GRACE MISSION COLLEGE

Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

 Define lead;
 Enumerate, discuss, and explain the kinds of lead;
 Follow the tips on how to write a good lead; and
 Evaluate and write leads for news articles.

Expanding Knowledge

The Lead
The lead is the opening sentence of an article. It summarizes or introduces the story,
in the case of a news feature. It arouses the reader’s interest and highlights the news
interest or news value. It answers right away the important questions the readers want to
know, in the case of straight news story.

American researchers suggest that for an average reader, one sentence or paragraph
should contain 17 to 35 words for him/her to comprehend at once the message of the
sentence. The lesser the words in a sentence, the higher is its comprehensibility.

In news writing or any kind of journalism, the opening sentence of a story is

everything. Called leads, they must communicate the relevant information, establish the
tone, and attract readers to finish the article. If you are interested in becoming a proficient
writer, knowing how to write a lead is a fundamental skill.

Classifications of Lead
A. Summary Lead. It answers the five Ws and one H (Who, What, Where, When, Why,
and How). The news story is presented using an inverted triangle where the most
important data are in the first and second paragraphs. This is used in straight news.
It summarizes the most important five Ws and H.

B. Grammatical Beginning Lead. The logical importance of the major details in a lead
is presented using different grammatical structures to break the monotony of
summary or conventional lead paragraphs.

C. Unorthodox or Novelty Lead. This kind of lead is used to attract the reader’s
attention, to arouse his/her curiosity, and to sustain his/her interest. It is used in
writing a news feature or a feature article.

Kinds of Summary Lead

a. Who Lead. This type of lead is used if the most important angle of the news is the
person involved. Thus, more significant than the event.

Example: President Duterte will be the keynote speaker of the Commencement

Exercises in June

b. What Lead. This is applied if the most important angle of the news is the event.

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

Example: The opening of classes for the school year 2020-2021 will be moved to
September.

c. Where Lead. If the location where the event takes place is more significant than the
other aspects of the news, then this kind of lead is best applied.

Example: Ilocos Region will host this year’s National Schools Press Conference.

d. When Lead. This type of lead is seldom used since this is the only applicable when
the time element is more important than the other angles of the story. Nonetheless,
it suggests urgency and immediacy.

Example: February 25 is a national holiday in celebration of the People’s Power

Revolution.

e. Why Lead. If the cause of the event is the most effective angle of the story, this type
of lead is best suited.

Example: To increase the enrollment this school year, Sto. Nino ES held an early
registration program yesterday.

f. How Lead. If the process or the manner of how the event happened is more
important among the other angles of the news, how the lead is used.

Example: Through a massive information dissemination campaign, Oplan Balik

Eskwela was conducted at Cabanatuan East Central School yesterday.

Kinds of Grammatical Beginning Lead

a. Prepositional Phrase Lead. A phrase is introduced by a preposition like with,

from, above, below, and for.

Example: With cleaning materials carpentry tools and construction materials,

local officials, civic groups, parents joined hands with the teachers and
students of Capas High School for the Brigada Eskwela…

b. Infinitive Phrase Lead. The phrase is introduced by the preposition “to” plus
the main verb.

Example: To minimize the problems that crop up during the enrolment period,
the Department of Education launched Oplan Balik Eskwela…

c. Participial Phrase Lead. This lead is signaled by the presence of the present or
past participle of the verb, acting as a modifier.

Example: Hoping to retain its overall championship title in last year’s Division
School Press Conference, Sto. Nino Academy is presently conducting a
campus journalism training workshop.

d. Gerundial Phrase Lead. This lead is introduced by a gerund. It is a verbal

ending in –ing, which acts as a noun. Many beginning writers interchange the

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

present participial lead to a gerundial lead. Remember, the former acts as a

modifier, while the latter acts as a noun.

Example: Building enough classrooms for five million pupils and students is
President Arroyo’s target next school year.

e. Clause Lead. This lead commences with a clause, which may become either an
independent or subordinate or may transform as either a noun or an adjectival
or adverbial clause.

