Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 18, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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disqualify
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Negative AdverbsNegative adverbs and negative adverbials are used to modify the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, or entire clause in a negative way. To negate a verb phrase, we insert "not" after the first auxiliary or modal verb. Where would "not" be inserted into the following sentence? "I have seen him here before." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The AinuPushed north by the Japanese people over the last 2,000 years, the remaining Ainu—the original inhabitants of Japan—today live principally on the island of Hokkaido. Though a great deal of assimilation has occurred, the Ainu are physically and culturally distinct from ethnic Japanese. They have paler skin and more hair. Their religion is animistic and centers on a bear cult. The virtually extinct Ainu language has no known relationship to any other language. Where might they have originated? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Winston Churchill Delivers His "Finest Hour" Speech (1940)Churchill delivered his celebrated "Finest Hour" speech after it became clear that France's surrender to Germany was imminent and that this would bring the Nazi enemy to England's doorstep. Churchill had been prime minister for just over a month when he delivered the 36-minute speech before the House of Commons. Warning that England would soon face attack, he tried to inspire courage, justify confidence in victory, and define the noble causes that Britain was fighting for, which were what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) James Montgomery Flagg (1877)A prolific American artist and illustrator, Flagg designed 45 military posters during WWI, including the famous "I Want You" portrait of Uncle Sam. He studied abroad in England and Paris and, upon returning to New York, rapidly won a reputation as a technically skilled, versatile, and vivacious illustrator. Working in pen and ink, watercolor, and oils, he contributed to Judge, Life, St. Nicholas, and other magazines. On whose face did Flagg model his well-known Uncle Sam? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Wit is educated insolence.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hide and seek— A situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. (A reference to the children's game "hide and go seek.") Often used with the verb "play." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Marbles Tournament (2020)Held for five days near the end of June in a Wildwood, New Jersey, the National Marbles Tournament features a competition among champions selected in elimination contests throughout the country. The national boy and girl champions each receive a trophy and a plaque as well as a $2,000 scholarship. Although many games can be played with marbles, the game played in the national tournament is called Ringer, in which 13 marbles (called "miggles") form a cross in a 10-foot circle. Players alternate shots, and the winner is the first one to shoot seven miggles out of the ring. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: privatecloset - First denoted a private or small room. More... privilege - Derives from Latin privus, "private," and leg/lex, "law." More... privity - The state of being private or secret. More... secretary - Comes from Latin, meaning "confidential officer," and first denoted a person, such as a confidant, entrusted with private or secret matters; it should be pronounced SEK-ruh-tair-ee. More... | |