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a book on confusing word pairs

Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 4:51 am
by Alexanndra
Hi, I'm looking for a book with explanations and exercises on all the confusing word pairs, such as:

Something vs. anything
Yet vs. still
Look vs. see vs. watch
Say vs. tell
All (of) vs. the whole
Etc.

Does anyone know of such a book?
Thanks!

Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 9:43 am
by fluffyhamster
In no particular order:

Collins COBUILD English Usage for Learners (New/2nd edition).
Chambers Essential English Grammar and Usage.
Swan, Practical English Usage (New/2nd edition).
Leech et al, An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage (New/2nd edition).

There are sometimes entries on more "grammatical" (rather than "lexical") pairs in the likes of Fowler, Merriam-Webster etc, but generally guides meant for native speakers do not address the "easy" problems ESL learners face with many supposedly quite "basic" words!