Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 7, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present Perfect Continuous TenseThe present perfect continuous tense is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb "have" along with "been" and the present participle of the "main" verb. The present perfect continuous is very close in meaning to how we use the present perfect tense. How do they differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Gap YearAfter completing high school or college, more and more students around the world are opting to take a year off to travel before continuing their education or entering the workplace. Known as a gap year, among many other names, the prolonged break—often but not always lasting a year—is usually spent working, learning a language, volunteering, or combining activities into a so-called working holiday. In what countries is the gap year less popular? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Miss America Pageant Held in Atlantic City, New Jersey (1921)The Miss America Pageant, now an American institution, began in 1921 as an attempt by Atlantic City businessmen to keep tourists in town after Labor Day. The weeklong event features the 50 state pageant winners and includes evening gown, swimsuit, and talent competitions. Its winner receives a $50,000 scholarship and spends the next year traveling and making lucrative personal appearances. What unusual skills have contestants demonstrated in the talent competition over the years? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Laura Ashley (1925)Ashley was a British fashion designer and manufacturer. After serving in the Women's Royal Naval Service during World War II, she founded a company with her husband to produce silkscreened placemats, scarves, and tea towels. Her romantic and old-fashioned look carried over into women's clothing, home furnishings, children's wear, fabrics, wall coverings, and decorative accessories. What inspired Ashley to start printing Victorian-style fabric in 1953? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 No man knocks himself down; if his destiny knocks him down, his destiny must pick him up again.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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let it slip— To accidentally or inadvertently reveal a given secret or important piece of information. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus (2024)The Pafos Aphrodite Festival Cyprus is held each year at the medieval Castle Square in Pafos, Cyprus. Cyprus is an island nation whose cultural heritage dates back more than 9,000 years, taking in Greek temples, Roman art, and artifacts from numerous other periods. The festival was established by various organizations in the Pafos district in the hope of establishing and promoting the locality as a center of high-profile cultural events. Each year, the performance is subtitled in English and Greek. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wastewastrel - Pronounced WAYS-trul, it is either a wasteful or worthless person, derived from the verb "waste," from Latin vastus, "desert, waste." More... bratwurst - From German Brat, "meat without waste," and Wurst, "sausage." More... eat your heart out - Goes back as far as Diogenes Laertius, who credited Pythagoras with saying "Do not eat your heart"—meaning "Don't waste your life worrying about something"—2,500 years ago. More... sullage - Waste from household sinks, showers, and baths—but not toilets; it also figuratively means filth or refuse. More... | |