Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 31, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ruminate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Factitive Verbs vs. Linking VerbsLinking verbs and factitive verbs both tie a subject to another part of speech that provides more information about it. How do linking verbs differ from factitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Wilkins MicawberMicawber is a character from Charles Dickens's 1850 novel David Copperfield. Though eternally optimistic, he persistently falls behind financially. As a result, he is sent to a debtor's prison, much like Dickens's father, the real-life inspiration for Micawber. He eventually exposes his employer, Uriah Heep, as a criminal, and is able to start a new life in Australia. One of Micawber's memorable quotes pertaining to personal finance is known as the Micawber Principle. What is it? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Thomas Edison Patents Kinetoscope in the US (1897)Developed by Edison's assistant, W.K.L. Dickson, the kinetoscope was a precursor to the modern motion-picture projector. It works through a phenomenon known as "persistence of vision," in which a sequence of images creates the illusion of motion. Initially, Edison hoped to synchronize the images with sound, but he was unable to achieve this. The kinetoscope was designed to be viewed by one person at a time. Why did Edison supposedly balk at the idea of projecting films before larger audiences? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ramon Magsaysay (1907)A Philippine guerrilla leader during World War II, Magsaysay helped combat the Japanese occupation and clear the way for US forces to liberate the island nation. He then entered politics and, as secretary of defense, spearheaded one of the most successful antiguerrilla campaigns in modern history by currying favor with the peasantry—thereby depriving the Hukbalahap rebels of popular support. By 1953, the Huks were no longer a threat, and Magsaysay was elected president. How did he die? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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rip-snorting mad— Extremely angry and agitated; infuriated. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kyrgyz Republic Independence Day (2025)Kyrgyztan declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 31, 1991, along with other central Asian republics as the Soviet empire crumbled. Located along the famed Silk Road, the trade route connecting the eastern and western parts of Eurasia, the country is mostly mountainous, part of the Tien-Shan, or Celestial Mountains. Independence Day is a national public holiday in the Kyrgyz Republic. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inncaravanserai - A type of inn in Eastern countries where caravans are put up. More... harbergery - An inn or place of entertainment. More... inn - Etymologically a place "in" which people live or stay, from Proto-Germanic innam. More... | |