Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 27, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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conflagration
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Future Simple TenseThe simplest way we create the future simple tense is by using the modal verb "will" + the bare infinitive (without "to") of the main verb of the sentence. How else can the future simple tense be formed? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 À reboursÀ rebours is an 1884 novel by French author Joris-Karl Huysmans. Translated as Against Nature or Against the Grain, the novel follows Jean Des Esseintes, the last member of a noble family. Disgusted with his decadent life in Paris, he retreats to the countryside and immerses himself in art and philosophy, becoming somewhat deranged. Though not mentioned by name, À rebours is thought to be the book that heavily influences what famous novel's titular character? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Coney Island's Dreamland Park Burns (1911)Dreamland was, for a brief time, one of the many attractions in Coney Island—a popular New York seaside resort area. An amusement park, Dreamland featured rides and exhibitions of curiosities, including caged animals, and, more bizarrely, a display of premature infants in incubators. In 1911, a fire sparked by light bulbs ripped through the largely wooden park, creating chaos as animals escaped. Fortunately, the babies were carried to safety, and no one was killed. What became of Dreamland? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Julia Ward Howe (1819)An American author and social reformer, Howe wrote and lectured on behalf of women's suffrage, African-American emancipation, and other causes and helped found a world peace organization. In November 1861, after watching Union troops march into battle during the US Civil War, she wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," her most famous work. Published in February 1862 in The Atlantic Monthly, it became the semiofficial song of the Union Army. Where did the music for the song come from? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There lies at the back of every creed something terrible and hard for which the worshiper may one day be required to suffer.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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kiss and cry— An area in an ice skating rink where figure skaters rest while awaiting their results after a competitive performance. So named because competitors typically celebrate or commiserate (depending on their performance) with coaches, friends, or family in this location. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Reconciliation Week (2021)Australia sets aside the week between May 27 and June 3 to honor the culture and history of its Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, and to promote reconciliation and forgiveness for the treatment that these indigenous peoples have suffered at the hands of white Australians. Since it was first held in 1996, National Reconciliation Week has featured various activities designed to promote understanding between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, such as the People's Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2000. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pigmentspastel - First pertained to pigment or paste and evolved to mean light or pale colors. More... excipient - An inactive substance that serves as the vehicle or medium for a drug; it is also the material or surface that receives the pigments in painting. More... primary colors, secondary colors - In dyes, pigments, and paints, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue—which mix to make the secondary colors: orange, green, and purple. More... raw sienna, burnt sienna - Raw sienna is a brownish-yellow earth color obtained from a natural clay containing iron and manganese; burnt sienna is reddish-brown. More... | |