Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, July 12, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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flinty
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Reporting VerbsIn reported speech, we use reporting verbs to introduce the information that was spoken previously. The most common so-called "reporting verbs" are "say" and "tell." When we use "tell," what else do we need to use? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 SandboardingSandboarding is a sport similar to snowboarding, except that instead of sliding down the side of a snowy mountain, participants slide down sand dunes—some of which can be hundreds of feet high. For practical reasons, it is most prevalent in desert or coastal regions, and several sandboarding competitions and championships are held around the world. One significant drawback to boarding on sand instead of snow is that, unlike on mountains, dune riders do not have what convenience? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Medal of Honor Authorized by US Congress (1862)The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the US. It is presented by the president for "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of…life above and beyond the call of duty" while engaged in an action against an enemy. Members of all branches of the US military are eligible to receive the medal, but each branch has its own special design. The Philadelphia Mint designed the medal, which was first awarded during the Civil War. How many soldiers have received the medal twice? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Oscar Hammerstein II (1895)The grandson of an opera impresario of the same name, Hammerstein studied law before beginning the theater career that made him one of the foremost songwriters in the US. In the early 1940s, he began a prolific and successful collaboration with Richard Rodgers that resulted in plays like The King and I, The Sound of Music, and the Pulitzer Prize winners Oklahoma! and South Pacific. How did New York City honor Hammerstein following his death in August 1960? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) blood runs cold— One becomes seized by an acute and intense sensation of fear, panic, horror, or dread. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kiribati Independence Day (2025)This island group in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was known as the Gilbert Islands until its independence from Britain on July 12, 1979. Independence Day is observed as a national holiday. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: potterycraze - First a crack or flaw; to craze is to produce minute cracks on the surface of pottery. More... fictile - An adjective meaning "pertaining to pottery" or "suitable for making pottery." More... ceramic, earthenware - Pottery made from clay is called ceramic or earthenware. More... slip - As in pottery, it derives from Norwegian slip/slipa, "slime on fish." More... | |