meaning word newspaper word Headline English headline words

Transcription

1 Headline English headline words Newspaper headlines use a lot of distinctive vocabulary. They prefer words that are usually shorter and generally sound more dramatic than ordinary English words: SOCCER + ROW + BOSS + QUITS (= 18 letters) Football + argument + manager + resigns (= 30 letters) The words marked * can be used either as nouns or verbs: newspaper word meaning newspaper word meaning Aid* Axe* Back Bar* Bid* Blast* Blaze* Boost* Boss* Head* Clash* Curb* Cut* Drama Drive* Fury Gems Go-ahead Hit Key Help Cut, remove Support Exclude, forbid Attempt Explosion Fire Incentive, increase Link* Move* Ordeal Oust Plea Pledge* Ploy Poll* Probe* Quit Riddle Row* Sack Split* Strife Talks Threat Urge Vow* wed Connection Step towards a goal Painful experience Push out Request Promise Clever activity, strategy Election, survey Investigation Leave, resign Mystery Argument Dismiss Disagreement Conflict Discussions Danger Encourage Promise Marry ) manager, director Dispute Restraint, limit Reduction Tense situation Campaign, effort Anger Jewels Approval Affect badly Essential, vital Add any other headline words you come across: 1

2 The headlines a) to j) contain special headline words, each of which has a more common equivalent in 1) to 25). Match the headline words to their common equivalents: a) ARMS SWOOP: TWO HELD b) TORIES BACK PITS AXE c) PEACE TALKS HEAD FOR SPLIT d) NUCLEAR SCARE RIDDLE e) GO-AHEAD FOR SCHOOLS PROBE f) PRINCESS TO RE-WED PUZZLE g) PM HITS OUT IN JOBLESS ROW h) DEATH TOLL RISES IN DISCO BLAZE i) PRESIDENT OUSTED IN COUP DRAMA j) SMOKING BAN STAYS OFFICIAL 1) disagreement 10) Conservatives 19) the Prime Minister 2) discussions 11) coalmines 20) remains 3) raid 12) criticises 21) public alarm 4) confusing news 13) arrested 22) cuts 5) approval 14) number killed 23) dispute 6) revolution 15) removed by force 24) armaments 7) prohibition 16) mystery 25) with legal authority 8) the unemployed 17) marry again 9) investigation 18) fire 2

3 Matching Headlines: Here are 9 news stories but the 18 headline words have become jumbled up. Can you sort them out? You should be able to find a two-word headline for each of the news items. MURDER BLASTED AIRCRAFT DOUBLE QUIZ DEFLATED CHARGE TERROR INDIAN KIDNAP SAILORS WRECK TRAGEDY FIRE DIE HOPES STORE QUAKE Twenty people were injured evacuating a chartered jet which caught fire landing at Dublin. Nineteen crewmen died and only one was rescued when a Maltese-registered cargo ship sank off Barcelona. Police questioned a third man about the alleged kidnap of baker Michael Varone in Peterborough last week A huge earthquake, measuring seven on the Richter scale, shook the India-Tibet border early this morning. Surgeons failed to save the unborn baby of a Shropshire woman who died after a car crash near Nantwich, Cheshire. Five supermarket workers were killed and two wounded in a robbery in the US city of St Louis Navy divers blew up part of the sunken World War II cargo ship Breda off Oban, Strathclyde, to stop divers removing dangerous ammunition. The German entry in the first transatlantic balloon race, weighed down by ice and heavy rain, made an emergency landing in rough seas about 750 miles off Newfoundland. Its two pilots were picked up unharmed by a tanker. Four pop musicians were remanded in custody at Willesden magistrates court, London, charged with the murder of Clement Henry at his Wembley home last Monday. 3

