相信没有一本正规的英文教材会认可I says这样的表达，但在实际生活中，有些英美人士尤其是社会阶层比较低或没有受过良好教育的人，会用I says代替I say或I said，比如“So last week I was talking to my friend, and I says, ‘What do you think of my new haircut?’”这句话中的I says就属于非正式表达。
非正式表达是指人们在日常交谈中用到的词或短语，包括非标准的口头用语、俚语、方言及粗话(通过对标准词语、语法形式及短语的变形而形成)。除了I says，比较常见的还有ain’t (代替am not、is not、are not、has not、have not)和irregardless (代替regardless)等。虽然非正式英语可以出现在小说等文学作品中，用来表现人物的社会地位和所处的生活环境，但在商业、工业、教育、新闻媒体、官方等用语中(包括口语和书面语)都应坚决避免这类表达。试比较以下几组句子，体会修改前后的效果差异。
例句点评
Bad: Professor Fang, a prolific writer and distinguished literary critic, kicked the bucket in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Good: Professor Fang, a prolific writer and distinguished literary critic, passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning.
评析
第一句话中的kick the bucket (to die)是俚语，相当于中文中的“断了气”“翘辫子”，用在这句话中显得很粗俗，不太合适。拥有丰富的词汇量很重要，但要注意用词的场合，是正式用语还是非正式用语，是褒义还是贬义，等等，否则将会恶语伤人。很多中国学生不敢用die，以为用这个表达会冒犯别人。其实，在英语中die是个中性词，可以用died代替passed away，即使用在第二句话中也可以接受。
例句点评
Inappropriate: We kindly ask that all of you dress formally for the exhibition. The host ain’t gonna tolerate jeans or sneakers.
Appropriate: We kindly ask that all of you dress formally for the exhibition. The host is not going to tolerate jeans or sneakers.
评析
原句中的ain’t是am not、is not、are not、has not、have not的缩写形式，也是do not、does not和did not的缩写形式，经常见于比较低下的社会阶层，是不符合礼仪和规范的用法。原句中的gonna也是非正式用法，等于of be going to，主要用于非正式场合。
例句点评
Inappropriate: The Red Violin is a real interesting movie about a legendary instrument as it travels from one musician to another. It is cool that in this multinational epic one can hear English, Italian, German, French and Mandarin Chinese being spoken.
Appropriate: The Red Violin is an interesting movie about a legendary instrument as it travels from one musician to another. This multinational epic features as many as five languages: English, Italian, German, French and Mandarin Chinese.
评析
原句中的real interesting是一个使用频率相当高但有文法错误的表达，正确的表达应该是really interesting；原句中的单词cool (used for emphasizing how good someone or something is)属于非正式的口语表达，多用于小孩子和年轻人的口头禅。
例句点评
Inappropriate: The explorers agreed that it was not so much the heat-wave in the Gobi Desert as the lack of illumination in the tent that sucked.
Appropriate: ① The explorers agreed that the heat-wave in the Gobi Desert was not as bad as the lack of illumination in the tent.
② The explorers agreed that the heat-wave in the Gobi Desert was actually more tolerable than the lack of illumination in the tent.
评析
原句中的suck (to be very bad, very annoying)是俚语，是非常不正式的表达，用在本句话中不合适。
常见非正式用语及恰当表达
中译英实例
1.青岛有绿树成荫的街道，有沙滩，有游乐场所，那儿的室外活动简直太丰富多彩了。
不合格译文：There are streets with a bunch of trees, beaches, amusement parks in Qingdao. Its outdoor activities are really rich and colorful.
【评析】原句中的“streets with a bunch of trees, beaches, amusement parks”意思是街道上有树、沙滩和游乐场。街道上有树可以理解，但如果有沙滩和游乐场就不合逻辑了。短语a bunch of一般可以形容flowers、grapes、bananas、keys等较小的事物，描述绿树成荫不合适。
合格译文：There are many tree-shaded streets, beaches and playgrounds in Qingdao, so the outside activities are absolutely colorful.
【评析】这个译文没有错误，但用There are开头，使整句话显得较平淡，不够精彩。
最佳译文：With tree-lined streets, beaches and amusement places, Qingdao is a celebration of the great outdoors.
【评析】句首是with引导的伴随状语，句子显得灵活生动。这句话除了使用伴随状语之外，后半句话中的抽象名词celebration (a social gathering or enjoyable activity held to celebrate something)用得也比较正规，该词比较适合用于广告宣传、书面介绍等正式场合。
2.你可以开车去看看那些名人富豪的房子。
Wrong: You can drive to see those big potatoes’ houses.
【评析】译文中的big potato (someone very important or famous)太口语化，属于俚语范畴，用在这句话中不合适。
Plain: You can drive to see the houses which are owned by the rich and famous.
【评析】译文中的which are完全可以省略。
Better: You can go for a drive past the homes of the rich and famous.
【评析】译文中的go for a drive也是口语化的表达，但这样的表达不是俚语，属于习惯用语范畴，会时表达显得流畅自然。
练习
1. This contract sure is the beginning of a long-term partnership. (提示：sure是surely的非标准形式)
______________________________________________________________________________
2. He’s nuts about her. (提示：nuts为俚语，英文释义为crazy; insane; extremely enthusiastic)
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Because we have added English signs in our exhibition hall, most of our foreign visitors no longer need to ask where our information desk is at. (提示：at后面不能直接跟副词where)
______________________________________________________________________________
4. They are trying like there’s no tomorrow. (提示：like是as if的非正式用语)
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Jonathan has a nice wife, and she managed to let us have a swell time. (提示：nice比较口语化，swell 是俚语，英文释义为fantastic, great, wonderful)
______________________________________________________________________________6. The actors and actresses gave a terrific performance, but the opera was rotten. (提示：terrific属于口语，rotten是俚语，英文释义为disgusting, yucky, smelly, unsightly or dirty)
______________________________________________________________________________
7. I may not get the pass I have requested, but I am planning to go anyways. (提示：anyways是anyway 或in any case的非标准形式)
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Charles Dickens produced lots and lots of great works. (提示：lot、lots、a lot of分别是much、many、a great deal的口语或非标准形式)
______________________________________________________________________________
参考答案
1. This contract is surely the beginning of a long-term partnership.
2. He is infatuated with her.
3. ① Because we have added English signs in our exhibition hall, most of our foreign visitors no longer need to ask the whereabouts of our information desk.
② Because we have added English signs in our exhibition hall, most of our foreign visitors no longer need to ask where our information desk is.
4. They are trying as if there is no tomorrow.
5. Jonathan’s wife is a warm, genial person, and she helped make our evening delightful.
6. The actors and actresses gave a superb performance, but the opera was inane.
7. I may not get the pass I have requested, but I am planning to go anyway.
8. Charles Dickens produced many great works.
本文节选自《漂亮的英文句子——英文这样写就对了》。“4+23+3”模式，全面武装你的写作技能！助你摆脱“中式英语”，打造写作硬实力！
