15.1 THELAYOUT OF PUBLIC SIGNS
Public signs giving instructions normally contain two parts.Because they exist to guide people about their behaviors in public spheres，public signs usually contain an imperative action and an object which is the target of the action.
The imperative action always refers to the action expected of people in public.The carrying out of such an action suggests the norms governing people's behavior in public spheres.The imperative action can be realized by using verbs used in imperative forms.For example，“Push the door outward”.It can also be realized by using emphatic negative word“no”in capital forms at the cost of the imperative verbs.In this case，a simple but most frequently seen example is“No Smoking”.In addition，the verb“be”in imperative forms can used together with some adjectives that suggest some aspects of life for the same effect.For example，“Be Kind to the Grasses”.To indicate politeness in delivering instructions，the word“please”is often used as in“Please do not park here”.
On the other hand，the object in a public sign usually indicates a specific domain of public life.It is the reality that people want to keep or it is the specific phenomenon people want to get rid of.A violation of it always suggests an improper deed and often means some kind of punishment，while adherence to it often indicates some desirable personal traits or some benefits.For example，the“grass”in“Please keep off the grass”suggests part of the beautiful environment，natural and artificial alike.Sometimes，the punishment suggested by a public sign can be used together with the sign to demonstrate directly what consequence a person's inappropriate action in public might bring about，for instance“Private use only.Unauthorized parking will be fined”.
There are also many signs which contain only the object part sometimes to be modified by specific nouns or adjectives to convey the actions required of people in public.For instance，the public sign“Pay Toilet”.It means that people have to pay for the use of it.
Sometimes，public signs giving instructions will be introduced by several words that delineate the situations in which specific deeds on the part of the sign reader are expected.For example，“Hot！Avoid Contact”，and“Out of use，please use the other doors”.
Public signs providing information for the convenience or to the advantage of the viewers of those signs may also contain two parts，namely the part that indicates certain convenience or advantage，and the part that describes the kind of convenience or advantage available to the viewers，though the latter of which is not always indispensable.For example，“Fresh Produce”.The word“produce”represents all kinds of the farming goods which are indispensable to people's life and the word“fresh”enhances further the benefits people might get.
Whatever parts or however many parts a public sign may contain，it generally includes the following information：
●What is the public sign about？
●To whom is the public sign addressed？
●What function（s）will the public sign enact？
●What benefit will the public sign bring about for the viewer of it？
●What obligation is required of the viewer of the public sign？
●What action is expected of the viewer of the public sign？
The information listed above should be positioned as shown in the following examples.(https://www.daowen.com)
Format 1
This is a public sign addressed to car owners or other vehicle owners.It is required of them not to park their cars or other vehicles at the place where this public sign is posted.This sign is publicized either to guarantee the issuer's privacy or to maintain the order in public spheres.The message is conveyed in a noun preceded by the emphatic negative“NO”.
Format 2
This is a public sign issued to warn anybody who intends to open the electric device against any possible electrical shock.The message is conveyed in an imperative sentence together with a noun phrase preceded by the emphatic negative“NO”.
Format 3
This public sign is addressed to travelers in want of tickets or any other kind of travel service.It is conveyed in phrases only.
Format 4
This is a public sign encouraging people to keep public sanitation.The message is conveyed with a symbol describing a dog owner cleaning the dog's dejectas.
Public signs often appear in a bulletin board attached to walls，posts or some other things in public places.They also appear as posters attached to things aforementioned.Owing both to the little space in which they are printed and to the fact that they are created to stimulate prompt action or to inform of instant knowledge within seconds，public signs often take just a few lines that are easy to discern and quick to understand.To make the message more effective，they often appear together with instructive figures or pictures，and take the form of captions.
As far as the ways they are conveyed，public signs customarily fall into two types，namely public signs written in phrases，and public signs written in complete sentences.The following are two more examples that exemplify the two forms of public signs respectively：“Mercury Free”and“For security reasons，please keep your bags and personal belongings with you all the time.Thank you for your vigilance”.