Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 4, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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caper
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Action Verbs that Take GerundsCertain action verbs (also called "dynamic verbs") can also take a gerund as their object if describing a secondary action. "Consider" is one such action verb. What is the gerund in the following sentence? "He is considering moving to London." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Makeup: From Kohl to CosmeceuticalsCosmetics have been used for millennia to simulate or enhance the appearance of youthfulness, health, and beauty—eye makeup and scented creams were used by the ancient Egyptians as early as the 4th millennium BCE—but they have not always been viewed favorably. In the 19th century, for example, Queen Victoria publicly declared the use of makeup by anyone other than actors to be improper and vulgar. Today, however, the cosmetics industry is thriving. How much is spent on cosmetics each year? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Susanna M. Salter, First Female US Mayor, Elected (1887)After attending Kansas State Agricultural College, Salter moved with her husband to the town of Argonia, Kansas, and became the first woman to have a baby there. Following the city's incorporation in 1885, her father was elected to be its first mayor. Two years later, while serving as an officer in the local Women's Christian Temperance Union and caring for her family, she was placed on the ballot as a mayoral candidate and became the first female mayor elected in the US. How long was her term? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Bettina von Arnim (1785)A German writer, von Arnim also spent time as a composer, singer, visual artist, patron of young talent, and social activist. However, she is perhaps best known for the company she kept. She formed friendships with Goethe and Beethoven, among other artists of the day, and tried to foster an artistic union between them. Many leading composers of the time, such as Franz Liszt, admired her for her spirit and her talents. On what currency was von Arnim's likeness once featured? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you.Sun Tzu (544 BC-496 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on (someone's) behalf— For the benefit, interest, or support of someone; as an agent, representative, or in place of someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of San Isidro of Seville (2024)St. Isidro, or Isidore, (c. 560-636) was born in Cartagena, Spain, and eventually became bishop of Seville. In Río Frío, Colombia, April occurs in autumn and is typically very dry. On San Isidro's feast day, April 4, townspeople process the saint's image around the streets in the hope that he will help bring rain. The procession takes two steps forward, then one step backward, and so on, with the idea that if it drags out long enough, some rain may fall before the festivities end. If no rain falls, those who had been singing praises to St. Isidro may begin to insult and swear at him. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plateassiette - A prepared dish of food, French for "plate, course of a meal." More... dish, plate - Dish is a more general term and plate is more specialized. More... plate - Etymologically, something "flat," from Latin plattus, "flat," and Greek platys, "broad." More... placard - Comes from French plaquier, "to plate; lay flat." More... | |