Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, June 10, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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verisimilitude
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs that Indicate PossibilityBecause modal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, it is sometimes unclear when it's more appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, we use "may," and "might" to express a possibility. Which of these verbs tends to express less certainty or a lower likelihood? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ramesses IIRamesses II was an Egyptian pharaoh, the third king of the 19th dynasty. His 67-year reign was marked by prosperity, numerous clashes with the Hittites, and increased slavery. Ramesses had vast texts written about his personal valor and had numerous temples and monuments, particularly enormous statues of himself, erected throughout Egypt. He is also widely believed to have been the pharaoh who reigned during the Jewish exodus from Egypt that is described in the Bible. What is the Ramesseum? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 France's Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Founded (1793)The Jardin des Plantes, the main botanical garden in France, is situated near the left bank of the river Seine in Paris and is home to the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France's museum of natural history, as well as an elaborate rose garden, numerous hothouses, and a zoo. The museum is now a center for research and education. Although it was founded during the French Revolution, the museum was born out of a medicinal plant garden created by what French monarch in 1635? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Judy Garland (1922)Born Frances Gumm, Garland was an American film actress considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywood's golden age of musical film. She began her career singing in her parents' theater at an early age and later toured in vaudeville. In 1939, she played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and went on to star in numerous other movies and musicals. Her untimely death and personal tragedies have come to represent the pitfalls of stardom. Who is her famous daughter? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.Sun Tzu (544 BC-496 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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that's my girl!— An expression used to express praise and pride in what has just been done or accomplished by one's daughter, or, less often, one's girlfriend or another female with which one has a relationship of some kind. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Portugal National Day (2022)Also known as Camões Memorial Day and Portugal Day, this national holiday observes the death anniversary of Luís Vas de Camões (1524-1580), Portugal's national poet. His epic work, The Lusiads (1572), was based on the voyage to India of Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama. This national holiday is observed with patriotic speeches, games, and costumed citizens in the capital city of Lisbon. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tuneaccordion, concertina - Accordion derives from Italian accordare, "to tune," and both it and the concertina operate on the same basic principle; however, the accordion has a pianolike keyboard and is rectangular and bulky, while the concertina has buttons in headboards and is hexagonal and more portable. More... carol - A term which originally referred to a non-religious ring dance accompanied by singing. Eventually it came to mean a merry song with a tune that could be danced to. The Italian friars who lived with St. Francis of Assisi were the first to compose Christmas carols, c. 1410. More... lilt - Comes from a word meaning "pipe," and the noun originally meant "song, tune." More... perseveration - The recurrence of a tune or thought in the mind. More... | |