Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, January 21, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Predicative AdjectivesA predicative adjective (or predicate adjective) is used in the predicate of a clause to describe either the subject of the clause or the direct object. Predicative adjectives that describe the subject of the clause will follow a linking verb. In such cases, they are known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MonomaniaIn the 19th century, monomania was one of seven recognized categories of mental illness. This type of mental disorder was characterized by excessive preoccupation with one thing, subject, or idea and could be classified as either emotional, meaning it involved an obsession with an emotion, or intellectual, involving a preoccupation with a single idea. Although it is no longer used as a technical term in psychology, a number of disorders once classified as monomania are now known as what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Battle of Khe Sanh Begins (1968)Located near the demilitarized zone that marked the border between North and South Vietnam, Khe Sanh was the site of a protracted battle during the Vietnam War. It involved months of near-constant artillery attacks on the local US Marine base, matched by a bombing barrage of surrounding areas by US planes. The US forces retained the base but gained no advantage, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. Why do some historians believe the North Vietnamese never intended to capture the base? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sophia Jex-Blake (1840)In 1858, Jex-Blake enrolled in college against the wishes of her parents. She struggled to find a medical school that would accept women, and though she persuaded the University of Edinburgh to admit her, she could not graduate. She took her fight to Parliament, which passed a law enabling women to receive medical degrees. Jex-Blake founded two medical schools for women, and, after obtaining her degree in 1877, became the third female doctor in the UK. What became of her Edinburgh home? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Every desire bears its death in its very gratification. Curiosity languishes under repeated stimulants, and novelties cease to excite and surprise, until at length we cannot wonder even at a miracle.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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with no frills— With no extraneous details or embellishments. Not fancy, decorous, or elaborate. Simple. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Babin Den (2025)In Bulgaria, the old women who helped deliver babies—much like the modern midwife—were called baba, or grandmother. It was widely believed that the baby received some of the baba's wisdom, and it was customary for the baby's parents to bring the baba flowers on a particular day each year, called Grandmother's Day or Day of the Midwives. Eventually the children grew up, but they would continue to visit their baba each year. Most babies in Bulgaria today are born in hospitals, so the children bring flowers to the doctors and nurses who assisted at their birth. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: instructioncatechism, catechumen - Catechism comes from Latin catechismus, "instruction by word of mouth," and is literally a series of questions and answers; a catechumen is a young Christian preparing for confirmation. More... disciple, discipline - Disciple comes from a Latin word meaning "learner" and discipline comes from one meaning "instruction, knowledge." More... document - First meant "instruction" or "evidence," whether written or not. More... lore - Originally meant "the act of teaching" or a "piece of instruction, lesson." More... | |