Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 20, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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quandary
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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TenseGrammatical tense refers to the conjugation of a verb to reflect its place in time—that is, when the action occurred. There are technically only two grammatical tenses in English. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 "La Marseillaise""La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle and became the rallying cry of the French Revolution. Originally known as the "Marching Song of the Rhine Army," it got its present name because it was first sung on the streets of Paris by troops from Marseille. The words of what famous revolutionary song written in 1870 were intended to be sung to the melody of "La Marseillaise"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Dutch East India Company Established (1602)Chartered by the parliament of the Netherlands to expand trade and assure close ties between the government and its colonial enterprises in Asia, the Dutch East India Company was the world's first multinational corporation. It had quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, and wrested control of the Spice Islands trade from Portugal. However, it was plagued by corruption and insolvency in the late 18th century and was dissolved. What issues contributed to its decline? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henrik Ibsen (1828)Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright, is considered the father of modern theater. Emphasizing character over plot, he explored psychological conflicts stemming from frustrated love and destructive family relationships, and he addressed social problems such as political corruption and the changing role of women. Many considered his plays scandalous, but he earned a worldwide audience with powerful studies of middle-class morality, such as A Doll's House. What, allegedly, were Ibsen's last words? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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blow up (one's) phone— To call someone repeatedly and/or send someone a lot of text messages. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tunisia Independence Day (2019)Independence Day is a public holiday commemorating a treaty signed on this day in 1956 that formally recognized Tunisia's independence from France. It had been a French colony since the 1880s. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: vanillahard sauce - Contains butter and sugar, with brandy, rum, or vanilla. More... oak - In the flavor of wines, it comes from oak cases and is similar to coconut or vanilla. More... vanilla - Can mean "having no special features." More... white chocolate - A blend of cocoa butter, milk solids and sugar and vanilla, it used in candy bars and baking and coatings; it is not technically chocolate because it contains no chocolate liqueur. More... | |