英语广告是一种独特的语言形式,它遵循正规的英语语法规则,但是仍有许多独特的处理方式。在用词方面,英语广告可以说是兼收并蓄,不拘一格,绚丽多姿。
1)在政府颁发公文、学校招生等的广告中,用词极为严肃正统。
例 1 Our present Principal/Chief Executive has reached retirement age and
the governing board wants to make the crucial appointment of his replacement in
1994. If you are a highly qualified and experienced individual and you think you
have the vision, energy and enthusiasm to lead the college into the next
century, please write for further information and post particulars to xxxxx.
2)在许多情况下,广告为了产生一种幽默和诙谐的效果,故意使用一些不正式的语言。
例 1 Each transfer weight advantage and power into real, all round
performance at prices we know won't freak you out.
在这则广告中,freak out
是一非正式词组,意思是精神恍惚,极度兴奋(尤其指吸毒之后),它在此的意思是frighten(使人害怕),或是scare 的意思。
例 2 What's more, during our new appliance sale we've knocked up to 50% off
top name brands.
knock 在此的意思是defeat(击败),比起defeat来却很不正式,但是表达效果却比defeat要生动得多。
例 3 Keep the frog out of your throat.
这是一个咽喉片的广告中的最后一句话,广告策划者故意用这样一个非正式的短语取得一种幽默的效果。
在许多广告中,使用了大量的俚语和非正式的词汇,使广告显得通俗活泼,给人留下深刻的印象。如在一件外衣的广告中,为了强调该外衣的特色、衣袋设计的不同凡响,甚至可以防盗,文字是这样的pity
the pickpocket (可怜那些三只手吧),其中pickpocket
就属于口语体,相当于汉语中的"三只手"或"扒手"。假如把它换成thief(贼),效果就不如pickpocket 生动有趣。
专有名词的使用在广告中也很广泛,利用名人或名地等可以增加广告的说服力,引起读者的注意。如 This is one place Mick Doohan
will never race. 中,Mike Doohan 就是一位著名的赛车手,这是本田汽车公司的广告,意思是"这是一块连Mike Doohan
都不去比赛的地方。"又如,From the country that brought you Alain Delon: a new range of
traditional cast-iron pots and pans, with smooth bottoms for use on all types of
hob. 广告中Alain Delon (阿兰·德龙)也是一位著名影星。
广告句型
英文广告中不止用词别出心裁,句型也很有特色。下面我们就来看一看。
英语广告的句型也多种多样,但最常用的句型有以下几类:
1) 祈使句 这是出现最多的句型。
例 1 Ask any one who owns one. (汽车广告语) 询问一下有这种车的人吧。
例 2 Lay down your arms.(桌子广告语) 放下您的胳膊吧。
例 3 Please do not leave it too late. 事不宜迟。
2) 一般疑问句 通常用在广告的前面。
例 1 Have you ever dreamed of ascending the steps of a great temple built to
the gods? (旅行社广告)您是否梦想过登上为众神修建的宏伟庙宇的台阶?
例 2 Can a tired, overworked voice command attention in class?
一个疲惫、过劳的声音能吸引全班的注意力吗?
又如下面这个广告全部由一般疑问句构成:
People with PhDs should have inquiring minds. Consider this a simple
test.
A) Do you want to work in world-class research laboratories?
B) Do you want to apply your research skills to keep a successful business
at the cutting edge of world technology?
C) Do you want to build your career with a major international company
headquartered in Australia?
If your answers to these questions are "yes", BHP would like to talk to
you.
Your first challenge is to discover more by calling Theoni Parthimos, our
Senior Personnel Officer.
3)省略句 在英语广告中,省略句比比皆是,甚至整篇广告都由省略句构成。
例 Serviced Greenfield sites aplenty. Ready for development. For sale. For
manufacture. For business. For services. For leisure. A million square feet of
ready-to-wear premise. Brand new business parks. Four-star conference
facilities. Backed by 14 years' success in helping business to relocate, set-up,
prosper, expand.
4) 比较级 比较级在广告中用得非常多,这是由于英语广告中有大量的形容词和副词做修饰语的缘故。
例1 Today in business fast is no longer fast enough, even faster is still
too slow to keep pace with the incredible demands placed on people and the
computers they work with. That's one reason why IBM developed P60/D. 60MHz
64-bit Pentium Chip computers so fast, so powerful, it makes today's
conventional computers like they are moving at a snail's space.
例2 These days succeeding in business means getting more competitive and
making tougher decisions.
例3 The new Minolta Riva Zoom 105EX is the most compact camera in a very
prestigious class.
例4 In short, the stronger your character, the brighter your future.
5) 直接引语 在英语广告中直接引语出现得很多,原因:一是直接引语使得广告显得形式活泼、新颖;二是采用直接引语从心理学的角度看可以增强说服力。
例1 "It's like we're all in the same office. The office just happens to be
spread across 7,000 miles of ocean," Tom Hughes MIS Director, Construction.
这是IBM公司的一则广告的开头语,通过该公司经理的话,使广告显得生动具体。
例2 "Through the NVQ initiative we have discovered talents and competencies
we would never otherwise have known about." Says Ian McDermot of Philips
Components in Blackburn.