如何寫(xiě)一條過(guò)目不忘的英文slogan？

10 如何寫(xiě)一條過(guò)目不忘的英文slogan？

在大多數(shù)句子中，動(dòng)詞都是必不可少的關(guān)鍵部分。因此，當(dāng)商家絞盡腦汁撰寫(xiě)廣告語(yǔ)的時(shí)候，總喜歡在動(dòng)詞上下手。FT教你從動(dòng)詞入手，寫(xiě)一條過(guò)目不忘的slogan。

關(guān)于動(dòng)詞，我們所知道的

Many of us will have been taught two things about verbs.The first is old-fashioned grammatical advice: every sentence must have a main verb.Is that true? Not exactly.At least informally, many short sentences go without.You would be hard pushed to make the case that “Drat！” is a sentence and that “Rats！” is not.It is true, though, that almost all sentences have a main verb — and that arguing at the margins about whether something is a sentence or a fragment is a game for scholars.

關(guān)于動(dòng)詞，我們很多人都學(xué)到了兩點(diǎn)。首先是老一套語(yǔ)法理論的忠告：每句話(huà)都要有一個(gè)動(dòng)詞。這是真的嗎？并不盡然，至少非正式語(yǔ)境中的很多短句就沒(méi)有。你也許很難解釋為什么“見(jiàn)鬼（Drat）！”是一句話(huà)，但“老鼠（Rats）！”就不是。的確，幾乎所有句子都有一個(gè)主要?jiǎng)釉~——在一個(gè)東西究竟是句子，或者只是句子片段的問(wèn)題上據(jù)理力爭(zhēng)是學(xué)者的游戲。

The second piece of advice about verbs is stylistic: it is that they are “action-words” and that they give any sentence its electric jolt of energy.Any number of style guides enjoin you to use “strong” and “vigorous” verbs, to avoid “weak” passive constructions and to beware turning verbs into nouns.

關(guān)于動(dòng)詞的第二點(diǎn)建議在于文體：正是那些“動(dòng)作詞匯”給句子注入了能量。眾多教程都要求你用“強(qiáng)勁”且“富有活力”的動(dòng)詞，而避免“柔弱”的被動(dòng)句，并且要注意將動(dòng)詞變?yōu)槊~。

As always, this is too categorical.But there is something to it.If you turn your verb into a noun, you need to find another verb to take its place — and you will often end up with muddy sentences where a weak main verb is buried in the middle:

一如往常所言，這樣的說(shuō)法太過(guò)絕對(duì)。但它也有些可取之處。如果你把動(dòng)詞換做名詞，你要再找一個(gè)動(dòng)詞來(lái)補(bǔ)上它的位置——結(jié)果往往弄出一個(gè)模棱兩可的句子，句子中間還帶著一個(gè)虛弱的主動(dòng)詞：

“The prompt implementation of the reconstruction programme is crucial to value-building going forwards.”

“重建項(xiàng)目的迅速執(zhí)行對(duì)價(jià)值構(gòu)建的進(jìn)行意義重大?！?/p>

關(guān)于動(dòng)詞，我們所不知道的

There is nothing like the chilly wind of the market for sorting out grammar.If you look at the most memorable advertising slogans, it is striking how many are verb-first.“Just do it.” “Think different.” “I'm lovin' it.” “Got milk?” “Melts in your mouth …” “Tastes so good …” “Enjoy …”

市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)中舞文弄墨的手段堪稱(chēng)登峰造極。如果你留意那些最有名的廣告標(biāo)語(yǔ)，你會(huì)驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)以動(dòng)詞為核心的竟有那么多：“Just do it.” “Think different.” “I'm lovin' it.” “Got milk?” “Melts in your mouth …” “Tastes so good …” “Enjoy …”。

No accident, perhaps, that these verbs are either in the imperative mood (a command) or the present tense.

這些動(dòng)詞要么是在祈使語(yǔ)氣中，要么是現(xiàn)在時(shí)態(tài)。也許，這并不是巧合。

A problem with verbs is that they locate things in time and space: if something has happened, or is happening now, by implication it may not continue to do so.

動(dòng)詞的一個(gè)問(wèn)題在于它們?cè)跁r(shí)間和空間上定義了事物：如果某件事已經(jīng)發(fā)生，或正在發(fā)生，那么就暗示著不會(huì)繼續(xù)。

So one usage in particular intrigues me, because it seems to solve this problem.“Delivering quality first” is a BBC Trust slogan.If it sounds like anodyne business-blurb, that may just be the temper of the times: that subjectless “-ing” form of slogan is ever more widely used.

因此，我對(duì)一種用法格外感興趣，因?yàn)樗坪踅鉀Q了這個(gè)問(wèn)題?！癉elivering quality first”是BBC信托委員會(huì)的口號(hào)。如果你覺(jué)得它聽(tīng)起來(lái)像是乏善可陳的商業(yè)廣告，可能是由于時(shí)態(tài)的原因：無(wú)主語(yǔ)的“-ing”形式廣告語(yǔ)使用非常廣泛。

“營(yíng)銷(xiāo)動(dòng)名詞”

This is what I've come to think of as the “marketing gerund” — though, technically, it's a present participle.

