Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 18, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Zero ConditionalA zero conditional sentence uses the present simple tense to talk about what is always or generally true. It is classified as a conditional because it creates a hypothetical situation to describe what would be true each time something happens. What is the general structure for the zero conditional? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LeviathanIn the Old Testament, there are five references to the leviathan—described by commentators as a massive sea creature, presumably a crocodile, whale, or dragon. Parallels have been drawn between these Biblical references and an ancient Babylonian creation story in which the goddess of chaos and creation, Tiamat, is slain and the two halves of her corpse are used to form the earth and sky. According to Jewish tradition, God created a male and female leviathan but then killed the female. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Fashoda Incident (1898)Toward the end of the 19th century, France and Britain were brought to the brink of war by territorial disputes in Africa. Tensions came to a head at a strategically located fort at Fashoda, Sudan, occupied by the French mere months before a British force arrived with its own designs on the area. A standoff ensued, but the French, fearing an outbreak of hostilities, eventually withdrew. The diplomatic solution to this political crisis is widely seen as a precursor to what Anglo-French agreement? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Johnson (1709)Johnson was a British man of letters and one of the outstanding figures of 18th-century England. In 1755, after eight years of work, he published his monumental Dictionary of the English Language, considered the first great English dictionary. His aphorisms helped make him one of the most frequently quoted English writers. His biography, written by his contemporary James Boswell, is one of the most admired biographies of all time. How many entries did Johnson's dictionary include? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let's not borrow trouble ... The rate of interest is too high.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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need (something) (about) as much as (one) needs a hole in the head— To have absolutely no need or use for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Constitution Week (Mesa, Arizona) (2018)Mesa, Arizona, has consistently celebrated the Congressionally established Constitution Week for over 30 years. Held at the Mesa Amphitheater, the celebration includes a school band concert, a Constitution Quiz, a Boy Scouts parade of flags, the high school color guard ROTC, and live music. Educational activities include information about the lives and activities of America's Founding Fathers and an in-depth examination of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Mesa students at all grade levels learn about the U.S. Constitution during the week. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mailpost road - One with a series of post-houses or stations for post-horses; a road on which mail was carried. More... nixie - Any piece of mail that is unable to be forwarded because it is illegibly or incorrectly addressed. More... post - Latin posita, "placed," gave us Italian posta, "station on a road," and became French poste, "a station for mail"—from the series of stations that fast horsemen traversed to deliver messages, giving us post, as in "mail system." More... blackmail - The "mail" in blackmail is Scottish for "tax, tribute," referring to the tribute demanded by rebel chiefs in return for their protection. More... | |