The corpus-based researches on synonyms are on the basis of empirical study, which can not only overcome the drawbacks of traditional research, namely, using abstract theory to analyze and describe the synonyms. Corpus have the merits of large in collection, realistic in knowledge and convenient in search, therefore, the corpus-based researches on synonym can provide the learners with a large amount of useful information such as the frequency of  utilization, collocations, and grammatical structure.

Of course, in the past years there did have some researches related to the corpus-based studies, but the research mainly focus on preposition, verb, and adjectives, for example the comparative study on “happen” and “occur”, “true” and “real”, “cause, lead to, result in/from, and bring about” etc. The present study obtains inspiration and enlightenment from the previous studies, but I hope the further research on this area could raise learners awareness of grasping the usage of synonyms and promote the application of corpus in English teaching.

3.Corpus-based Study of English Synonyms

3.1 Definitions of Corpus and BNC来!自~751论-文|网www.751com.cn

Due to different form and purpose, a corpus (plural “corpora”) with various definitions, derives from Latin, which means body and has the meaning of collected works and collection. The term was first used in the 6th century to describe a collection of legal texts. Sinclair(1996) emphasizes the significance and representativeness of a corpus and defines that a corpus collects many kinds of language which is chosen and arranged on the basis of linguistic standard so as to be served as an example of the language. Besides, in Kennedy’s (2000) book, he puts forward that a corpus is a collection of written text or transcribed speech that has an effect on analyzing and describing language. Generally speaking, it means a “storage” gathering words(Yu 19). In Oxford Dictionary corpus is defined as “A collection of written texts, especially the entire works of a particular author or a body of writing on a particular subject.”

The development of powerful microcomputers from the mid-1970s and the advent of CD-ROM in the 1980s made corpus-based research more accessible to a much wider range of participants. By the 1990s there were many corpus-making projects in various parts of the world. Some of the largest corpus projects have been undertaken for commercial purposes, by dictionary publishers.