Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 2, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
guidepost
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Creating Adverbs of MannerAdverbs of manner are used to tell us how something happens or is done. They are very often formed from adjectives by simply adding "-ly," but sometimes, the spelling of a word will have to change slightly so as to better accommodate the extra "-ly." If the adjective ends in "-ic," for instance, what does the ending become? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Ethel MermanMerman was a Tony Award winning star of film and stage. Her precise enunciation, wide vocal range, and accurate pitch garnered her much acclaim. She began singing while working as a secretary and eventually became a full time vaudeville performer. Her powerful alto voice afforded her great advantages at a time when stage singers performed without microphones. She made her theater debut in Girl Crazy (1930). According to Broadway lore, what did George Gershwin advise her never to do? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Sinking of PT-109 (1943)While on patrol in the Pacific during WWII, USS PT-109 was run down by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. The much smaller American boat was torn apart by the impact, and two seamen perished. The surviving crew, commanded by future US President John F. Kennedy, swam to safety on a nearby island and survived on coconuts for days before Solomon Islanders scouting the area found them. Kennedy's actions made him a war hero. What did he use to send a message to Allies requesting a rescue? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Peter O'Toole (1932)O'Toole, a classical stage actor, debuted in London in 1956 and played a variety of Shakespearean roles. Tall and handsome, he catapulted to stardom in 1962 with his portrayal of British Army officer T. E. Lawrence in the desert epic Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to win praise for performances in films ranging from historical dramas to high comedies and, though he never won, was nominated for an Academy Award eight times. Despite this record, he received what award in 2003? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Democracy is the healthful lifeblood which circulates through the veins and arteries, which supports the system, but which ought never to appear externally, and as the mere blood itself.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
grind (someone's) gears— To greatly or specifically irritate or annoy someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Ilinden (Macedonia Republic Day) (2023)August 2 is an official holiday in Macedonia commemorating the nation's first modern statehood. In 1903, Macedonian Christian nationalists led a rebellion against the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The rebels staged an uprising on August 2 of that year, a date that also marked the Christian feast day of Ilinden, or the prophet Elijah's ascension into heaven. The Ilinden uprising has become a cultural cornerstone in the mythology of modern Macedonia and is acknowledged as an important precursor to the establishment of the present-day Republic of Macedonia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
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... | |