WRITING

HEADLINES
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 Punctuating Headlines
You cannot write a sentence without
using a punctuation mark. The same is
true of headlines which are skeletonized
sentences.

The punctuation marks perform two key

functions in headlines: one, they bring
clarity; and two, they save space.
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 Full stop
1. Each full stop means loss of headline
space. This really hurts when your headline
overshoots the column width by half or one
letter space, and you are forced to write a
fresh headline.
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 Full Stop
2. Full stops look ungainly in headlines.
Imagine a newspaper page where every
headline ends with a full stop. Wouldn’t
such a page be a visual eyesore?

Some newspaper styles require that

abbreviations must carry full stops. You
don’t have an option in such cases.
Otherwise, say no to full stops as far as
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possible.
 Comma
The humble comma is one of the most important punctuation
marks when it comes to writing headlines. It is used for the
following two reasons:

1. Save space: Comma is a great space saver. You can replace

the conjunction “and” in most headlines with comma.
Manmohan and Sonia to visit Muzzaffarnagar
Manmohan, Sonia to visit Muzzaffarnagar

2. Separate news points: Comma is very useful in separating

two news points in the headline.
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Congress favours early polls, BJP against it

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 Colons
A colon is used in place of the
attributive verb as it saves space.

Centre eager to hold polls in March, asserts Chauchan

Centre eager to hold pols in March: Chauchan
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 Semi-colons (;)
Semi-colons are very effective in
separating two clauses.

Shinde inducted as home

minister; Tewari gets cabinet rank
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 Hyphen
The hyphen should be used
whenever an adjectival phrase is
used in the headline.

5–year–old girl fights wild dog,

saves brother
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 Exclamation Mark
The exclamation marks should be
used sparingly in headlines. They
should be used only when there is
strong irony in a story or an
unexpected twist.

Spiderman is scared of heights!

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 Exclamation Mark
They can also be used for headlining
funny stories, like the one where two
calves were married in an Orissa
village.

Moo! Bovine couple tie nuptial knot in

style
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 Quotation Marks
You have two options when it comes to using
quotation marks. You can use the single
quote mark or the double quote mark. Both
are correct. However, most newspapers
prefer to use the single quote mark because
it saves space and looks visually more
appealing.

‘I have been framed’

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 Apostrophes
The use of apostrophe should be
limited in headlines. It should be used
when a word is used in the possessive
case.

Actor’s car found in abandoned mine

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 Reference:
https://www.easymedia.in/use-
punctuation-marks-headlines/
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Thank you
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