Newspaper Headlines

The writing of headlines and titles requires a very specific skill. The two functions of headlines, informing the reader and capturing his attention, are often in conflict. The length of a text and the spread, i.e., whether it occupies one or several columns widths, determines the type of headline. The more important the item, the broader the spread of the headline, although this is limited by the general editorial policy of the paper.

Headlines have their own syntax, which is basically a shortening process. Articles and prepositions are omitted or reduced to a minimum, verbs appear as infinitives or particles, and it is often difficult to differentiate between the real subject and object of the statement made by the headline. In the headline “Firemen clamp down”, it is not clear whether this is a clamp down on the firemen, or whether the firemen are clamping down. Headlines can summarise the main information, e.g. “Databank bill on Tuesday”, or, “Butchers reminded of Law on Sausages”; this type is most common in law reporting. They may, however, only stimulate our curiosity – “Manxman Creates Pink Eggs in U.S.” An alternative in the Daily Mirror was “Oh, Mr. Porter, We are Proud of You!” Some headlines are deliberately ambiguous, e.g., that of a ballet review entitled “A Little More Style” may be read as a positive or a negative statement.

Answer the questions about the text.

1. What are the two functions of headlines?

2. What are grammatical, lexical and stylistic peculiarities of headlines?

The exercises below demonstrate some peculiarities of newspaper headlines in English.

N EWSPAPER HEADLINES

Ex. 1. Certain words are found in newspaper headlines sometimes with a different meaning from that of their normal use. For each of the following “headline words” on the left, find an item on the right with the same meaning (it will help you look at the headlines in exercises 2 and 3 below).

A AXE

BAFFLED

BID

BLAST

BLAZE

CALL

CLASH

CURB

DRAMA

ENVOY

HIT

LEAK

LIFT

POLL

PROBE

QUIT

QUIZ

RAP

RIDDLE

SEEK

SLASH

SPLIT

STORM

TOLL

WED

WOO

a) fire

b) close down, dismiss (usually for economic reasons)

c) conflict, disagree(ment), fight, fighting

d) diplomat, ambassador

e) to escape, escape (of secret information)

f) exciting or dramatic event

g) attempt

h) explosion

i) affect badly

j) remove (restrictions, prohibitions)

k) vote, election, public opinion survey

l) reduce, reduction, limit

m)investigate, investigation

n) criticise, reprimand

o) leave, depart, resign

p) at a loss to explain, mystified

q) attract, interest, win the support of

r) divide, division

s) look for, want, ask for

t) mystery

u) marry

v) angry argument

w) total number of dead

x) to demand, to appeal, demand, appeal

y) question, interrogate, interview

z) reduce drastically

B BAN

BID

FLEE

FOIL

HALT

MOVE

PLEA

OUST

C CHIEF

HAUL

GAG

GEMS

RIG

SWOOP

RESHUFFLE

a) to prevent

b) strong request, call for help, appeal

c) to stop

d) to force out of office, remove from high position

e) to prohibit, prohibition

f) to try to attract

g) run away from, escape

h) action, step, to take action

a) jewels

b) to falsify

c) to rearrange, rearrangement (of senior jobs)

d) raid, to raid

e) director, high-ranking officer or official

f) goods stolen in robbery or taken by police or customs

g) to silence, censor, censorship

Ex. 2. In headlines certain words are used very often because they are short and sound dramatic. Some of these words are not common in ordinary language or are used in a different sense. Headlines also omit certain words (a, the, some, be, been etc.) and use colloquial expressions, abbreviations and different verb tenses. Explain the following headlines in simple English.

A e.g. UK TO SEND MORE AID TO GHANA

The United Kingdom is going to send more help to Ghana

e.g. STAR TO WED

A film star is going to get married.

1. ARMY AXES 3 BASES 2,000 MEN

2. BID TO REACH NORTH POLE FAILS

3. HOTEL BLAST KILLS 8

4. ANIMALS DIE IN ZOO BLAZE

5. US, USSR CLASH OVER ARMS CURBS

6. 3 SAVED IN FLATS BLAZE DRAMA

7. ENVOY ACCUSED OF SPYING

8. TOURISTS HIT BY PILOTS’ STRIKE

9. PM ANNOUNCES MARCH POLL

10. POLICE PROBE MISSING WOMAN RIDDLE

11. TOP SCIENTIST QUITS UK FOR US

12. 3 QUIZZED OVER BOY’S KIDNAP

13. FILM STAR SEEKS DIVORCE

14. AIR FARES SLASHED TO WOO HOLIDAY MAKERS

15. STORM AT UN OVER “SPIES” ACCUSATION

16. EARTHQUAKE TOLL REACHES 27

17. ACTOR TO WED FOR FIFTH TIME

18. CABINET LEAK: CALL FOR PROBE

19. EU SPLIT OVER LIFTING OF TRAVEL CURBS

20. DEAD ENVOY RIDDLE: YARD BAFFLED

21. PM RAPS BBC IN JOBS AXE STORM

B

1. EDITORS URGE END TO PRESS GAG

2. INDIA SEEKS US AID

3. GEM SMUGGLERS CAUGHT IN PORT SWOOP

4. BANK RAID CASH HAUL FOUND: 3 CHARGED

5. HEAD QUITS OVER “RIGGED” EXAM RESULTS

6. RAIL CHIEFS RESHUFFLED AFTER BIG LOSSES

7. GOVT DEFEATED IN POLL DRAMA

8. PEER DIES IN FLATS BLAZE DRAMA

9. BLAST TOLL RISING: WITNESSES SOUGHT

10. COMMONS STORM OVER DEFENCE CUTS

11. M-WAY DEATH CRASH: BRITON HELD

Ex. 3. For each of the following headlines find the sentence below which expresses it as it would appear in an ordinary news announcement.

