Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 22, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gauche
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "May" to Express Future WishesThe modal verb "may" is used in more formal language to express a wish or desire that something will be the case in the future. When "may" is used in this way, what happens to the subject in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Wujing ZongyaoChinese scholars completed the Wujing Zongyao in 1044 under orders from Emperor Renzong. A military compendium detailing techniques for warfare, it includes the earliest known gunpowder formulas. The Chinese initially used gunpowder to make firecrackers, but they soon took it onto the battlefield. The Wujing Zongyao gives instructions for creating a bomb that is launched from a catapult as well as for a poison-smoke bomb. It also describes a primitive version of what modern weapon? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) The Scilly Naval Disaster (1707)Celebrated English Admiral Cloudesley Shovell was returning from an abortive attack on Toulon, France, in 1707 when his ship and several others struck rocks off the Scilly Islands, southwest of England. In one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history, Shovell is believed to have drowned along with as many as 2,000 sailors. According to one of the many legends about the disaster, Shovell reached the shore alive, only to be murdered by a woman who stole what priceless object from him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Doris Lessing (1919)Lessing was a British writer and winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. Born in Iran, she moved with her family to a farm in what was Southern Rhodesia in 1924 and lived there until 1949, when she settled in England and began her writing career. Her work often addresses social and political themes, particularly the place of women in society. The Golden Notebook, her most widely read novel, is considered a feminist classic, although Lessing herself said what about feminists? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When I talk of eyes, the stars come out! Whose eyes are they? If they are angels' eyes, why do they look down here and see good men hurt, and only wink and sparkle all the night?Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in bits and pieces— In many small fragments. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hi Matsuri (2021)On the evening of October 22, people light bonfires along the narrow street leading to the Kuramadera Shrine in Kurama, a village in the mountains north of Kyoto, Japan. Fire is a purifying element according to Shinto teachings, and the village is believed to be protected from accidents on this night. Soon after dusk, torches are lit. Even babies are allowed to carry tiny torches made of twigs, while young men carry torches so large it sometimes takes several men to keep them upright. Everyone chants "Sai-rei! Sai-ryo!" ("Festival, good festival!") as they walk through the streets. 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... | |