Abstract:The proper use of synonyms is a great way to improve one’s English writing ability and communicative ability. At present, in the field of foreign language teaching, the research on synonyms mainly focuses on the similarities and differences between the target language and the native speakers of English synonyms meaning and usage, but there are few studies talking about the cognitive factors of affecting EFL learners’ learning and using. In this paper, the main methods are synonym test paper and questionnaire, in order to investigate the use of synonyms, as case study of English majors in Xuzhou Institute of Technology. From the study we can conclude that, if one’s English level is high, he or she may have a large vocabulary. And one’s learning methods and learning attitude also have some influences when they study synonyms. Generally speaking, most of the participants hold the opinion that it is difficult to grasp the synonym, they even think the mother tongue has a certain impact on their learning synonyms, so it is very important to improve the level of English in an appropriate method.

This thesis is made up of five chapters. Chapter One is the general introduction which mainly introduces the background and significance of the research. Chapter Two is the literature review of synonyms and the existing problems, introduces the definition of the main terms of synonyms and the research status at home and abroad. Chapter Three is the research design, including subjects, questionnaire design and data collection. Chapter Four is the research results and suggestions. The last chapter is a conclusion, which points out the limitations of this study and provides some viewpoints for the research in the future.

Key words: synonyms  learning method  synonym level  lexical competence 

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the Study-1

1.2 Significance of the Study-1

1.3 Structure of the Thesis-2

Chapter Two Literature Review-3

2.1 Introduction of English Synonyms-3

2.2 Previous Studies on Synonyms-3

Chapter Three Research Design-5

3.1 Subjects-5

3.2 Instruments-5

3.2.1 Synonym Test Paper-5

3.2.2 Questionnaire-5

3.3 Data Collection-6

Chapter Four Research Results and Suggestions-7

4.1 Results-7

4.1.1 Synonym Test Results-7

4.1.2 Questionnaire Results-7

4.2 Findings of the Study-9

4.3 Teaching Suggestions-10

Chapter Five Conclusion-12

References-13

Appendix I-14

Appendix II-16