ISSNB_TRADUCCIÓN PERIODÍSTICA

HEADLINES_VOCABULARY
PROF.: ERICA FEMENIA

Newspaper Headlines

Headlines are the short ‘titles’ above newspapers articles. The headlines in English-language newspaper 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 words are used in unusual ways and there are some
special rules of grammar.

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 languages eg. Curb meaning ‘restriction’ and some are used in special senses
which they do not often have in ordinary language eg. Bid meaning ‘attempt’. Other words are chosen not
because they are short, but because they sound dramatic eg. Blaze, meaning ‘fire’. The following is a list of
special ‘headline’ words:

LIST OF SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED WORDS:

Back to support
AMERICA BACKS BRITISH PEACE TO Gems jewels
MOVE $20,000 GEMS STOLEN

Bar ban, prohibit; prohibition Haul amount stolen in robbery or seized

NEW BAR ON IMIGRANTS by police or customs
BIG GOLD HAUL IN TRAIN ROBBERY
Blaze fire
THREE DIE IN HOTEL BLAZE Head leader, to lead
COMMONWEALTH HEADS TO MEET IN
Boost encourage(ment), increase OTTAWA
GOVERNMENT PLAN TO BOOST
EXPORTS Hit affect badly
SNOWSTORMS HIT TRANSPORT
Call for to demand (for), (to) appeal for
MP CALLS FOR CABINET CORRUPTION Hold keep under arrest
INQUIRY BRITON HELD IN SOUTH AFRICA

Clash violent disagreement; to disagree Key important, vital

violently KEY WITNESS DISAPPEARS
STUDENTS IN CLASH WITH POLICE
Link connection, contact
Curb restrict NEW TRADE LINK WITH CHINA
NEW PRICE CURBS PROPOSED
Mission delegation (official group sent
Drama dramatis event, tense situation to conference, to investigate, ect)
PRINCE OF WALES IN HEATHROW SHOTS FIRED AT UN MISSION
KIDNAP DRAMA
Move step towards a particular result (often
Drive united effort political)
DRIVE TO SAVE WATER MOVE TO BRING BACK DEATH
PENALTY
Envoy ambassador
QUEEN SEES FRENCH ENVOY
 ISSNB_TRADUCCIÓN PERIODÍSTICA
HEADLINES_VOCABULARY
PROF.: ERICA FEMENIA
Quit resign
Oust drive out, replace THREE MORE MINISTERS QUIT
MODERATES OUSTED IN UNION
ELECTIONS Raid (to) attack; robbery
POLICE RAID DUCHESS’S FLAT $500,000
Pact agreement GEM RAID
NUCLEAR PACT RUNS INTO TROUBLE
Riddle mystery
Pit coal mine MISSING ENVOY RIDDLE DRAMA
NEW PIT STRIKE THREAT
Scare public alarm, alarming rumor
Plea call for help TYPHOID SCARE
BIG RESPONSE TO PLEA FOR FLOOD
VICTIMS Split disagree(ment)
LABOUR SPLIT ON PRICES
PM Prime Minister
PM RESIGNS Switch (to) change
DEFENCE POLICY SWITCH
Poll election; public opinion survey
SOCIALIST AHEAD IN POLL Swoop (to) raid
POLICE SWOOP ON DRUG GANG
Premier prime minister
PREMIER IN SPY SCANDAL Threat danger
PIT SRTIKE THREAT
Probe investigate, investigation Top exceed
CALL FOR STUDENT DRUG PROBE IMPORTS TOP $250m
POLICE RACING SCANDAL RUMORS
Vow (to) promise
EXILED PRINCE VOWS TO RETURN
 ISSNB_TRADUCCIÓN PERIODÍSTICA
HEADLINES_VOCABULARY
PROF.: ERICA FEMENIA

LIST OF SOME OF THE MOST DRIVE concentrated effort

FREQUENTLY USED WORDS: GOVERNMENT DRIVE TO IMPROVE
EDUCATION
ACT take action
GOVERNMENT REJECTS TEACHERS FACE be confronted
CLAIM: UNIONS TO ACT with
POST OFFICE WORKERS FACE
ALERT alarm FURTHER CUTS
DROUGHT ALERT IN THE NORTH
FLARE start violently
AXE closure RIOTS FLARE IN BIRMINGHAM
SMALL HEALTH CENTRES FACE AXE
GO be lost, resign
BACK support CUTBAKCS IN AUTO INDUSTRY: 3,000
BRITAIN BACKS AFRICAN AID PLAN JOBS TO GO PREMIER TO GO?

