Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 20, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Adjectives vs. Interrogative PronounsThe most common mistake regarding interrogative adjectives is confusing them with interrogative pronouns. This is because all three interrogative adjectives ("what," "which," and "whose") can also function as interrogative pronouns. What is an easy way to be sure whether you are dealing with an interrogative adjective or an interrogative pronoun? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Portrait of Madame XAmerican painter John Singer Sargent, at one time the world's most famous and highly paid portrait painter, is best known for his portraits of American and English social celebrities. In 1884, before he had achieved acclaim, a scandal erupted when he exhibited Portrait of Madame X in Paris. In it, socialite Madame Gautreau is shown wearing a low-cut gown that critics deemed erotic. Paris was offended, Gautreau refused the painting, and Sargent moved to London. Where is the painting today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Saturday Night Massacre (1973)While investigating the Watergate scandal, special prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed audiotapes of conversations implicating US President Richard Nixon in a cover-up of a burglary of the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. Nixon refused to produce the tapes and ordered the US attorney general and his deputy to fire Cox. On the same Saturday, both men resigned in protest, and public outcry eventually forced Nixon to surrender the tapes. What happened to Cox? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pauline Bonaparte (1780)A woman of great beauty and considerable scandal, Pauline Bonaparte was Napoleon's favorite sister. She accompanied her first husband on an expedition to subdue Haiti, but he failed and died of yellow fever. Pauline then married a Roman nobleman, but she soon tired of him and returned to Paris, where her scandalous conduct earned her a reputation. Pauline was the only one of Napoleon's siblings to come to his aid when he was exiled to Elba, despite having incurred his disfavor for what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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squashed (in) like sardines— Very tightly or snugly packed together, especially in a small space. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birth of the Bab (2020)Birth of the Bab is a holy day in the Baha’i religion to celebrate the birthday in 1819 of Mirza Ali Mohammad in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran). In 1844, Mirza Ali declared himself the Bab (meaning "gate") and foretold the coming of one greater than he. The day, on which work is suspended, is a happy social occasion for Baha'is. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shipsnauscopy - The ability to sight land or ships at a distance. More... spring a leak - First referred to ships, describing the way the timbers sprang out of position and let in water. More... square meal - May derive from the square platters used for serving meals on ships. More... longshoremen - When sailors passed goods from the ships to men along the shore, those men came to be called longshoremen. More... | |