Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 2, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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diskette
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Plural Possession with ApostrophesIf there is more than one person, place, or thing that possesses something else, then the rules for showing possession change slightly. Because an "-s" is usually added to a word to make it plural, the "-s" that follows the apostrophe is dropped. What marks possession in this case? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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.jpg) DormancyIn the broadest sense, dormancy is the state in which a living plant organ—such as a seed, bud, tuber, or bulb—fails to exhibit growth, even when environmental conditions are considered favorable. In a stricter context, dormancy is an inhibition of growth internally controlled by factors restricting water and nutrient absorption, gas exchange, cell division, and other metabolic processes necessary for growth. What is the oldest dormant seed that has been germinated into a viable plant? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 John Brown Hanged for Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)Brown was a radical US abolitionist who advocated armed action to end slavery. He and his supporters murdered five proslavery settlers in Kansas in 1856, and three years later he tried to start an armed liberation movement among slaves by seizing the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, intending to arm local slaves with its weapons. His small force was soon overpowered, and Brown was captured, tried for treason, convicted, and hanged. What went wrong during the raid? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Otto Dix (1891)A German painter and printmaker, Dix fought in World War I and returned haunted by what he had witnessed. After experimenting with Impressionism and Dada, he arrived at Expressionism and began producing works depicting nightmarish scenes of the horrors of war and the depravities of a decadent society. His antimilitary works aroused the wrath of the Nazi regime and he was dismissed from his academic posts in 1933. On what charges was he arrested in 1939? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The basis of optimism is sheer terror.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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advance notice— A notification, signal, or sign that something is going to happen or is expected to happen. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ngondo Festival (2019)For the majority of the Sawa, a coastal ethnic group in Cameroon, guidance comes from the Jengu water spirits. The annual Ngondo Festival is a special occasion for Sawa chiefs to petition these spirits for prophecies and warnings and to communicate those messages to a gathered assembly. The event, which lasts a few weeks, takes place on the banks of the Wouri River in the country's most populous city, Douala. Various cultural activities accompany the discernment process of the festival. Activities preceding the water feast include traditional wrestling competitions, a canoe race, and a Miss Ngondo pageant. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: protectedgeneric word - One referring to a commercial product, formerly a brand name that is no longer protected by trademark. More... patent leather - Got its name from the U.S. Patent Office, as the leather's finish was once protected by patent. More... shelter - May come from Middle English sheltron, a body of troops that protected itself in battle with a covering of joined shields. More... patron - Derives from Latin patronus, which means "protector of clients" or "defender." More... | |