Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 31, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ruminate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Factitive Verbs vs. Linking VerbsLinking verbs and factitive verbs both tie a subject to another part of speech that provides more information about it. How do linking verbs differ from factitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Wilkins MicawberMicawber is a character from Charles Dickens's 1850 novel David Copperfield. Though eternally optimistic, he persistently falls behind financially. As a result, he is sent to a debtor's prison, much like Dickens's father, the real-life inspiration for Micawber. He eventually exposes his employer, Uriah Heep, as a criminal, and is able to start a new life in Australia. One of Micawber's memorable quotes pertaining to personal finance is known as the Micawber Principle. What is it? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Death of Diana, Princess of Wales (1997)Diana's beauty and unprecedented popularity as a member of the royal family attracted intense press attention, and she became one of the most photographed women in the world. After her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996, she remained highly visible and continued her activities on behalf of numerous charities. In 1997, she was killed in a car crash in Paris, along with her companion, Dodi al-Fayed, and their driver. Who was blamed for the accident in subsequent investigations? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hermann von Helmholtz (1821)Helmholtz was one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century. He made fundamental contributions to physiology, optics, electrodynamics, mathematics, acoustics, and meteorology, but he is best known for formulating the mathematical law of conservation of energy. His approach was strongly empirical at a time when many scientists embraced deductions from mental concepts. He described body heat and energy, nerve conduction, and the physiology of the eye. What medical instruments did he invent? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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legal eagle— An especially clever, aggressive, or skillful attorney. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day (2023)After being subjected to British rule since 1802, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent commonwealth state on this day in 1962. This national holiday is celebrated amid a Carnival atmosphere, with an elaborate military parade accompanied by calypsos at the Queen's Park Savannah. Religious services are varied to accommodate the Yoruba Orisha, Hindu, Muslim, Baptist, and other faiths represented in the citizenry. Later in the day, awards are presented at the National Awards Ceremony to those who have notably served their country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: momentextemporaneous, impromptu - Extemporaneous means "prepared in advance and carried out with few or no notes," while impromptu means "totally unprepared, performed on the spur of the moment"—but this distinction has been all but lost. More... moment, momentum - Latin momentum, from movere, "move," and -mentum, is the source of moment and momentum, which first meant "moving power." More... moment of truth - A translation of a Spanish expression referring to the time of the final sword thrust in a bullfight. More... momentarily, presently - Momentarily means "in a moment"; presently means "soon" or "shortly." More... | |