Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, February 13, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositional Phrases Used AdverbiallyPrepositional phrases are often used adverbially, though they can also function as adjectives. If the phrase is modifying an adjective, verb, or adverb, it is an adverbial phrase. If the phrase is modifying a noun or a pronoun, what is it called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 The Massacre of Glencoe (1692)Following the deposition of King James II in 1689 and the accession of William III, some Scottish clans fought—and failed—to restore James to the throne. In 1691, William offered to pardon all Highland clans that took an oath of allegiance to him before January 1, 1692. The MacDonald clan of Glencoe missed the deadline by six days, and for this they paid with their lives. The unsuspecting MacDonalds were massacred in their homes by soldiers that had arrived seeking shelter how many days earlier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Joseph Banks (1743)Banks was a British naturalist, botanist, and patron of the sciences. After inheriting a large fortune in his early 20s, he began traveling extensively, collecting plant and natural history specimens. He outfitted and accompanied James Cook's voyage around the world, during which time he collected many biological specimens that had never before been classified. His herbarium, one of the most important in existence, and library are now at the British Museum. What plant genus was named after him? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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make an end of (something)— To stop, cease, or conclude something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Parentalia (2025)This was an ancient Roman festival held in honor of the manes, or souls of the dead—in particular, deceased relatives. It began a season for remembering the dead, which ended with the Feralia on February 21. This week was a quiet, serious occasion, without the rowdiness that characterized other Roman festivals. Everything, including the temples, closed down, and people decorated graves with flowers and left food—sometimes elaborate banquets—in the cemeteries in the belief that it would be eaten by the spirits of the deceased. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: judgeaffidavit, deponent - An affidavit (literally, "he has stated on oath") is taken by a judge, while the deponent swears, makes, or takes an affidavit. More... arbiter - Latin for "judge, supreme ruler." More... arbitrate - Can mean "give an authoritative decision" (from Latin arbiter). More... judge - From Latin jus, "law," and dicere, "to say." More... | |