Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, May 25, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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deadening
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Auxiliary VerbsAuxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs) are verbs that add functional meaning to other "main" or "full" verbs in a clause. What are the three primary auxiliary verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ask and EmblaIn Norse mythology, the first two creatures were the giant Ymir and the cow Audhumla. Ymir fathered a race of giants, and Audhumla created the first god, Buri. Buri's son, Borr, fathered the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve, who together destroyed Ymir and from his body fashioned the heavens and the earth. From two trees, the gods created the first man and woman—Ask and Embla. Ask's name derives from an Old Norse word meaning "ash tree"—from which he was formed. What is the derivation of Embla's name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Millions Participate in Hands Across America (1986)Hands Across America was a massive, heavily publicized fundraiser during which millions of people, including scores of celebrities and politicians, lined up in the hopes of forming a human chain stretching from New York to California. Though they did not succeed in this regard—there were many gaps along the way—the event raised $20 million. Had all of the participants actually given the $10 required donation, it would have reached its $50-million goal. For what cause was the money raised? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Beverly Sills (1929)Sills was an American operatic soprano. She sang on the radio as a child and made her operatic debut in 1946. Her 1966 performance in Julius Caesar made her an opera star, not just for her voice, but also for her acting. After 25 years of singing with the New York City Opera, she became its director, and she also served as chairman of the board of New York's Lincoln Center and of the Metropolitan Opera. In 2006, she claimed to have stopped singing, even in the shower, for what reason? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Failure or success seem to have been allotted to men by their stars. But they retain the power of wriggling, of fighting with their star or against it, and in the whole universe the only really interesting movement is this wriggle.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(not) half the person/man/woman (one) used to be— Having a reduced, diminished, or weakened physique, disposition, conviction, prowess, or mental acuity, as after some action, event, or trauma. Sometimes used in the negative but to the same effect. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 General Clinton Canoe Regatta (2020)Originally a re-creation of the historic trip down the Susquehanna River by General James Clinton during the Revolutionary War, this well-known canoe regatta now has three divisions, one for professionals and two for amateurs. The professional race is the longest one-day race of its kind and covers a 70-mile stretch of the river between Cooperstown and Bainbridge, New York. The regatta extends for three and a half days over the Memorial Day weekend. In addition to the races, a carnival and many other activities for spectators are held at General Clinton Park. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: musical instrumentpiano word - One in which all of its letters can be played as notes on a musical instrument (e.g. cabbage). More... cord, chord - Cord comes from Greek khorde, "gut, string of a musical instrument," and chord is a refashioning of cord. More... sweet potato - An informal name for the ocarina, a musical instrument. More... tone color - The same as timbre, the quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or musical instrument from another. More... | |