BEEN TO. We not unfrequently hear a superfluous _to_ tacked to a sentence; thus, "Where have you been _to_?"
BEG. We often see letters begin with the words, "I _beg_ to acknowledge the receipt of your favor," etc. We should write, "I _beg leave_ to acknowledge," etc. No one would say, "I beg to tell you," instead of, "I beg _leave_ to tell you."
BEGIN--COMMENCE. These words have the same meaning; careful speakers, however, generally prefer to use the former. Indeed, there is rarely any good reason for giving the preference to the latter. See also COMMENCE.
BELONGINGS. An old idiomatic expression now coming into use again.
BESIDE--BESIDES. In the later unabridged editions of Webster's dictionary we find the following remarks concerning the use of these two words: "_Beside_ and _besides_, whether used as prepositions or adverbs, have been considered synonymous from an early period of our literature, and have been freely interchanged by our best writers. There is, however, a tendency in present usage to make the following distinction between them: 1. That _beside_ be used only and always as a preposition, with the original meaning _by the side of_; as, to sit _beside_ a fountain; or with the closely allied meaning _aside from_, or _out of_; as, this is _beside_ our present purpose: 'Paul, thou art _beside_ thyself.' The adverbial sense to be wholly transferred to the cognate word. 2. That _besides_, as a preposition, take the remaining sense, _in addition to_; as, _besides_ all this; _besides_ the consideration here offered: 'There was a famine in the land _besides_ the first famine.' And that it also take the adverbial sense of _moreover_, _beyond_, etc., which had been divided between the words; as, _besides_, there are other considerations which belong to this case."
BETWEEN. This word is often misused for _among_; thus, "The word _fellow_, however much in use it may be _between_ men, sounds very objectionable from the lips of women."--"London Queen." Should be, "_among_ men." _Between_ is used in reference to two things, parties, or persons; _among_, in reference to a greater number. "Castor and Pollux with one soul _between_ them." "You have _among_ you many a purchased slave."