Some contextual considerations in the use of synonymous verbs: The case of steal, rob, and burglarize
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2006
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Adam Mickiewicz University
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Abstract
This paper explores the use of the synonymous verbs burglarize, rob and steal in various authentic
contexts in an attempt to identify the semantic and syntactic constraints that differentiate them
from one another. The study, drawing data from newspaper articles, books, spontaneous speech as
well as the BNC and concordance systems, shows that each of these words possesses semantic
and syntactic features that distinguish it form the other two. The study also shows how contextual
factors determine the choice of one verb rather than the other. After presenting many illustrative
examples that reveal the peculiar nature of each verb, the paper attempts a componential analysis
of these three synonymous items that further illustrates the uniqueness of each one of them.
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Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, vol. 42 (2006), pp. 323-336