這一點(diǎn)使我漸漸開(kāi)始思考“營(yíng)銷(xiāo)動(dòng)名詞”——盡管理論上它是現(xiàn)在分詞。

This odd construction seems to be almost unique to the strapline-writing community.

看起來(lái)，這種怪異的結(jié)構(gòu)在廣告標(biāo)語(yǔ)創(chuàng)作的領(lǐng)域幾乎是獨(dú)一無(wú)二的。

Why is it so popular? My hunch is that it is an elegant, if slightly cheesy, way of having your cake and eating it.It puts, right up front in your slogan, a strong and action-filled verb but it also makes it sound almost stative (describing a state of being rather than an action).The participle cues us to understand the verb as an ongoing thing.The delivering is not a thing that has been done, that's occasionally done or that will be done — rather, it is implied the delivering is continuous.Here is the dynamism of a strong verb, with the changeless stasis of the verb to be.

為什么它如此流行？以我個(gè)人的感覺(jué)，它是一個(gè)優(yōu)雅、或許有些爛大街的雙贏方案。它將強(qiáng)有力而充滿(mǎn)動(dòng)感的動(dòng)詞置于標(biāo)語(yǔ)開(kāi)頭，同時(shí)它也表達(dá)了狀態(tài)（描述了存在的狀態(tài)而非動(dòng)作）。分詞的暗示讓我們把一個(gè)動(dòng)詞作為正在進(jìn)行的事件來(lái)理解。它所表達(dá)的并不是一件已經(jīng)完成的、偶爾會(huì)做的，或是將會(huì)做的事——確切地說(shuō)，它暗示了所傳達(dá)的事情正在進(jìn)行。強(qiáng)動(dòng)詞的活力就在于此，與be動(dòng)詞一成不變的靜止相輔相成。

Who knows? If Ozymandias had rebranded — “Sneering with cold command” — that statue might still be standing.

誰(shuí)知道呢？如果奧茲曼迪亞斯（雪萊詩(shī)作中描寫(xiě)的埃及法老拉美西斯二世）被重新描述成“冷酷地譏笑著”，也許這座雕塑會(huì)聳立到今天。

廣告語(yǔ)小結(jié)

除了創(chuàng)新Creativity，英文廣告語(yǔ)還有如下特點(diǎn)：

——簡(jiǎn)練Brief：

1.口語(yǔ)的運(yùn)用：使廣告具親和力。如You've gotta try it！ I love it?。ㄎ⒉t）

2.多用簡(jiǎn)單句：明快有力，引人注目。

3.多用省略句：突出關(guān)鍵詞。如Refresh?。ㄏ阍恚?/p>

——親切Affability

1.運(yùn)用現(xiàn)在時(shí)：使消費(fèi)者堅(jiān)信產(chǎn)品的持久與永恒。

2.運(yùn)用主動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)：使消費(fèi)者認(rèn)為自己也站在一個(gè)主動(dòng)的位置，而不會(huì)出現(xiàn)抵制情緒。如I'm lovin' it（快餐）

3.多運(yùn)用“you/your/yourself”：如Melts in your mouth（巧克力）

4.運(yùn)用祈使句：廣告中很少有“please,will you?”等客氣的字眼。如Just do it（運(yùn)動(dòng)產(chǎn)品）

5.運(yùn)用疑問(wèn)句：使消費(fèi)者在不經(jīng)意之間將廣告印入腦海中。如Got milk?（牛奶）

6.無(wú)主語(yǔ)的“-ing”形式的使用：如Connecting People（移動(dòng)通信產(chǎn)品）

詞匯總結(jié)

enjoin [?n'd???n; en-]

v.命令；吩咐；囑咐；禁止

Any number of style guides enjoin you to use “strong” and “vigorous” verbs, to avoid “weak” passive constructions.

眾多教程都要求你用“強(qiáng)勁”且“富有活力”的動(dòng)詞，而避免“柔弱”的被動(dòng)句。

anodyne ['?n?udain]

adj.鎮(zhèn)痛的，止痛的；平淡無(wú)奇的，枯燥無(wú)味的，無(wú)刺激力的

If it sounds like anodyne business-blurb, that may just be the temper of the times.

如果你覺(jué)得它聽(tīng)起來(lái)像是乏善可陳的商業(yè)廣告，可能是由于時(shí)態(tài)的原因。

cue [kju?]

n.提示，暗示；線(xiàn)索

v.給…暗示

The participle cues us to understand the verb as an ongoing thing.

分詞的暗示讓我們把一個(gè)動(dòng)詞作為正在進(jìn)行的事件來(lái)理解。

jolt [d???lt; d??lt]

v.使顛簸；使震驚；搖晃

It is that they are “action-words” and that they give any sentence its electric jolt of energy.

正是那些“動(dòng)作詞匯”給句子注入了能量。

categorical [k?t?'g?r?k(?)l]

adj.絕對(duì)的；直截了當(dāng)?shù)?；無(wú)條件的

As always, this is too categorical.

一如往常所言，這樣的說(shuō)法太過(guò)絕對(duì)。