M

NEWSPAPER
Vocabulary CHANGES
HEADLINES
Here is a list of the most
common words used in
newspaper headlines with
their meaning:

any students find problems when they

have to read newspaper headlines. Thats
because, in order to save space and to give
a short, clear idea of what the news is about,
reporters use incomplete sentences, often
without verbs or articles. To complicate
things further, some of the words are not
commonly used in everyday English. These
are some examples to help you try and
understand them better.

AID HELP
ALLEGE MAKE AN ACCUSATION
AXE CUT
BACK SUPPORT
BAN PROHIBIT

GRAMMAR CHANGES

BID ATTEMPT
BLAST EXPLOSION
BLAZE FIRE
BLOW UNFORTUNATE
HAPPENING
BOOST ENCOURAGE
CLASH CONFLICT,
DISAGREEMENT

Remember:
Remember:

Headlines often use a NOUN PHRASE, that

Newspapers,
Newspapers, radio
radio
is, a phrase without a verb:
and television are
Poor Service at Supermarkets

and television are

called:
called: the
the (mass)
(mass)
media
(plural
media (plural noun)
noun)

Best Strategies for New Tax Year / Thai

Protesters Parade

CLEAR FIND INNOCENT

CON TRICK, CHEAT OUT OF
CRASH FAILURE
DEAL AGREEMENT
DROP FALL
EDGE MOVE GRADUALLY
HAVOC DISTURBANCE, CHAOS
HEAD FOR MOVE TOWARDS

There are also some VERB CHANGES. The

simple tenses are preferred to continuous
or perfect forms and auxiliary verbs are
dropped in the passive:
Teachers Protest Pay Cuts (they are protesting)
Underground Strike Started Today (the strike
has started today)

KEY IMPORTANT
LOOM THREATEN TO HAPPEN

AUXILIARY VERBS are dropped in the

MOB ANGRY CROWD

passive:

PEAK HIGH POINT

Robbers Judged at Big Trial Tomorrow (the

robbers will be judged at a big trial tomorrow)

PLEA CALL FOR HELP

PROBE INVESTIGATION
QUIT ABANDON

Missed Child Found Safe (A child who was

missing has been found safe)

RAID ENTER AND SEARCH

ROW ARGUMENT, QUARREL
SPARK CAUSE TO START
TOLL NUMBER KILLED

The INFINITIVE TENSE is used to talk about

the future:
President to Open New Art Gallery

VOW PROMISE

New Player to be hired by NBA

EXERCISE 1:

WRITE THESE HEADLINES IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH, AS IN THE EXAMPLE:

TWO MEN CON OLD MAN OUT OF LIFE
SAVINGS: Two men have cheated an
old man out of all the money he had
saved in his life
STRIKERS CLASH WITH POLICE

MOB ABOUT TO LYNCH A MAN IN

LINDBRORG

GOVERNMENT BACKED BY
OPPOSTION PARTY

EARTHQUAKE AREAS PLEA FOR FOOD

HELP

BP BOOSTS GAS EXPORTS

MINISTER QUITS AFTER SEX SCANDAL

INJURED PLAYER NEW BLOW TO THE

TEAM

REFEREE DECISION SPARKS RIOT

FLOODS TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE

DEAL ON PAY RISE EXPECTED BY

MONDAY

FURTHER ROWS OVER WAGE CUTS

ARMED MAN CAUSES HAVOC AT
SUPERMARKET

POLITICIAN CLEARED ON DRUGS

CHARGES
COUNTRY EDGES TOWARDS
ECONOMIC RECESSION
KEY EVIDENCE FOUND ON THE CASE

NEWSPAPER sections
In a newspaper you can find DIFFERENT SECTIONS depending on the
information that they deal with. Some of them are: Home news, foreign news, job
adverts, sports section, editorial/opinion, business section, weather forecast, TV guide,
want ads, classified section, cartoons, crossword, gossip column, horoscope
In Online newspapers you can also find blogs on different subjects as well as
information about the latest news on art, culture, cinema, music or, of course, computers
and the internet. They also include a have your say section where you can write your
own opinion on a particular subject.
EXERCISE 2:
READ THESE SENTENCES AND DECIDE IN WHICH SECTION OF A NEWSPAPER
YOU WOULD FIND THEM:
Rather cloudy with
occasional showers

patchy

rain

Across 13: A condiment, an herb

Arsenal edges Southampton 1-0

or

We dont need these new speed

cameras
Scorpio: Are you waiting for an invitation
to say what you want to say?

