The following describes some syntax characteristics of advertising English style.

Table of Content

  1. First, General Use Of Short Sentence
  2. It’s Your Life, It’s Your Store
  3. Second, Often Use Of Imperative Sentence
  4. Third, Frequent Use Of Interrogative Sentence
  5. Fourth, Heavy Use Of Noun Phrases
  6. Fifth Appropriate Use Of Conditional Sentence
  7. Sixth, Flexible Use Of Quotation
  8. Seventh, Extensive Use Of Elliptical Sentence
  9. Eighth, Frequent Use Of Parallel Phrase Structure

  10. Ninth, Many Use Of Separative Sentences

First, General Use of Short Sentence

The advertising English focuses on drawing the attention of readers with high readability and try its best to be clear at a glance, rendering a deep impression with the goods sold by customers. All of this is contributed to the important specialty of advertising English, which is short sentences.

For example: Coke adds life

It’s your life, it’s Your Store

Compared with legal English, scientific English and commercial English, the feature that advertising English uses short sentences is more obvious. Because it is limited by the length of the article and its style, it is similar with road sign, title, subject and so on.

Second, Often Use of Imperative Sentence

For the purpose of selling the goods, the advertising English tries to be more persuasive so as to increase the persuading and prevailing effects, and the imperative sentence can meet the demands with the effect of asking for, call for and persuade somebody to do something, thus often used in advertising English. For instance,

Make this Sunday a fun day.

Go ahead, compare

As the above examples show, the application of imperative sentence is demanding, influencing and stimulating customers to take action which declarative sentence can not exert such kind of effect.

Third, Frequent Use of Interrogative Sentence

It is very popular to use interrogative sentences in advertising English because whether general questions, the tag questions or special questions can arouse interest and curiosity of customers so as to draw their attention and leave deep impression. See the following:

Are you going grey too early?

Who not let the largest estate sales organization help you?

Fourth, Heavy Use of Noun Phrases

Noun phrases play an important role in advertising English. Linguistically, phrases the internal unit of sentence and do not express the complete meaning, but in certain circumstances, when the phrases can express the full meaning, they become sense group. Phrases applied in advertising English are such kind of usage that expresses the full meaning. For example,

A truly individual timepiece!

Fifth Appropriate Use of Conditional Sentence

Sometimes, conditional sentences led by conjuction if or other words and phrases indicating condition and hypothesis are used in advertising English to increase effect of publicity. For example,

Without vitamins, life itself would be impossible.

Sixth, Flexible Use of Quotation

Sometimes, the advertising English will use comments from customers that will be artistically processed. Promoting the goods in customers’ position will enhance its credibility.

Seventh, Extensive Use of Elliptical Sentence

Advertising English that tends to use elliptical sentences is mainly because of the limited length of the article. Every advertisement needs to achieve the best effect within the limited time, space and cost. Therefore, the sentences with minor importance will be simplified and deleted and convey as much information as possible. For example,

Safe, Easy, Quick & with Fun

Smooth, rich, rewarding

Eighth, Frequent Use of Parallel Phrase Structure

Parallel structure of phrases sometimes can be more rallying and convincing, such as:

To laugh. To love And To understand each other.

In China. For China

Such kind of advertising English with strong sense of rhythm is memorable and infectious, thus leaving deep impression.

Ninth, Many Use of Separative Sentences

Separative sentences is almost the unique syntax in advertising English which often uses period, dash, semicolon and others to separate sentences so as to achieve the advertising effect of emphasis and highlight.

In conclusion, advertising English though as one style of English, it is unique and different in wording, syntax and rhetoric expression, thus forming the distinctive practical style.

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