Example: Because students performed poorly in English, Science, and

Mathematics in the latest National Achievement Test, the Department
of Education will conduct a Self-Assessment Test for teachers to
determine their readiness to teach…

Kinds of Unorthodox or Novelty Lead

a. Narrative Lead. It draws the reader into the story by allowing him/her to
relate himself/herself with the character.

Example: On the fifth of June 2015, Herodes Barabas, 34, experienced the
longest one hour in life as he sat on a swivel chair in front of his
eight interviewers at Aklan State University. It was an entrance
interview of the long queue of applicants mustering their patience
in waiting for an Instructor I position

b. Descriptive Lead. Effective in writing personality sketches, travelogues, and

the like, this lead illustrates a mental picture of the subject to the reader. A
writer must be adept at creating mental images through the play of the
language to satisfy the readers in using this technique.

Example: If Palawan were a class record, it must have a nearly perfect grade
weighted average for the unending praises of tourists coming in to
experience its breathtaking grandeur. Who would not drop his jaw
when he sees the evidence of God’s dexterous hand that crafted the
seascapes and landscapes of Palawan?

c. Quoted Statement Lead. It is a statement uttered by a well-known

personality or celebrity. Usually,, in school setting, when student journalist
want to highlight the message of the guest speaker, they use this type of
lead.

Example: “Ignorance, not poverty, causes malnutrition.”

Thus revealed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to the doctors
and nurses attending the two-day Seminar Workshop on Health
and Nutrition at Manila Hotel today.

d. Question Lead. It is a thought-provoking question to capture the interest of

the readers and lead them to find the answer in the succeeding details of the
article.

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

Example: Who will be next chief editor of The Wheel?

The answer will be known in August 2020 when aspiring student
journalists take the competitive examination at the College of
Education Auditorium.

e. Punch Lead. It is short, striking a one-sentence lead.

Example: Food, not bullets.

Hungry farmers in Kidapawan were asking for food, but the
enforcers of the law fed them with bullets.

f. Astonisher Lead. This lead aims to give the reader a strong sense of
emotional value. Thus, it primarily uses an exclamatory sentence.

Example: Unbeatable, indeed!

After grabbing the Intramural crown from the Green Aggies team
three years ago, the Blue Titans has sustained its supremacy as it
sent all its foes kneeling before its royalty throne.

g. Parody Lead. It consists of parody of a well-known quotation, song, poem,

book, or movie film title.

Example: “There was never an us.”

This familiar line from a movie of Sarah Geronimo was the exact
statement of Ms. Sug Poe to Mr. Cheap Ezcuderow yesterday when
asked if there was a time when both agreed to share stocks in the
top-performing Paquino Airline Company.

h. Background Lead. It describes an event in which the background

overshadows the individuals who participate in it; often, it uses stories about
carnivals, festivals, dances, and others.

Example: With the glittering and shimmering banting along the skimpy
roads, as if a throng of rainbows came to visit the town of Gattan,
Cagayan to celebrate with its 30 th Agsalukag Festival on April 13,
2016.

i. Contrast Lead. It is used to point out opposites and extremes.

Example: Twenty years ago, he was the school’s janitor. Now, he came back
to become the school’s principals.

j. Staccato Lead. Primarily rooted from musical parlance, this term suggests a
lead that consists of a series of words and phrases, punctuated by periods,
commas, or dashes.

Example: Neglected. Denuded. Abused.

This is the real picture of our forest today.

Tips for Writing Leads

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

1. The Five W’s and H. news writing strives to answer the “The Five W’s and H.”
that is, Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. Good leads answer as many of
these questions as possible in a single sentence. When writing a lead, it helps to
think about which of these facts is the most vital for readers to know.

2. Keep it Short. A good lead provides all the information the reader requires in
just a few words. Ideally, a lead should be between 25 and 40 words.

3. Keep it Simple. Don’t clutter up the lead with unnecessary adjectives or

adverbs. Also, make sure that your lead only discusses one idea to avoid
confusion.

4. Write in Active Voice. Avoid all forms of the verb “to be”. Common exceptions
including writing about fatalities (“two people were killed Thursday”) and when
discussing police activity (“two people were arrested”). Passive voice is often the
result of incomplete reporting.

