[Grammar] Think big, think different, and think happy

[khanhhung2512]

Hi, everyone.
We already have the informal phrase "think big", where, according to "Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary", "big" acts as an adverb. http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/big
Then Apple Inc. promoted the slogan "Think different," and now I've just found a book titled "Think Happy, Be Happy" in Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Think-Happy-Be-Art-Inspiration/dp/0761177574
Do phrases like "think different", "think happy" come as natural to you? If not, how would you change them while preserving the same ideas?
Thank you very much.
By the way, please notify me for any errors I've made. Thanks again.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Think different" and "think happy" are fine as catchphrases or slogans. Neither is a full grammatical sentence but slogans rarely are. I think you'll agree that "Think in a different way" and "Think happy thoughts" aren't quite as catchy.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Khanhhung:

As the moderator said, the issue here is: Which is more catchy?

Here in the United States, we are constantly advised to "eat healthy." Now we all understand that means something like: eat foods that will keep you healthy or contribute to making you healthier.

I have only once seen someone write: "I try to eat healthfully." When I read that, I stopped. I thought: Wow! That writer really knows her grammar. But then I realized that few people would speak or write like that. If she had written "healthy," I would not have stopped for a moment. It just sounds so "natural." And, I hear, good writing is the kind of writing that a person reads without stopping to ask, "Why did the writer use that word?"

*****

Just in case you missed this in your research, here is something that may interest you:


Steve Jobs explained:

"We discussed whether it ["different"] was correct before we ran it [the advertisement]. It's grammatical, if you think about what we're trying to say. It's not think the same, it's think different. Think a little different, think a lot different, think different. 'Think differently' wouldn't hit the meaning for me."

-- The New Yorker, November 14, 2011.



James


P.S. Many experts have reminded us that English is not Latin. They remind us that we get into big trouble when we try to impose Latin rules on English. English is English. Mr. Jobs refused to let the "rules" stifle his creativity.

 

[Polyester]

...

 

[khanhhung2512]

I learnt a lot from this post, many thanks!

One of the many unwritten rules of this forum, which Matthew Wai kept telling you, is that you'd better click 'Thank' or 'Like' instead of creating a new 'thanks comment'. In contrast, you kept making new comments and didn't click 'Thank' or 'Like' at all.
I don't know why you do that, but I suggest you do as Matthew Wai told you.
Sorry if I sound a bit rude.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Perhaps I should write to Polyester in Chinese, so that s/he can understand it better.

Not a teacher.

 

[Rover_KE]

Perhaps I should write to Polyester in Chinese, so that s/he can understand it better.

Not a teacher.

You can do that by private message or on the Other Languages forum.