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15 Newspaper headlines
The headlines in English-language newspapers can be very difficult to understand. One reason for this is that newspaper headlines are often written in a special style, which is very different from ordinary English. In this style there are some special rules of grammar, and words are often used in unusual ways.
Grammar
Headlines are not always complete sentences. Many headlines consist of noun phrases with no verb (e.g. More wages cut).
Headlines often contain strings of three, fouror more nouns; nouns earlier in the string modify those that follow (e.g. Furniture factory pay cut row). It helps to read such headlines backwards. Furniture factory pay cut row refers to a row (disagreement) about a cut (reduction) in pay at a factory that makes furniture.
Many headline words are used as both nouns and verbs, and nouns are often used to modify other nouns. So it is not always easy to work out the structure of a sentence. Compare:
US cuts aid to third world (The US reduces help cut is a verb, aid is a noun)
Aid cuts row (There has been a disagreement about the reduction in aid. Aid and cuts are bothnouns)
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Cuts aid rebels (The reduction in aid is helping the revolutionaries. Cuts is a noun, aid is a verb)
Headlines often leave out articles and the verb to be. (Shakespeare play immoral, says headmaster; Woman walks on Moon).
In headlines, simple sentences are often used instead of progressive or perfect forms. The simple present is used for both present and past events. (Blind girl climbs Everest has climbed Students fight for course changes are fighting)
The present progressive can be used, especially to talk about changes. Be is usually dropped (Trade figures are improving).
Headlines often use infinitives to refer to the future (PM to visit Australia). For is also used t o refer to future movements or plans (Troops for Glasgow? Are soldiers going to be sent to Glasgow?)
Auxiliary verbs are usually dropped from passive structures, leaving past participles (Murder hunt: man held a man is being held by police).
A colon is often used to separate the subject of a headline from what is said about it (Strikes: PM to act). Quotation marks are used to show that words were said by somebody else, and that the newspaper does not necessarily claim that they are true (Crash driver had been drinking).
A question mark is often used when something is not certain (Crisis over by September?)
Vocabulary
Short words save space, and so they are very common in newspaper headlines. Some of the short words in headlines are unusual in ordinary language, and some are used in special senses that they do not often have in ordinary language. Other words are chosen not because they are short, but because they sound dramatic. The following is a list of common headline vocabulary.
| Aid Alert Allege Axe Back Ban Bar Bid Blast Blaze Block Bolster Boom Boost Brink Call for Cash Charge Claim Clamp down on Clash Clear Crackdown Crash Curb Cut Cutback Deadlock Deal Dole Drama Drive Drop Edge Envoy Face Feud Firm Flak Foil Fraud Freeze Gag Gems Go Go-ahead Grab Grip Hail Halt Haul Head Head for Hit Hitch Hold In (the) red Key Landslide Lash Launch Leak Life Loom Mission Mob Move Nail Net Oust Out to Pact Pay claim Peg Peril Pit Plea Pledge Poll Press (for) Probe Pull out Push (for) Quit Quiz Raid Rap Reshuffle Riddle Rig Rock Row Rule out Sack Scare Scrap Seek Set to Shed Slam Slash Slump Soar Aplit Storm Stun Swap Swoop Threat Toll Top Troops Urge Vow Walk out | military or financial help; to help alarm, warning make an accusation appear in court, accused of a crime support forbid, refuse to allow something; prohibition refuse/ refusal to allow entry attempt explosion; criticize violently fire stop, delay give support/ encouragement to big increase; prosperous period encourage(ment); to increase; an increase edge (of disaster) demand/ appeal for money accusation (by police) (make) a statement that smth is true deal firmly with (usually smth illegal) quarrel, fight (n, v) find innocent firm application of the law financial failure restrict, restriction reduce, reduction reduction (usually financial) disagreement that cannot be solved agreement, bargain unemployment pay dramatic event; tense situation united effort give up, get rid of; fall (noun) move gradually ambassador be threatened by long-lasting quarrel, dispute determined not to change heavy criticism prevent somebody from succeeding swindle, deceit keep(ing) prices etc at their present level; block(ing) a bank account censor(ship), prevent(ion) from speaking jewels resign; be lost, disappear approval take violently control; hold tightly welcome, praise stop amount stolen in robbery; or seized by police or customs lead; leader move towards affect badly problem that causes delay arrest; keep under arrest in debt; making a financial loss important, vital victory by large majority in election criticize violently send (satellite etc) into space; begin (campaign etc); put sth on market unofficial publication of secret information imprisonment for life threaten to happen delegation (official group sent to conference etc) angry crowd; organized crime/ mafia (US) step towards a particular result (often political) force somebody to admit the truth win, capture drive out, replace intending to agreement demand for higher wages hold (prices etc) at present level danger coal mine call for help promise election; public opinion survey urge, encourage, ask for urgently investigation; investigate withdraw; withdrawal ask for; encourage resign, leave to question; questioning by police enter and search; attack (n, v); rob, robbery criticize rearrange, rearrangement (of senior jobs) mystery falsify shock, shake noisy disagreement, quarrel reject the possibility of dismiss(al) from job public alarm, alarming rumour throw out (as useless) look for ready to, about to get rid of criticize violently cut, reduce drastically fall (economic) rise dramatically disagreement angry public disagreement surprise, shock exchange to raid; a police raid danger number killed senior, most important soldiers encourage promise leave in protest |
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