Headlines and Leads

1. Match the headlines in column A to the leads/introductions in column B. Insert them as they
correspond to one another in a table like the one below:
Excerpts from The Times, Friday, October 28, 2005 (www.timeonline.co.uk)
Column A Column B
1. It All Adds up a. An MP opposes selective education, then sends his children to private school. A
vicar asks his flock to pay for the new church roof, then asks the parish to pay him
for painting the vestry. A trader acquires stock he knows is about to rise, then
counts the profits. Such cases are, respectively, hypocritical, unethical and illegal.
The conflicts of interest are obvious. They would leave most people aghast. Hence
the natural concern about the Tates purchase of a work by one of its own trustees,
Chris Ofili.
2. Lib Dems 2.4m b. A report on the impact of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry on policing said that
Donor officers were less likely to stop and search ethnic minorities in case they were
labelled as racist.
Six years since the inquiry started into the death of Mr Lawrence, 18, who in April
1993 was stabbed to death by a group of five white youths in southeast London, the
study found that some minority ethnic police staff felt that any absence of racist
language was largely cosmetic.
The 100-page report by the Home Office, Assessing the Impact of Stephen
Lawrence Inquiry said that the inquiry was an important lever for change in the
police service and there had been some significant improvements, but there
remained a number of important caveats to this picture. []
Officers said the report, reported a climate after the inquiry in which people were
too afraid to stop and search for fear of being accused of racism.
3. DUNG HEAP c. There are certain sentences that you long to hear. How I yearned yesterday for
The Tate Gallery Patricia Hewitt to arrive at the Health Select Committee meeting, out of breath and
Risks Tarnishing Its reeking of smoke.
Image Sorry, she would say, her sallow skin looking even greyer under the fluorescent
lights, but I was just having a fag.
Its not that I want the Health Secretary to be unhealthy, per se. She doesnt have to
be Fag Ash Pat, just a human being. Sadly, progress along those lines has been
slow. Yesterday, as she bustled by, she said in her perfectly fake and modulated
voice: I havent taken up smoking.
4. Row over Tagging d. A police constable has been remanded in custody over allegations of rape and
after Fresh Youth assault. The West Mercia officer, who has not been named, is to appear before
Crime Spree Worcester Crown Court next month. He is charged with six counts of rape and a
single count of assault between May last year and June this Year.
5. Searches e. Sir, Why do children learn about algebra and geometry but acquire no
Hampered by knowledge about shares, pensions and mortgages? asks Alison Uren.
Lawrence Inquiry It is because those who fail to learn the basic disciplines at school are extremely
unlikely to do so later, while those who mastered numeracy in the classroom can
easily pick up an understanding of shares, pensions, mortgages, and similar subjects
in later life.
6.PC Rape Charges f. Nine out of ten persistent young offenders on the Governments 100 million
flagship programme to tackle youth crime reoffended within two years.
The damning findings are a huge blow to the credibility of a four-year-old scheme
hailed by the Home Office as hands-on way of curbing offending by teenagers.
7. Not a Whiff of g. Teng Xingshan protested his innocence all the way to the execution ground. But
Humour as Pat Fails it was only this year, 16 years after his execution by gunshot, that the butcher was

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to Set Health found to be not guilty of the murder of a waitress. She was alive and in jail.
Watchdogs Alight
8. China Curbs h. Sir, Readers of all political persuasions must truly wonder why an entrepreneur
Courts Killing Too with such a colourful past (reports and leading article, October 27) would decide to
Many Innocent draw attention to himself in the first place by making the single largest political
People donation to the Liberal Democrats to date.

2. Which of the headlines and corresponding leads in exercise 1 are parts of letters to the editor?
3. Which are the blind leads in exercise 1?
4. Which is a political sketch in exercise 1?
5. Which one has the appearance of an editorial?
6. Which of the headlines may function like a banner?