4 Headline English headline grammar Newspaper headlines are not always complete sentences. Many headlines consist of noun phrases with no verb. MORE POWER CUTS (There are/will be more power cuts) TERROR ALERT IN CAPITAL (There is/was a terror alert in the capital) Another common headline form is a string of three, four or more nouns together. In the case of noun strings, it's helpful to try to connect the ideas by reading backwards. For example: MUSTANG REFERRAL CUSTOMER COMPLAINT (A complaint has been made by a customer about a referral program for Mustang cars.) WIDOW PESION PAY COMMITTEE (A committee has been set up to deal with pension payments for widows) Articles and the verb be are often left out in headlines. HUSSAIN PAINTING OBSCENE, SAYS MINISTER (The Hussain painting is obscene, says the Minister) OLD MAN SCALES EVEREST (An old man, has scaled Mt. Everest) In headlines, simple tenses are often used instead of progressive or perfect forms. The simple present is used for both present and past events. FORMER PM PASSES AWAY (A former PM has passed away.) BLIND GIRL CLIMBS EVEREST (A blind girl has climbed Everest.) 4

5 The present progressive is used to talk about changes. Be is usually eliminated. EARTH GETTING WARMER, SAY SCIENTISTS (The Earth is getting warmer) TRADE FIGURES IMPROVING (Trade figures are improving) Headlines often use infinitives to refer to the future. PM TO VISIT CANADA (The PM is going to visit Canada) BUSINESS SCHOOLS TO TAKE MORE STUDENTS (Business schools are going to take more students) For is also used to refer to future movements or plans. INDIAN TROOPS FOR IRAQ? (Are Indian soldiers going to be sent to Iraq?) MORE TESTS FOR STUDENTS (More tests are in store for students this year) Auxiliary verbs are usually dropped from passive structures, leaving only past participles. SIX PEOPLE KILLED IN EXPLOSION (Six people have been killed in an explosion) INDIAN HELD FOR MURDER (An Indian is being/has been held for murder) Note that forms like held, found and attacked are usually past participles with passive meanings, not past tenses. Compare: NUCLEAR DEAL ROW: PM ATTACKED (PM has been attacked because of a nuclear deal fight.) NUCLEAR DEAL ROW: PM ATTACKS OPPOSITION (PM has attacked his opposition because of a nuclear deal fight) 5

6 Now try to rewrite the headlines a) to j) in everyday language: a) ARMS SWOOP: TWO HELD b) TORIES BACK PITS AXE c) PEACE TALKS HEAD FOR SPLIT d) NUCLEAR SCARE RIDDLE e) GO-AHEAD FOR SCHOOLS PROBE f) PRINCESS TO RE-WED PUZZLE g) PM HITS OUT IN JOBLESS ROW h) DEATH TOLL RISES IN DISCO BLAZE i) PRESIDENT OUSTED IN COUP DRAMA j) SMOKING BAN STAYS OFFICIAL 6

7 Headline vs. Leading Sentence vs. Article Content Headline: Simple tenses, idiomatic, flashy vocabulary, no use of function words Leading sentence: Present perfect tense often used to give general overview. Article content: Proper tense usage, including a change from present perfect to past tenses to give detailed, specific information about what, where and when something happened. Look at the UK newspapers and compare the use of tenses in the leading sentence with that in the main body of the article. In groups of 2/3 pick your headline cards and write a short article to go with the headline. Include: Leading sentence (often in present perfect) Main body a short paragraph 7

8 Ambiguous Headlines: 1. Hospital sued by seven foot doctors 2. New vaccine may contain Rabies. 3. Kids make nutritious snacks 4. Red tape holds up new bridges. 5. Juvenile court to try shooting defendant. 6. Miners refuse to work after death. 7. Enraged cow injures farmer with axe. 8. President wins on budget- more lies ahead. 9. Survivor of Siamese twins joins parents. 10. Diet of premature babies affects IQ. Suggestive Headlines 1. Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped. 2. Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus? 3. Panda Mating Fails - Veterinarian Takes Over. 4. Organ Festival Ends in Smashing Climax. Stating the obvious: 1. If Strike isn't Settled Quickly it may Last a While. 2. War Dims Hope for Peace. 3. Smokers are Productive, but Death Cuts Efficiency. 4. Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures. 5. Child's Death Ruins Couple's Holiday. 6. Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad she Hasn't Seen in years. 7. Man is Fatally Slain. 8. Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say. 9. Death Causes Loneliness, Feeling of Isolation. 8