BID attempt GRIP control

TWO TEENAGE SKIPPERS IN ROUND- REBELS TIGHTEN GRIP IN THE NORTH
THE-WORL BID
HAIL praise
BLAZE fire PM HAILS NEW EU PLAN
POST OFFICE BLAZE: 5.000 LETTERS
LOST HIKE rise in
costs/prices
BRINK edge(usually SHAKE HIKE NEW AUTO SECTOR
for sth negative)
IRAQ ON BRINK OF WAR HOLD arrest, keep under
arrest
CHARGE police PILOT HELD AFTER HELICOPTER
accusation DRAMA
TWO MEN HELD ON FRAUD CHARGE
LEAK an official dissolution of
CLASH fight confidential information
MINERS CLASH WITH POLICE CHANCELLOR TO RESIGN OVER
BUDGET LEAKS
CRASH financial failure
STOCK MARKET CRASH SIGNALS OPPOSITION the party not in the
WORLDWIDE RECESSION government
OPPOSITION SLAMS GOVERNMENT
DEADLOCK unsolvable BUDGET PLAN
disagreement
EUROPEAN DEADLOCK OVER OUST remove
MONETARY EDUCATION EXTREMIST OUSTED IN LOCAL
COUNCIL
DEAL agreement
TRANSPORT WORKERS REJECT PACT agreement
GOVERNMENT PAY DEAL TRADE PACT THREATENED

DRAMA dramatic situation PERIL danger

MADONNA HELICOPTER DRAMA EVEREST AVALANCE PERIL
 ISSNB_TRADUCCIÓN PERIODÍSTICA
HEADLINES_VOCABULARY
PROF.: ERICA FEMENIA
PM prime minister GOVERNMENT TO SLASH PENSION
PM’S SON IN SEX SAGA PAYMENTS

PEMIER head of government SLUMP fall

FRENCH PREMIER APPEALS TO EU (financial/economic)
SHARE PRICES SLUMP
PROBE investigation
OPPOSITION DEMAND ARMS SALE SPLIT disagree
PROBE GOVERNMENT SPLIT OVER EUROPE

QUIT resign
UNION BOSS QUITS STAKE financial interest
BRITISH BUY STAKE IN FRENCH
RAMPAGE riot FERRIES
FOOTBALL FANS RAMPAGE THROUGH
FRENCH CAPITAL STORM dramatic public
argument
RIFT division GOVERNMENT STORM OVER BUDGET
RIFT OVER EUROPE IN CONSERVATIVE LEAKS
PARTY
SWOOP raid
ROW argument DAWM SWOOP ON ARMS DEALERS
ROW EXPLODES OVER BUDGET
TOLL number of people
killed
SAGA long-running story FLOOD TOLL STILL UNCERTAIN
MORE ARRESTS IN ARMS SAGA
TOP exceed
SEEK look for FORD TOPS LAST YEAR’S PROFITS
POLICE SEEK THREE MEN IN DRUGS
PROBE URGE encourage
GOVERNMENT URGES UNIONS NOT TO
SEIZE confiscate INTERVENE
POLICE SEIZE HEROIN WORTH 5
MILLION POUNDS VOW promise
OUSTED PREMIER VOWS TO RETURN
SLAM criticize heavily
CHURCH LEADER SLAMS NEW WED marry
PENSION PLANS PREMIER’S SON TO WED TEENAGE
GIRL
SLASH cut dramatically
 ISSNB_TRADUCCIÓN PERIODÍSTICA
HEADLINES_VOCABULARY
PROF.: ERICA FEMENIA

Headlines Grammar Categories:

Noun string
a. Headlines often contain string of three, four or more nouns: FURNITURE FACTORY PAY CUT RIOT, in
expressions like this, all the nouns except the last one act as adjectives. The easiest way to understand
headlines of this kind is to read them backwards: FURNITURE FACTORY PAY CUT RIOTS refers to
RIOTS about a CUT in PAY for the workers in a FACTORY that makes FURNITURE.

Drop articles and, sometimes, the verb to be

b. Articles and the verb be are often left out: SHAKESPEARE PLAYS IMMORAL, SAYS HEADMASTER.

Infinitive to, to indicate future

c. To refer to the future, headlines often use the infinitive
QUEEN TO VISIT SAOMA
PM TO ANNOUNCE CABINET CHANGES ON TUESDAY

Verb to be dropped in passive

d. Passives sentences are constructed with no auxiliary verb, just the past participle.
MAN HELD BY POLICE IN MURDER HUNT (= A man is being held…)
NUNS KILLED IN EXPLOSION
Headlines like these are sometimes easy to misunderstand. For instance, BLACK TEENAGERS
ATTACKED IN RACE RIOT means that teenagers were attacked, not that they attacked somebody. If the
black teenagers did the attacking, the headline would probably use the simple present tense (BLACK
TEENAGERS ATTTACK…)

Simple present instead or present progressive

ewspaper headlines have a special tense-system. It is unusual to find complex forms like is coming or has produce ,
nerally the simple present form comes, produces is used, whether the headline is about something that has
ppened, something that is happening of something that has happened repeatedly.
RITAIN SENDS FOOD TO FAMINE VICTIMS
TUDENTS FIGHT FOR COURSE CHANGES
AT BABIES CRY LESS, SAYS DOCTOR

EMEMBER!!!
metimes the present progressive tense is used (usually to describe something that is changing or developing), but
e auxiliary verb (is, are) is usually left out.
ORLD HEADING FOR ENERGY CRISIS
RITAIN GETTING WARMER, SAY RESEARCHERS