Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 22, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gormandize
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "May" to Express Future WishesThe modal verb "may" is used in more formal language to express a wish or desire that something will be the case in the future. When "may" is used in this way, what happens to the subject in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Prepulse InhibitionPrepulse inhibition is a neurological phenomenon in which a weaker pre-stimulus—a prepulse—inhibits the reaction of an organism to a subsequent startling stimulus. The reduction of the startle reflex reflects the ability of the nervous system to adapt to a strong sensory stimulus when a preceding weaker signal provides it advance warning. The phenomenon has been detected in numerous species, including humans. Disruption of prepulse inhibition has been reported in patients with what diseases? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) The Scilly Naval Disaster (1707)Celebrated English Admiral Cloudesley Shovell was returning from an abortive attack on Toulon, France, in 1707 when his ship and several others struck rocks off the Scilly Islands, southwest of England. In one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history, Shovell is believed to have drowned along with as many as 2,000 sailors. According to one of the many legends about the disaster, Shovell reached the shore alive, only to be murdered by a woman who stole what priceless object from him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Doris Lessing (1919)Lessing was a British writer and winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. Born in Iran, she moved with her family to a farm in what was Southern Rhodesia in 1924 and lived there until 1949, when she settled in England and began her writing career. Her work often addresses social and political themes, particularly the place of women in society. The Golden Notebook, her most widely read novel, is considered a feminist classic, although Lessing herself said what about feminists? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older—the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in bits and pieces— In many small fragments. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jidai Matsuri (2024)Jidai Matsuri is one of the three great festivals of Kyoto, Japan, commemorating the founding of the city as capital in the year 794. A procession of more than 2,000 costumed people depict the epochs or ages in Kyoto's history. They parade from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine, which was built in the 18th century as a dedication to the emperors who established Kyoto as the capital. The capital was moved in 1868 to Tokyo, and the festival stems from that time. Among the paraders is one representing Gen. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a patron of the arts under whom Kyoto flourished. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: protectedgeneric word - One referring to a commercial product, formerly a brand name that is no longer protected by trademark. More... patent leather - Got its name from the U.S. Patent Office, as the leather's finish was once protected by patent. More... shelter - May come from Middle English sheltron, a body of troops that protected itself in battle with a covering of joined shields. More... patron - Derives from Latin patronus, which means "protector of clients" or "defender." More... | |