Man shot dead in garden attack

Stieg Larsson and the mystery of the lost

manuscript

Former banker leads race to be M & S

chairman

That 70s sound influencing female solo

singers

Iran to start up nuclear reactor

City binge-drinkers spark crisis in 999

ambulance callouts
Rivals set for Australian election
Drew Barrymore lights up
Going the distance premiere

Senior Marketing Manager 45,00065,000 plus bonus and benefits Hemel

Hempstead Interim 6 month contract
NHS spent 313m pounds on consultants

Types of newspapers
EXERCISE 3:
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEWSPAPERS.
Depending on the frequency of publication: Morning or evening newspapers, daily
newspapers, weekly newspaper and Sunday supplements
Depending on the size and contents: Tabloids or broadsheets. Tabloids are small
papers which contain lots of pictures and short, simple articles. Broadsheets on the
contrary are large papers with serious reports and articles.
Finally, although newspapers are supposed to be objective, they are also usually
connected to some political party or political ideals, so people consider some of them
right wing or left wing newspapers.

THESE ARE LINKS TO SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR NEWSPAPERS IN

BRITAIN. DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF NEWSPAPERS THEY ARE: (you cant see
the actual size of the paper but in the online version you can easily decide: when gossip
news or news about celebrities cover most of the front page, you are usually reading a
tabloid. For political ideas, search on the wikipedia)
Daily Express
http://www.express.co.uk/home

Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/

Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.h
tml

Mirror

Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Morning Star
ttp://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index
.php
Sun

Belfast Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/

Evening Standard

Times

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk

Western Mail
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/

Guardian

News of the World

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Scotsman
http://www.scotsman.com/

Spectator
http://www.spectator.co.uk/

KEY TO THE EXERCISES:

EXERCISE 1:

WRITE THESE HEADLINES IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH, AS IN THE EXAMPLE:

TWO MEN CON OLD MAN OUT OF LIFE SAVINGS: Two men have cheated an old man out of all the
money he had saved in his life
strikers clash with police - The strikers are having/ have had conflicts with the police
government backed by opposition party - The opposition party supports the government
BP boosts gas exports - BP wants to promote gas exports
injured player new blow to the team The fact that a player is injured and unable to play, is a new
unfortunate happening for them.
deal on pay rise expected by Monday A new agreement on a pay rise is expected by Monday
politician cleared on drugs charges A politician has been found innocent after being accused of
drug charges
country edges towards economic recession The country is moving towards economic recession
key evidence found on the case the police have found important evidence on the case
mob about to lynch a man in Lindbrorg - A group of angry people nearly lynched a man
earthquake areas plea for food help - Some areas affected by an earthquake ask for food help
minister quits after sex scandal - a minister has resigned after a sex scandal
referee decision sparks riot the decision of a referee caused a riot
floods toll expected to rise the number of people who died in the floods is expected to rise
further rows over wage cuts There have been more problems because of the wage cuts
armed man causes havoc at supermarket An armed man at a supermarket caused chaos
EXERCISE 2: READ THESE SENTENCES AND DECIDE IN WHICH SECTION OF A NEWSPAPER YOU
WOULD FIND THEM:
Rather cloudy with patchy rain or occasional showers Weather forecast
Across 13: A condiment, an herb Crossword
Arsenal edges Southampton 1-0 Sport section
Man shot dead in garden attack

Home news

Former banker leads race to be M & S chairman

Iran to start up nuclear reactor

Economy

Foreign news

We dont need these new speed cameras

Opinion

Scorpio: Are you waiting for an invitation to say what you want to say?
Stieg Larsson and the mystery of the lost manuscript Culture / Gossip
That 70s sound influencing female solo singers Music section
City binge-drinkers spark crisis in 999 ambulance callouts Local news
Rivals set for Australian election Foreign news
Drew Barrymore lights up Going the distance premiere Gossip

Horoscope

Senior Marketing Manager 45,000-65,000 plus bonus and benefits Hemel Hempstead Interim 6 month
contract Economy
NHS spent 313m pounds on consultants Home news

EXERCISE 3: THESE ARE LINKS TO SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR NEWSPAPERS IN BRITAIN.
DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF NEWSPAPERS THEY ARE:
Daily Express

Conservative, middle-market tabloid

Daily Mail

Tabloid, similar to Daily Express

Daily Telegraph

Conservative broadsheet

Belfast Telegraph

Northern Irelands leading newspaper

Evening Standard

Evening paper for the Daily Mail

Financial Times
Guardian

Business and Political newspaper

Left wing serious paper

Independent

Daily liberal broadsheet

Mirror

Tabloid, traditionally supportive of The Labour party

Morning Star

Daily left wing paper

Sun

Tabloid, well known for its sensational headlines

Times

Slightly conservative broadsheet

Western Mail

Major Welsh newspaper

News of the World

Scotsman
Spectator

Sunday version of the Sun

Edinburgh-based highly regarded daily
Conservative weekly newspaper