Topic 3: Lexicogrammatical Features of News Reports

Task 4

Now, you will analyse the LEXICOGRAMMATICAL FEATURES of the three news reports.
The analysis of News Report 1 has been done for you as an example. Study the
example carefully.

The Lexicogrammatical Features of the Headline

The lexicogrammatical features of the headline

The Headline

1) Bigger and bold fonts stating the newsworthy facts of the event

2) Telegraphic sentence: leaving out function words.

- Aussie man (telegraphic) = an Aussie man (normal)
- Aussie (shortened name) = Australia (normal)

3) The Simple Present Tense for ‘active’ voice

- Aussie man dies while surfing in Lombok
(for the normal form “... died / has died ...)

The Lexicogrammatical Features of the Newsworthy Event

The lexicogrammatical features of the Newsworthy Events

The Newsworthy Events

4) A sentence or sentences in the first paragraph containing all important facts

about the event: (1) the casualty, (2) the accident, (3) the reason, (4) the time,
and (5) the location; the verb in the present perfect tense, and present
participle.
[An Australian tourist named Andrew Richard Wiseman] [has died] [after drowning]
 [while surfing] [at Tanjung Aan Beach in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara].

5) It starts with the name of the place where the event was covered, in small cap
characters:
MATARAM: ...

The Lexicogrammatical Features of the Events in Details

The lexicogrammatical features of the the Events in Details

The Events in Details

1) Tenses associated with past events: past tenses (simple past, past
progressive, past perfect) and present perfect are used to state the
details of the event
2nd paragraph: went, said, was found

3rd paragraph: was living

4th paragraph: questioned, had seen

5th paragraph: were, saw, drowned, said

6th paragraph: brought

7th paragraph: was given, could not be resuscitated, said

8th paragraph: came, brought

9th paragraph: took, refused

2) The passive voice

- Andrew was found dead at around 1 p.m. ...

3) Direct quotations to report the events

- “They were the ones who saw the victim drown. Based on their information, the
victim drowned directly below his surfboard,” Kholilur said on Monday.

4) Indirect quotations to report the events

- Based on reports received by police, the 52-year-old man went surfing alone
around 11 a.m. on Sunday, Central Park police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Kholilur
Rochman said.
- Wiseman was given emergency first aid for 25 minutes, but he could not be
resuscitated, Kholilur said.
- Based on reports received by police, the 52-year-old man went surfing alone
around 11 a.m. on Sunday

5) Participle [present] to state the circumstances surrounding the event

- …while surfing at Tanjung Aan Beach in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara ....
 - … the 52-year-old man went surfing alone around 11 a.m. on Sunday …
- … after receiving reports, …

6) Participle [past] to modify a thing or person

- An Australian tourist named Andrew Richard Wiseman ....
- Based on reports received by police, …

7) Adjective clauses to add more information about a person/thing

- ... two other foreign tourists, Eva, from Germany and John Robert Haton, from
Australia, who had seen the incident firsthand.

8) Prepositional phrases to state the circumstances surrounding the events

- at Tanjung Aan Beach
- in Lombok
- around 11 a.m.
- on Sunday
- during his time in Lombok
- in a homestay
- in Kuta village
- Etc.

Now, it’s your turn to analyse the lexicogrammatical features of the other TWO news
reports by using the same table as the template.

When you are done, check out the answer keys.