Distinguishing Synonyms: A Corpus-based Study on Ill and Sick

Distinguishing synonyms is invariably an important and difficult point in language learning. The author analyzes the sens-es, colligation, grammar and collocation of a pair of synonyms, ill and sick, and explores their differences by adopting the corpus-based approach. Language learners and teachers are suggested to realize the significance of using corpus widely as an effective wayof distinguishing synonyms so as to promote their learning and teaching.