Comment on the differences between synonyms by analyzing the following examples.
(1)little/ small/ tiny(examples: the lovely little boy/ the small boy/ the tiny boy)
(2)sense/ meaning (examples: The word has two senses./ He is a man of sense./Theword has two meanings.)
Synonyms may differ in connotation. Many synonyms have clear affective values. For group (1), these three adjectives little, small, tiny all describe the smallness of the boy. But little suggests attractiveness and pleasantness, tiny implies the abnormal growth of the child and small simply conveys the idea of being not big. Therefore, little is appreciative, small is neutral and tiny is derogatory.
Synonyms may also differ in application. For group (2), sense and meaning are synonymous and interchangeable in some cases. “The word has two senses” means “the word has two meanings”. Sense and meaning are interchangeable. “He is a man of sense” is acceptable, but “He is a man of meaning” is unacceptable. Thus, sense and meaning are not interchangeable.
