This blog has been designed to share interesting materials with my secondary EFL students (14-17) but you are welcome if you also find it useful to improve your English.

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Newspaper headlines and their language

Newspaper headlines are usually written as incomplete sentences as they have to be short, so they are often difficult to understand. These are some of the conventions used:
  • There is often no verb:
    • Unexpected Visit (=There Has Been An Unexpected Visit)
  • Three, four, or more words are linked together. Reading backwards -starting at the end- can help you:
    • Furniture Factory Pay Cut Row (=There has been a row -disagreement- in a furniture factory over pay cuts)
  • Some verb changes are commonly used:
    • Simple tenses insted of continuous or perfect forms
      • Forgotten Brother Appears (=A forgotten brother has appeared)
      • Opposition Backs PM (=The opposition supports the Prime Minister)
    • The infinitive refers to the future:
      • PM To Visit Australia (=The Prime Minister is Going to Visit Australia)
    • Auxiliary verbs are dropped in the passive form:
      • Man Killed In Accicent (=A man has been killed in an accident)
  • No articles
    • President Declares Celebration (=The President has declared a celebration)
    • Terror Alert In The Capital (=There has been a terror alert in the capital)
  • Vocabulary. Short words are preferred, even if they are not commonly used anywhere else:
    • ACT: take action
    • AID (noun): military or financial help
    • AID (verb): help
    • ALLEDGE: make an accusation
    • APPEAR: appear in court accused of a crime
    • AXE (noun): abolition
    • AXE (verb) abolish; close down
    • BACK: support
    • BAN: forbid
    • BAR: refuse
    • BID: attempt
    • BLAST: explosion; criticise violently
    • BLAZE: fire
    • BLOW: bad news
    • BOND: association
    • BOOM: big increase
    • BOOST: encourage
    • CALL FOR: demand
    • CAMPAIGN: organized effort
    • CLAIM: make a statement that something is true
    • CLASH: quarrel; fight
    • CURB: restrict
    • DRAMA: incident
    • DUMP:dismiss
    • EMBRACE: meet; agree to
    • FEAR(S): worry; concern
    • FEUD: quarrel
    • FURY: anger
    • GRAB:confiscate; steal
    • HIT: affect
    • HURDLE: difficulty; obstacle
    • KEY: answer; solution
    • OPT FOR: choose
    • OUST: replace
    • OUTRAGE: anger
    • PLAN: proposal
    • PLEA: request
    • PLEDGE: promise
    • PROBE: investigate
    • PURGE: control
    • PUSH FOR: ask for; insist on
    • QUIT: leave; resign
    • QUIZ: question
    • RAP: criticize; reprove
    • RAID: attack
    • RIDDLE: mystery
    • ROW: disagreement
    • SOAP (OPERA): TV series
    • SET TO: ready to
    • SEX ROMP: sex affair
    • SHAKE UP: reform
    • SHUN: avoid
    • SINK: destroy; eliminate
    • SLAM: criticise
    • SNAG: criticise
    • SNUB: difficulty; problem
    • SOAR: increase; rise
    • SPLIT: division; separation
    • STORM: attack; anger
    • SWOOP: raid
    • THREAT: possibility
    • TURMOIL: controversy; chaoes
    • VOW: promise
    • WAR: rivalry
    • WED: marry; get married
    • WOES: problems
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