5. Structure Your Lead Properly. Put your most crucial information at the very
beginning of the sentence. Important secondary information can go in
subsequent sentences. Not following this practice is called the “burying the
lead”. If you need attribution in your lead, make sure it goes toward the end of
the sentence because it is less important than the information itself.

6. Understand the Context. Keep in mind what your readers may already know
about your story based on previous media coverage. Write in a way that speaks
to these realities and adds relevant useful information.

7. Be Honest. Never mislead the reader. If you promise a certain type of

information with your lead, you should be ready to deliver.
Once you understand these cardinal rules, you can begin to experiment with
style.

Synthesizing Knowledge

Task 1

Direction: Write the kind of lead that is reflected in the following sentences.

SUMMARY 1. Dr. Alameda Pakleb stood yesterday as the commencement speaker

during the 13th graduation rites at Mavuyok Elementary School.

_____________________2. “Abracadabra!” This is what principal Michelle Bamshekella

exclaimed Monday when she officially opened the newly constructed library hub of
Alaminos National High School.

GRAMMATICAL BEGINNING LEAD 3. Filled with prayers and hopes, the first batch of
medicine graduates of Tarlac State University are scheduled to take the board exam
tomorrow.

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

NOVELTY/UNCONVENTIONAL LEAD 4. Will the Agri team sustain its royal throne this
coming Intramurals Meet? Everyone anticipates the answer as the five departments in
the college will clash on 12 sports events next week.

_____________________5. To ensure the passing of the teacher education graduates,

Marinduque State College will open a review session this summer for free.

NOVELTY/UNCONVENTIONAL LEAD 6. Ten years ago, he used to be a tenant. Now, he

owns a 12 hectare rice field and seven-hectare piggery.

_____________________7. Having own the title Mr. Sports fest 2015, Beth Logan will
represent the school in the town’s pageant next week.

_____________________8. The first costumers of the newly constructed gymnasium are the
internationally acclaimed performers, Filipino Penumbra, who visited the school
yesterday.

SUMMARY 9. Swimming it is! Students of the Agri-Fisheries Department are now set to
dive as the Board of Trustees approved yesterday their Physical Education subject –
swimming.

_____________________10. After winning in oratorical competitions, Terence Marilla will

be the focus to beat his contenders in the upcoming University Meet next month.

Task 2

Directions: Complete the following matrix about the kinds of lead. Search for online
campus papers and look for their news articles. Cut and paste the lead into the table
below and identify its kind.

Campus Paper/Writer Lead Kind

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

Task 3

Directions: Based on the lessons you have learned from this unit, write a one-sentence
lead for the following details. Vary the kinds of leads that you will write.

1. Karen Montemayor, an aspiring author who hopes to be published in the near

future, will speak to members of the English Club next week about breaking into
the writing profession. She will speak on finding an agent, sending out
submissions, how to handle rejection notices and tips she has received from
published authors. Students are asked to come with questions.

Who lead : Karen Montemayor will the speaker to speak to members of the English club
next week.

2. There will not be a cheer dance presentation this week so students choose to
stay in their classes. The pep squad performance has been canceled because the
head coach, Mike Marquez, and the band director, William Panahon, are out
with the flu, as are a number of athletes.

Why lead: There will not be a cheer dance because the coach and the band director not
attend during the flu of presentation.

3. Saturday, October 10, is the date set for this year’s Student’s Night, which will
be at the La Parilla Ballroom Hall. The theme will be “Fantasia” and decorations
will be Disney-related. The activity was originally scheduled to be held at the
Lakewood Country Club but it burned down.

4. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” says artist Ruth Antonio. She will
exhibit her sculptures and paintings in the front lobby next week as she begins a
tour of schools in several cities sponsored by the National Art Honors Society.
She hopes to sell some of her pieces on the tour but does not want to count on
making a lot of money from the ales she sees how well in the exhibit is received.

Quoted statement lead: Ruth Antonio present her sculpture and painting visit by several
cities sponsor by the National Art Honors

References: www.scribd.com

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
e-mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

Unit V. Getting Started: Crafting the Good Lead EL-119