Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 25, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ireful
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Major and Minor Sentences (Regular and Irregular Sentences)A major sentence is any complete sentence that contains an independent clause. Minor sentences do not have both a subject and a complete predicate. What are word sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Sami PeopleThe Sami are the descendants of ancient nomadic peoples who inhabited northern Scandinavia. They are sometimes called Laplanders, but many Sami consider this name pejorative. From the earliest times, they survived through hunting reindeer, and they became nomadic when they began to herd them a few centuries ago. Today, however, most Sami live in permanent dwellings and only about 10 percent still raise and follow the reindeer herds. What Academy Award-winning American actress is of Sami descent? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 General George Washington Crosses the Delaware in a Surprise Attack (1776)By December 1776, the morale of American colonists fighting in the Revolution had been severely weakened by a string of losses to the better-equipped British. On Christmas Day, Washington crossed the partially-frozen Delaware River with thousands of troops, overnight and during an ice storm, to surprise and overwhelm Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. There were few casualties, and the bold move restored hope of an American victory. What secret phrase signaled the start of the crossing? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Conrad Nicholson Hilton (1887)As a boy, Hilton helped his father turn the family's home into an inn for traveling salesmen. After serving in World War I, he began to buy hotels in Texas and soon graduated to such grand establishments as Chicago's Palmer House and the Waldorf-Astoria of New York. By the late 1940s, Hilton's company had expanded overseas. At the time of his death in 1979, Hilton controlled the world's largest hotel company. What did Hilton's mother tell him was the best investment he would ever make? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 An absolute monarchy is one in which the sovereign does as he pleases so long as he pleases the assassins.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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curse a blue streak— To use profane language with great rapidity and intensity. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Christmas (Puerto Rico) (2025)Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico combine island traditions with more contemporary customs, such as Santa Claus and imported Christmas trees. Singers, often dressed as the Three Kings (or Magi), go from door to door singing ancient carols known as aguinaldos to the accompaniment of guitars. It is customary to offer gifts to the singer, and over the years the term "aguinaldos" has also come to stand for the gift itself. Sometimes the strolling carolers are asked inside to sample special Christmas dishes, such as roast pig and rice pudding. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: privilegebox social - A social event at which boxes of food are auctioned to male bidders, who win the privilege of eating and dancing with the woman who prepared the box lunch. More... privilege, prerogative - A privilege is a right that may be extended to a group or a number of people; a prerogative is a right that, customarily, is vested in a single person. More... munity - A granted right or privilege. More... prerogative - Comes from Latin praerogare, "ask before others," and came to mean "right to precedence, privilege." More... | |