Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, September 7, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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chaparral
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Comparative AdjectivesWhen using comparative adjectives, the two nouns that are being compared can both appear in the sentence. This is the case if there is any chance of the listener or reader being confused by what you're talking about. When we need to mention both nouns, what structure do we follow? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Latinxua Sin WenzLatinxua Sin Wenz was the not the first system for transliterating Chinese using the Latin alphabet, but it was the first to be widely used by native speakers. It was developed in the late 1920s and early 30s in the USSR, where it was employed by Chinese immigrants. It then spread to Northwestern China, where it became an important tool for promoting literacy. More than 300 publications utilized Latinxua Sin Wenz before it fell out of use. What important feature of Chinese languages did it omit? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Tupac Shakur Is Shot (1996)In 1996, Shakur, an American rap star and actor, was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting while stopped at a red light on the Las Vegas strip. He died six days later. The 25-year-old Shakur had been involved in a violent rivalry between the East and West Coast rap scenes and had survived another shooting less than two years earlier. His killer has never been identified. However, some suspect that it was a man who had been in a public altercation with Shakur hours before the shooting—who? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jacob Lawrence (1917)Lawrence was a leading black artist who portrayed African-American life, experience, and history with vivid, stylized realism. He was only in his twenties when his series depicting the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North thrust him into the national spotlight. His use of somber browns and black for shadows and outlines in an otherwise vibrant palette lends his work a distinctive overtone, as does his flat painting style. Where can one view his last public work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To retire is not to flee, and there is no wisdom in waiting when danger outweighs hope, and it is the part of wise men to preserve themselves to-day for to-morrow, and not risk all in one day.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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run wild— To behave or run around in a wild, unruly, out-of-control manner; to be or become crazy or chaotic. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festival of Piedigrotta (2025)Held in Naples, Italy, in September, the Festival of Piedigrotta is known primarily for its noise and gaiety. According to one legend, it commemorates the destruction in 44 CE of a site that had formerly been the scene of pagan orgies, and the building of a chapel in its place. A second explanation is that the chapel was built in 1356 after the Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared to a priest, a nun, and a man named Peter and ordered its construction. In any case, the festival is a particularly joyful one, with processions, fireworks, and some very unusual puppet shows. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inquiryquery, inquiry, enquiry - A query is a single question; an inquiry (or enquiry) may be a single question or extensive investigation (i.e. a series of questions). More... inquirendo, percontation - An inquirendo or percontation is an investigation or inquiry. More... prosecute - First meant "to follow up or pursue an inquiry or studies" or "to pursue to the end." More... zetetic - As an adjective, it means "inquiring, investigating" and "proceeding by inquiry or investigation," or, as a noun, "inquirer." More... | |