英语语法：229 “Think Different” or “Think Differen

In a recent episode, you learned that adverbs do not always end in “-ly,” so perhaps you now think differently about adverbs. Wait a minute, though. Should we have said, “Think different,” as Apple does in its advertising¹ slogan? Let’s explore verbs and adverbs further.
The podcast edition of this article was sponsored by GoToMeeting. With this meeting service, you can hold your meetings over the Internet and give presentations, product demos, and training sessions right from your PC. For a free, 45-day trial, visit GoToMeeting.com, click the "try it free" button, and enter the code PODCAST.
 
Review of Linking Verbs and Flat Adverbs
Before analyzing² the advertising slogan, we need to review two concepts we’ve discussed in previous episodes: linking verbs (in the “good” versus³ “well” episode) and flat adverbs.
Linking verbs, such as “to be,” “to seem,” “to taste,” and “to look,” often describe a state of being or feeling. Usage expert Bryan Garner⁴ explains them this way: “These verbs connect a descriptive word with the subject; hence the descriptive word following the linking verb describes the subject and not the verb” (1). For instance, in the sentence “He is handsome,” the linking verb “is” connects “He,” the subject, to “handsome,” an adjective.
Now, let’s contrast linking verbs with action verbs. Action verbs, such as “to jump” and “to yell,” describe activities. If you want to describe an action verb, you need to use an adverb. If someone paid you a lot of money, you can’t say, “He paid me handsome.” You have to say, “He paid me handsomely.” In that sentence, you’re describing how he paid you—with the adverb “handsomely.” You’re not describing how cute the man is.
Now let’s assess if “to think” is a linking verb. We’ll use a quick test: If you can substitute the verb “to be” and the sentence still makes sense, then the verb in question is probably a linking verb. We can change “Think different” to “Be different,” so “to think” passes the linking-verb test.
Now on to flat adverbs. You can get all the details by listening to the recent episode on this topic, but for now, a flat adverb is an adverb that has the same form as its related adjective. Examples are “fast,” “hard,” and “straight,” so you are allowed to say, “Think fast,” “study hard,” and “sit up straight.” The question before us now is this: Is “different” a flat adverb? Although it doesn’t appear in any definitive⁵ list of flat adverbs, the trusty American Heritage Dictionary explains that “different” can be an adverb and that it means “in a different way or manner” (2). This dictionary offers the example “Carol didn’t know different.”
The “Think Different” Slogan
We’ve determined⁶ that “to think” is probably a linking verb, and that “different” can be an adverb. Therefore, “Think different” is perfectly⁷ acceptable. Right? After all, the advertisement won an Emmy, and the slogan was part of a successful advertising campaign (3). Well, many who hear these two words together do a double take—or a double listen—and it’s true that traditionalists would not urge the public to go around saying, “Think different.” Most regular citizens would agree that there’s something different about this statement. Even if you don’t mind it, you do have to admit that it sounds slightly odd. Perhaps Apple intended the slogan to be odd. Let’s try to figure out Apple’s thinking.
We’ve already determined that a linking verb joins a subject with what describes it. In “Think different,” however, there is no stated subject. Maybe we can construe⁸ “Think different” in the same way as the idiomatic⁹ expression “Think big.” It would be reasonable to say that both “big” and “different” are being used as adjectives here, and that each adjective is modifying an implied noun. The implied noun for “Think big” might be “picture” or “goals,” as in think about the big picture or embrace big goals. As far as “Think different,” “computers” could be the implied noun. Maybe Apple’s slogan is a call to action for you, the computer-buying public, to view the company’s computers as different.
On the other hand, if we consider that “different” might be acting¹⁰ as an adverb, not an adjective, then “Think different” might mean “Think about computers in a different way.” The traditional method of describing how someone changes an opinion is to use “differently,” as in “After John robbed the bank, Caitlin thought differently of him.” This means that Caitlin’s view of John has changed. You can’t say, “Caitlin thought different of him.” Although “think differently” is correct, perhaps “think different” is acceptable, too. Perhaps it’s in the same vein¹¹ as “think smart,” which clearly suggests that someone be smart.
So which is it? Is Apple telling us that its computers are different, or does Apple want us to think in a different manner? It’s up for debate, and you can probably make a case for both.
The “Think Different” Commercial
If you look at the transcript¹² of the Apple commercial (4) or watch it on YouTube (5), you’ll discover that the ad focuses on rebels, misfits, and troublemakers¹³, and it uses the line “They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.” Apple seems to view itself as a rebel, too. After all, seemingly stuffy¹⁴ IBM and Microsoft have been Apple’s competition for decades.
 

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

3 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

4 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

5 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 construe   

v.翻译，解释

参考例句：

• He had tried to construe a passage from Homer.他曾尝试注释荷马著作的一段文字。
• You can construe what he said in a number of different ways.他的话可以有好几种解释。

9 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

12 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

13 troublemakers   

n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 stuffy   

adj.不透气的，闷热的

参考例句：

• It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。
• It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。