffic light in the country? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Neil Alden Armstrong (1930)Armstrong became a pilot at 16, studied aeronautical engineering, and won three medals as a US Navy pilot in the Korean War. He became test pilot in 1955 and joined the space program in 1962. He made history in 1969, when he became the first person to walk on the Moon, a feat he famously declared "one giant leap for mankind." Though this brought him worldwide renown, he, for the most part, avoided the limelight. What unusual legal battle did he face with his barber in 2005? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Judge the goodness of a book by the energy of the punches it has given you. I believe the greatest characteristic of genius, is, above all, force.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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strap on the (old) feed bag— slang To begin eating; to have a meal. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burkina Faso Independence Day (2025)Formerly called Upper Volta, Burkina Faso gained independence from France on August 5, 1960, an event commemorated as a national holiday each year. The area had been a French protectorate since the 1890s. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: suddenall of a sudden - Is the grammatically correct version; do not say "all of the sudden." More... coup de main - A sudden and unexpected movement or attack. More... sudden - From Latin sub-, "up to," and ire, "come, go," making subitus, "come or go up stealthily." More... vicissitude - A sudden or unexpected change in life. More... | |