Using corpus linguistics to explain phrases that have similar meaning

In this article, a corpus-based study is performed on two phrases, depend on and reply on, to show how they are used in similar and different ways. These phrases are synonyms and can confuse learners of English. Moreover, it can be difficult for teachers of English to explain their usage using intuition and grammar books alone. The results of the analysis reveal differences in how the phrases are used based on empirical data and illustrate how a corpus-based approach can be beneficial for students and teachers alike.