Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, October 15, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs that Indicate the FutureBecause 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, "will" and "shall" can both be used to indicate the future. But "shall" can only be used to form the future tense when the subject is in what person? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Dog TagsBecause they resemble the identification tags found on dog collars, those worn by military personnel have also come to be known as dog tags. Now popular among civilians as fashion accessories, the tags are officially intended to aid in identifying those killed or wounded in battle. Before dog tags were invented, soldiers were known to scratch their names on the backs of their belt buckles or pin notes with identifying information to their clothing. Why are dog tags usually issued in sets of two? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pierre Laval Is Executed for Treason (1945)In 1942, Laval, a French politician who had advocated collaboration with Nazi Germany, came to power. His government drafted laborers for German factories, cooperated in the deportation of Jews to death camps, and instituted a rule of terror. After France was liberated by the Allies, Laval fled. He was eventually captured and returned to France, where he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. How did Laval attempt to change his fate? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Pelham Grenville "P. G." Wodehouse (1881)Wodehouse was an English-American comic writer who enjoyed enormous success during his more than 70-year career. His works are set in Edwardian England and feature idiotic youths, feckless debutantes, redoubtable aunts, and stuffy businessmen. His most famous characters are the young bachelor Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves. Although Wodehouse was knighted shortly before his death, the character of Bertie did cost him entry into the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1967. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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shaken up— Greatly startled, shocked, or upset. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 October Horse Sacrifice (2019)In ancient Rome, a chariot race was held in the Field of Mars on October 15. After the race was over, the right-hand horse of the winning chariot was killed as a sacrifice to Mars. There was a fight between the inhabitants of two different quarters of the city to see who could seize the head and place it in a designated spot. As soon as the tail was cut off, it was rushed to the king's hearth so that the blood would fall on the hearth. The rest of the blood was preserved until April 21, when it was mixed in a special ceremony and given to shepherds to burn to purify their flocks. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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