“POLLS RIGGED” CHARGES

TWO SOUGHT AFTER BREAK-OUT DRAMA

CABINET RESHUFFLE URGED

SERVICE CHIEFS GAGGED: TWO QUIT

GEMS HAUL SEIZED IN SWOOP

1. Allegations have been made that election results were falsified.

2. Police raided a house today and took possession of jewellery stolen in a recent robbery.

3. Police are hunting two men who made a daring escape from prison by helicopter.

4. Senior officers of the armed forces have been instructed not to talk to the media and as a result, two of them have resigned.

5. Strong appeals have been made to the Prime Minister to make changes in his ministers.

Ex. 4. Make brief headlines from the following news stories.

1. Eighteen people were killed when the army tried to overthrow the government

2. A leading diplomat has been mysteriously murdered.

3. The Prime Minister is trying to win the support of the coal miners’ trade unions.

4. The director of British Petroleum has been forced to resign.

5. A Member of Parliament was questioned by the police in an investigation into the use of illegal drugs.

ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations are a common part of language. We use many of them in spoken English, pronouncing them either as initials (BBC, EEC, FBI) or sometimes as complete words in themselves (NATO, OPEC). Some abbreviations are used only in the written form (Bros, St, Esq) and other abbreviations represent the original Latin or occasionally French or Italian words and are spoken quite differently from their written form (lb, oz).

Ex. 5. Put each of the following abbreviations in its correct place in the sentences below. The full version of each abbreviation is given at the end of the exercise.

A

AA BBC C of E ITV MI5 OHMS BA BR M4

NSPCC RSPCA in oz c/o ft lb Rd Esq

1. Non-commercial radio and television in Britain is controlled by the … .

2. The … investigates cases of cruelty to children.

3. The … protects and cares for animals.

4. The … is the biggest organization for motorists in Britain.

5. If asked which church they belonged to, most English people would say … .

6. … is the main British state security organization, responsible for acting against foreign espionage.

7. … operates the railway system in Britain.

8. Letters from government offices usually have the initials … on the envelopes.

9. The first degree in an arts subject from a British university is the … .

10. Most people enjoy watching the commercials (advertisements) between … programmes.

11. The weight of the parcel was 3 … 10 … .

12. The length of the room is 22 … 6 … .

13. John C Carter … ,

… Mr. and Mrs. R. Waters,

21 Feltham … ,

London SW6.

14. The … runs from London to the south-west of England.

Automobile Association Military Intelligence Department № 5

British Broadcasting Corporation On Her Majesty’s Service

British Rail ounce(s) (1 oz = 28.35 g)

care of pound(s) (1 lb = 0/454 kg)

Church of England Road

foot/feet (1ft = 0.3048 m) inch(es) (1 in = 2.54 cm)

Bachelor of Arts National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Independent Television Esquire (formal title for a man used in addresses)

Motorway № 4 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

B

CIA FBI OPEC UK USA NATO UN

1. The … was set up in 1945 to keep world peace and help international co- operation.

2. Most countries which export oil belong to … .

3. The American … works, normally secretly, to collect information about other countries.

4. … is a military alliance of the USA, Canada, and most West European countries, Greece and Turkey.

5. The … investigates crime in America.

6. There are fifty states in the … .

7. The … consists of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and Northern Ireland.

Central Intelligence Agency United Kingdom

Federal Bureau of Investigation United Nations

North Atlantic Treaty Organization United States of America

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

C

AD PTO  °F PS St v BC Bros °C RSVP NB No

1. – I didn’t know anything was written on the other side of the page.

– Why didn’t you write … at the bottom?

2. INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL. ENGLAND … SPAIN.

3. The address of the firm was written as, “Johnson … 82 East Dock … , London E5.”

4. The Roman general, Julius Caesar, came to Britain over 2,000 years ago in 55 … .

5. Candidates in this exam must answer question … 1 and any two others. … Answers must be written in pen, not pencil.

6. The summer temperature in Britain rises to about 80 … , that’s about 27 … .

7. That house is more than 100 years old. It has “… 1877” on the wall.

8. The wedding invitation had … written on it, so I replied at once.

9. After finishing the letter to his parents, he thought for a moment and then added “… Please send more money.”

Anno Domini (in the year of our Lord) Number

Before Christ Please Turn Over

Brothers Postscript

degrees Celsius or centigrade Répondez s’il vous plaît (please reply)

degrees Fahrenheit Street

Nota Bene (note carefully) versus (against)