Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 27, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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repute
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Emphatic "Do"In addition to making interrogative sentences, "do" is also used as an auxiliary to create emphatic sentences. This is sometimes referred to as the emphatic mood, one of the grammatical moods in English. Where does emphatic "do" appear in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The BataviaThough the shipwreck of the Batavia, a Dutch East India Company ship that ran aground on its maiden voyage in 1628, was fairly uneventful, the mutiny and massacre that took place among its survivors earned the Batavia a lasting place in history. While stranded on islands near the Western Australian coast, several mutineers persuaded their followers to kill 125 people as part of a plot to hijack the rescue ship they hoped would find them. What happened when the rescue party arrived? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Edwin Drake Strikes Oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania (1859)In the late 1850s, Drake hired a salt well driller to start digging on a piece of land near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Though oil was known to exist nearby, there was no practical way to extract it, and its primary use was in medicine. In August 1859, Drake struck oil at a depth of 69 feet (21 m), an event that marked the birth of the oil industry. Once a quiet village, Titusville became a bustling town as prospectors flocked to the area. What disaster struck the town more than once? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Charles Stewart Rolls (1877)A member of the British aristocracy, Rolls developed an interest in engines and cars while studying at Cambridge. He became the first person there to have a car—a Peugeot—and, in 1902, he went into the automobile sales business. Striking a deal with manufacturer Frederick Royce in 1906, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce automobile company, which quickly earned a reputation for its engineering. In 1910, at the age of 32, Rolls became the first Briton to die in what unusual way? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 But curb thou the high spirit in thy breast, for gentle ways are best, and keep aloof from sharp contentions.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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with reckless abandon— With rash, unrestrained impulsiveness, enthusiasm, or zeal. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dai-Chochin Matsuri (Lantern Festival) (2025)Chochin are cylindrical lanterns made out of paper stretched over a split bamboo frame. One of the best-known Chochin festivals is held on August 26-27 in Isshiki, Aichi Prefecture. The primary attractions are 12 huge chochin, each about 30 feet high and 18 feet across, that are hoisted by means of pulleys up three huge pillars at the Suwa Shrine. As night nears, priests begin to illuminate the lanterns—a process that may take several hours. At the end of the festival the lanterns are lowered after religious dances and songs have been offered. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pronebellicose, belligerent - Bellicose orients "prone to fighting" toward an individual, while belligerent refers to an organized body, a national or political entity—a person is bellicose, a nation is belligerent. More... grovel, groveling - Grovel is a back-formation from groveling—which first meant "face downward in a prone or prostrate position." More... prone, prostrate, supine - Prone is lying on your face—facing downwards—which is also true for prostrate, but only in expressing adoration or begging for protection; supine is lying on your back. More... kratogen - The dormant area of land lying next to one that is prone to earthquakes. More... | |
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