Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 15, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining ConjunctionsConjunctions are used to express relationships between things in a sentence, link different clauses together, and to combine sentences. By using different kinds of conjunctions, we are able to make more complex, sophisticated sentences that show a connection between actions and ideas. How many main types of conjunctions are there? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 Charles Goodyear Granted Patent for Vulcanization (1844)Goodyear was the inventor of vulcanization, a process that makes rubber harder, less soluble, and more durable. Previously, rubber products were sticky and volatile, often melting in heat or hardening in cold. He obtained a patent for vulcanization in 1844 but was still badly in debt at the time of his death. Goodyear had no official connection to the famed Goodyear Tire Company, which was founded decades later and named in his honor. Why was he in prison when he began experimenting with rubber? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ion Victor Antonescu (1882)Antonescu was dictator of Romania during World War II when his country was part of the Axis. He had a close relationship with Adolf Hitler, who lauded the Romanian's "breadth of vision." Antonescu ordered the 1941 Odessa Massacre that claimed the lives of at least 25,000 Jews, though some estimates suggest an even higher death toll. In 1944, Antonescu was overthrown in a coup and later convicted of war crimes and executed. In his final letter to his wife, what did Antonescu encourage her to do? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a nodding acquaintance (with someone or something)— To have a slight or precursory knowledge of someone or something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Valdemar Day (2022)According to legend, Danish King Valdemar II set out to conquer the pagan Estonians and convert them to Christianity. During the night of June 15, 1219, the Estonians made a surprise attack on the Danish camp. A red banner with a white cross floated down from the sky, and the Danish archbishop heard a voice say that the Danes would win if they raised this banner. Schools, sports organizations, and Boy Scout troops in Denmark often hold pageants on June 15 in which they reenact the story of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag) and King Valdemar. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: subtlesubingression - A subtle or unseen entrance. More... ethereal - First meant "resembling the ether or lightest and most subtle of elements," and now means that something is impalpable or unearthly. More... hard sell, soft sell - Hard sell implies an aggressive approach toward a potential buyer; a soft sell is a more subtle, suggestive approach. More... subtle - Its ultimate source is Latin subtilis, "finely woven," a weaving term, from sub tela, "beneath the lengthwise threads of a loom." More... | |