Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, July 20, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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preponderance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Stative Verbs that Take GerundsStative verbs, also known as verbs of feeling, are very likely to take gerunds as their objects. "Love" is a common stative verb that takes gerunds. What is the gerund in the following sentence? "I love going to the movies." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The HabiruSumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Ugaritic sources recorded roughly 3,200 to 4,000 years ago mention the Habiru, a group of people found throughout the Fertile Crescent, which spanned the Levant, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt. Depending on the source and epoch, the Habiru are variously described as nomads, rebels, outlaws, mercenaries, bowmen, slaves, or migrant laborers. Though opinion remains divided on this issue, some scholars associate the Habiru with what ethnic group? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Colombia Declares Independence from Spain (1810)From the 16th century, present-day Colombia formed the nucleus of the region that Spanish conquistadors called New Granada. In the early 1800s, people like Antonio Nariño began agitating for independence. A prominent early revolutionary leader, Nariño helped foment rebellion by distributing The Declaration of the Rights of Man to his countrymen. Parts of Colombia threw off Spanish jurisdiction in 1810, but full independence was not secured until nine years later, under what famous revolutionary? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alexander the Great (356 BCE)The son of Philip II of Macedon, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle and became king at 20. One of the greatest generals in ancient history, he conquered much of Greece and Persia before his troops mutinied at the prospect of having to sack India as well. At the age of 33, he died of a fever on his way home after more than a decade of conquest. His empire was the greatest that had existed until that time and spread Hellenism far and wide. What city did Alexander name after his horse? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Diplomacy, n.: The patriotic art of lying for one's country.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be hounded (by someone or something)— To be pursued, chased, badgered, or pestered (by someone or something), especially persistently or relentlessly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 W.C. Handy Music Festival (2020)The W.C. Handy Music Festival honors the "Father of the Blues" in the Alabama Quad-Cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. The festival celebrates not only Handy's musical heritage but also the musical roots of spirituals and jazz. Throughout the festival there is music by nationally known musicians night and day, street dancing, folk art exhibits, and music workshops held in such locations as ball fields, parks, and nursing homes. Concerts are performed in the church where Handy's father and grandfather served as pastor, and in restaurants and clubs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: roadscarfax, carrefour - A carfax or carrefour is a place where (usually four) roads or streets meet, from French carrefurcs, from Latin quadrifurcus, "four forks." More... multivious - Having many paths or roads. More... invious - Describes something that is pathless or without roads. More... jiggle-bars, rumble strips - The rough spots intentionally created on the sides of roads to alert drivers are jiggle-bars or rumble strips. More... | |