Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 15, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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monition
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining AdjunctsAdjuncts are parts of a sentence that are used to elaborate on or modify other words or phrases in a sentence. Along with subjects, verbs, objects, and complements, adjuncts are one of the five main components of the structure of clauses. What is a distinguishing feature of adjuncts? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MoaiMoai are the monolithic human stone sculptures of Easter Island. The massive statutes are generally thought to be representations of the deified ancestors of the Rapanui people, who likely produced them between 1250 and 1500 CE. Carved from soft volcanic tufa, the statues range from 10 to 40 feet (3 to 12 meters) high, with some weighing more than 80 tons. Nearly half are still at the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported and set on platforms around the island. How were they moved? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Billionaire's Grandson Found Alive—But Maimed—after Kidnapping (1973)In 1973, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III—grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty—was kidnapped in Rome. His family initially dismissed a $17-million ransom demand as a joke by the rebellious teen, but a second note convinced his father to ask J. Paul to pay it. He refused. The frustrated kidnappers then cut off John's ear and sent it along with a note saying he would "arrive in little pieces" if their demands were not met. At this, the elder Getty relented, paying over $2 million on what condition? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ludwig Lazarus "L. L." Zamenhof (1859)Born and raised in Bialystok, a city on the Polish-Russian border populated by Poles, Germans, and Belarusians, Zamenhof was profoundly affected by the ethnic conflict he witnessed all around him. In his estimation, the primary cause of such conflict was mutual misunderstanding. Thus, he reasoned, removing communication barriers would foster peace. To this end, the young doctor and linguist devoted himself to developing an international language called "Esperanto," which means what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a modest proposal— An extreme, unorthodox, and often provocative or distasteful remedy to a complex problem, generally suggested humorously or satirically. (An allusion to Jonathan Swift's 1729 essay A Modest Proposal, in which he suggests that the poor of Ireland could alleviate their woes by selling their children as food.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bill of Rights Day (2021)The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution of 1787—referred to collectively as the Bill of Rights—were ratified on December 15, 1791. This landmark document protected American citizens from specific abuses by their government and guaranteed such basic rights as the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated December 15 as Bill of Rights Day and called upon Americans to observe it with appropriate patriotic ceremonies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nourishalimony - From Latin alimonia, "nourishment" or "eating money," from alere, "to nourish," and mony, "result, resulting condition," it first meant "nourishment, support." More... alumnus, alumna, alumni - Alumnus and alumna stem from Latin alere, "to nourish or be nourished," now by a university; originally alumnus was a pupil and now it is a male graduate. Alumni refers to either sex. More... coalesce - Meaning "cause to grow together," it is from Latin co- and alere, "nourish." More... nurture - The verb was formed after the noun, which first referred (c. 1330) to a person's training or breeding. The word can be traced back to Latin nutritus, meaning "to nourish." More... | |
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