Synonym refers to word or expression which means the same as another word or expression, whereas the completely same synonyms are rare.( Saeed 65) It is estimated that synonyms take a large percentage in English vocabulary, comprising around 60% of the total number, (Sinclair 174)and the misuse of synonyms also accounts for a large proportion of the student learning process. Therefore, the question of how synonymous words are different has plagued many EFL/ESL learners and language teachers who are confused about the difference in the meaning and usage of lexical items commonly considered and taught as synonyms. 

As a new research method in modern linguistics, corpus-based approach is superior to the traditional one in terms of providing the learners with the authentic context. In other words, corpus can provide authentic language data so that a real language learning environment is produced, while in traditional teaching methodology, teachers often introduce new vocabulary items to learners by building on items that students have already learnt. For example, when a teacher introduces the word “wish” to students, he might use the notion of “hope” to explain it. Under the circumstances, learners take for granted that the synonyms can be used interchangeably in case of meaning and structure.

This essay aims to compare the similarities and differences of synonyms which represent anger. With the help of the British National Corpus(BNC), this essay deals with the common collocations of words like anger，rage, fury, indignation, wrath, resentment, as well as its frequency of utilization and the realistic usage in daily life. Corpus-based synonym differentiation approach is an important complement to traditional lexical analysis by retrieving the target word in the corpus application, which can achieve analytical materials more intuitively and reliably. Additionally, language learners and teachers are suggested to realize the significance of using corpus widely as an effective way of distinguishing synonyms so as to promote their learning and teaching.

2. Literature Review

It is acceptable that the conventional way of research on English synonyms has proven to be low-efficient and the language materials used during the research are mostly unreal. Therefore, the conclusion is usually not convincing. The explanation of “inner” and “inward” in one of China’s authoritative dictionaries is a case in point. The explanations are as followed, inward and inner share the similar meaning, and both of the words can be used in describing the space or used figuratively. However, according to the BNC, inner can also be collocated with circle and cabinet, which means core member or core bloc. This is the unique usage of inner.

Under the circumstances, corpus-based synonymous research has gradually taken shape. Over the past five decades, great achievements have been made in the fields of corpus linguistics. Scholars, both abroad and at home, have made profound studies and researches in this new branch of linguistics. Different theories and practical methods as well as software have contributed to the flourishment of corpus-based studies in recent years. In 1992, Rundell analyzed the word frequency of began and started both in written and spoken English, indicating the application of corpus to English synonyms teaching abroad. Later, a great number of scholars such as Biber(1998), Summers(1993), Leech(1997), and Graeme Kennedy(2000) began their study in corpus linguistics.文献综述

In China, Pan Fan and Feng Yuejing(2000) proposed to investigate the difference of a set of synonyms with the assistant of corpus; Wei Naixing(2002) introduced corpus-based approach and corpus-driven approach in his paper. Some other scholars in China also have done much work on corpus-based synonymous researches in other aspects, Zhang Jidong and Liu ping(2005) pided synonyms into three aspects in their paper; Hou Tianzhen(2006), did a research concerning English synonyms stylistic meaning, and Wang Ying(2007) made some studies on the use of almost and nearly and tried to find out the distinction between native speakers and the learners in using these two words. “Distinguishing Synonyms Adjectives: A Corpus-based Study on Painful and Sore” was written by Hou Lingkai(2010)