VOCABULARY
Aghast feeling or looking shocked by something you have seen or just found out (stupefiat)
Alight someone whose face or eyes are alight looks excited, happy, etc, set alight= burn(ing)
bustle to move around quickly, looking very busy, bustle about/round etc
caveat [kae viaet] a warning that something may not be completely true, effective etc
constable police agent
counts to be allowed or accepted, or to allow or accept something, according to a standard, set of ideas, or
set of rules; to consider someone or something in a particular way
count somebody/something as something
I don't count him as a friend anymore.
You should count yourself lucky that you weren't hurt.
don't count your chickens (before they're hatched)
spoken used to say that you should not make plans that depend on something good happening, because it
might not
I wouldn't count your chickens, Mr Vass. I've agreed to sign the contract, but that's all.
count your blessings
spoken used to tell someone to be grateful for the good things in their life
count the cost
to start having problems as a result of your earlier decisions or mistakes
We're now counting the cost of not taking out medical insurance.
on all/several/both etc counts
in every way, in several ways etc
It was important that they secure a large and widespread audience. They failed on both counts.
at the last count
according to the latest information about a particular situation
At the last count, I had 15 responses to my letter.
be out for the count
a) to be in a deep sleep
b) if a boxer is out for the count, he has been knocked down for ten seconds or more
LAWtechnical one of the crimes that someone is charged with
Davis was found not guilty on all counts . count of theft/burglary/murder etc He was charged with two
counts of theft
Curb= to control or limit something in order to prevent it from having a harmful effect
measures to curb the spread of the virus
an influence which helps to control or limit something
curb on, We are trying to keep a curb on their activities.

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American English the raised edge of a road, between where people can walk and cars can drive, British
Equivalent: kerb, see also pavement, sidewalk
Damning= proving or showing that someone has done something very bad or wrong
damning evidence of her treachery a damning report (invinuitor)
dung= solid waste from animals, especially cows
Flagship (programme) the most important ship in a group of ships belonging to the navy,
[usually singular] the best and most important product, building etc that a company owns or produces
the flagship of the new Ford range The firm has just opened a flagship store in Las Vegas. the company's
flagship product
Hamper= to make it difficult for someone to do something
She tried to run, but was hampered by her heavy suitcase. An attempt to rescue the men has been
hampered by bad weather.
(having a) fag= British English informal a cigarette, American English taboo informal a very offensive
word for a homosexual man. Do not use this word.; be a fag= British English informal to be a boring or
difficult thing to do; a young student in some British public schools who has to do jobs for an older
student
heap =a large untidy pile of things
lever= a stick or handle on a machine or piece of equipment, that you move to operate it
Pull this lever to open the gate. see also gear lever
a long thin piece of metal that you use to lift something heavy by putting one end under the object and
pushing the other end down,
something you use to influence a situation to get the result that you want
Rich countries use foreign aid as a lever to achieve political aims.
Remand= the period of time that someone spends in prison before their trial
on remand
Evans committed suicide while on remand in Parkhurst prison.
remand prisoners
= British English to send someone back from a court of law, to wait for their trial
Smith was remanded in custody (=kept in prison) until Tuesday. He's been remanded on bail for a month
(=allowed to leave the law court and go home to wait for trial) .
American English to send a case to be dealt with in another court
The court remanded the case for trial.
per se= used to say that something is being considered alone, not with other connected things
The color of the shell per se does not affect the quality of the egg.
Row= to argue in an angry way
row about
They rowed about money all the time.
Sallow= sallow skin looks slightly yellow and unhealthy, sallow face/skin/complexion a woman with
dark hair and a sallow complexion, sallowness noun [uncountable]
Spree= a short period of time when you do a lot of one activity, especially spending money or drinking
alcohol, on a spree=They went on a drinking spree ., a shopping spree
Tag= also electronic tag[countable] British English a piece of equipment that you attach to an animal or
person, especially someone who has just left prison, so that you always know where they are
Vestry= a small room in a church where a priest puts on his or her vestments and where holy plates, cups
etc are kept
Yearn for = to have a strong desire for something, especially something that is difficult or impossible to
get, synonym long
Whiff= a very slight smell of something
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