Understanding Newspaper Headlines
Newspaper headlines: grammar
Newspaper headlines are not always complete sentences. Many headlines consist of noun phrases with no verb.
MORE POWER CUTS
TERROR ALERT IN CAPITAL
Articles and the verb be are often left out in headlines.
HUSSAIN PAINTING OBSCENE, SAYS MINISTER
OLD MAN SCALES EVEREST
In headlines, simple tenses are often used instead of progressive or perfect forms. The simple present is used for both present and past events.
FORMER PM PASSES AWAY (= Former PM has passed away.)
BLIND GIRL CLIMBS EVEREST (= Blind girl has climbed Everest.)
The present progressive is used to talk about changes. Be is usually dropped.
EARTH GETTING WARMER, SAY SCIENTISTS (=Earth is getting warmer.)
TRADE FIGURES IMPROVING (=Trade figures are improving.)
Headlines often use infinitives with to refer to the future.
PM TO VISIT CANADA
BUSINESS SCHOOLS TO TAKE MORE STUDENTS
For is also used to refer to future movements or plans.
INDIAN TROOPS FOR IRAQ? (= Are Indian soldiers going to be sent to Iraq?)
Auxiliary verbs are usually dropped from passive structures, leaving only past participles.
SIX PEOPLE KILLED IN EXPLOSION (=Six people have been killed in explosion.)
INDIAN HELD FOR MURDER
Note that forms like held, found and attacked are usually past participles with passive meanings, not past tenses.
Compare:
NUCLEAR DEAL ROW: PM ATTACKED (=PM has been attacked.)
NUCLEAR DEAL ROW: PM ATTACKS OPPOSITION (=PM has attacked his opposition)
A colon (:) is often used to separate the subject of a headline from what is said about it.
POWER CRISIS: GOVERNMENT TO ACT
BUILDING COLLAPSE: DEATH TOLL RISES
Newspaper Headlines Vocabulary
Short words save space, and so they are very common in newspaper headlines. The following is a list of common headline vocabulary.
Reference: Practical English Usage by Michael Swan (Oxford University Press)
Act: take action; do something
POWER CRISIS: GOVERNMENT TO ACT
Aid: (noun) military or financial help
Aid (verb): to help
MORE AID FOR POOR COUNTRIES
UNIONS AID BANK STRIKERS
Alert: alarm, warning
TERROR ALERT IN THE CAPITAL
Allege: make an accusation
BLIND GIRL ALLEGES UNFAIR TREATMENT
Appear: appear in court accused of a crime
MP TO APPEAR ON DRUGS CHARGES
Axe (verb): abolish, close down
Axe (noun): abolition, closure
POSTAL SERVICES AXED
SMALL SCHOOLS FACE AXE
Back: support
OPPOSITION BACKS PM
Ban: forbid, refuse to allow something
GOVERNMENT BANS SMOKING IN PUBLIC
Bar: refuse
HOTEL BARS FOOTBALL FANS
Bid: attempt
WOMAN MAKES SUICIDE BID
Blast: explosion
Blast: criticize violently
BLAST AT AIRPORT
OPPOSITION BLASTS PM
Blaze: fire
SIX DIE IN TEMPLE BLAZE
Blow: bad news, unfortunate happening
SMITH ILL: BLOW TO WORLD CUP HOPES
Bond: political or business association
INDIA CUTS TRADE BONDS WITH CHINA
Boom: big increase; prosperous period
ECONOMIC BOOM: URBAN RICH TO BENEFIT
Boost: encourage
GOVERNMENT PLANS TO BOOST EXPORTS
Brink: edge of disaster
GLOBAL WARMING: EARTH ON BRINK OF DISASTER
Call for: demand/ appeal for
TRADE UNIONS CALL FOR STRIKE
Campaign: organized effort to achieve social or political result
MP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR TAX REFORMS
Claim (verb): make a statement that something is true
US SCIENTISTS CLAIM CANCER BREAKTHROUGH
Clamp down on: deal firmly with
POLICE TO CLAMP DOWN ON EVE TEASING
Clash: quarrel, fight
STUDENTS CLASH WITH POLICE
Short words are very common in newspaper headlines. Some of the verbs used in headlines are unusual in ordinary language. Here is a list of words commonly used in newspaper headlines.
Clear: find innocent
MP CLEARED ON DRUG CHARGES
Con: swindle
TEENEGERS CON WIDOW OUT OF LIFE SAVINGS
Crackdown: firm application of the law
GOVERNMENT PROMISES CRACKDOWN ON INFILTRATORS
Crash: failure
TEN PEOPLE DIE IN PLANE CRASH
Curb: restrict
GOVERNMENT TO CURB ILLICIT LIQUOR TRADE
Cut: reduce
US CUTS AID TO INDIA
Dash: make quick journey
PM IN DASH TO BLAST HOSPITAL
Deadlock: disagreement that cannot be solved
DEADLOCK IN INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL
Deal: agreement
INDIA SIGNS NUCLEAR DEAL WITH US
Drive: united effort
DRIVE TO SAVE PLANET
Drop (verb): give up; get rid of
Drop (noun): fall
GOVERNMENT TO DROP TERROR REFORMS
DROP IN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Edge: move gradually
WORLD EDGES TOWARDS WAR
Firm: determined not to change
PM FIRM ON TAX REFORMS
Flak: heavy criticism
MINISTER FACES FLAK OVER RACIAL REMARKS
Foil: prevent somebody from succeeding
GUARD FOILS BANK ROBBERY BID
Gag: censor; prevent from speaking
AFRICAN PRESIDENT ACTS TO GAG PRESS
Go: resign; be lost, disappear
PM TO GO?
Go for: be sold for
PICASSO PAINTING GOES FOR $5 MILLION
Go-ahead: approval
NUKE-PLAN GETS GO-AHEAD
Grab: take violently
INDIANS GRAB SHARES IN FOREIGN COMPANIES
Grip: control; hold tightly
COLD WAVE GRIPS COUNTRY
In newspaper headlines words are sometimes used in special senses which they do not normally have in ordinary language. For example, when used in a headline, the word bid can mean attempt. Here is a list of common newspaper headlines vocabulary.
Gun down: shoot
POLICE GUN DOWN TERRORISTS.
Hail: welcome; praise
PM HAILS PEACE PLAN
Halt: stop
AUTOMOBILE PLANT TO HALT PRODUCTION
Haul: amount stolen in robbery, or seized by police or customs
MAJOR ARMS HAUL IN CAPITAL
Head for: move towards
ECONOMY HEADING FOR DISASTER, EXPERTS WARN
Hike: rise in costs, prices etc.
INTEREST HIKE WILL HIT REAL ESTATE MARKET
Hit: affect badly
HEAVY RAINS HIT TRANSPORT
Hit out at: attack with words
PM HITS OUT AT CRITICS
Hitch: problem that causes delay
LAST-MINUTE HITCH DELAYS SATELLITE LAUNCH
Hold: arrest; keep under arrest
POLICE HOLD TERROR SUSPECT
Key: important
KEY WITNESS IN THE POACHING CASE VANISHES
Landslide: victory by a large majority in election
LANDSLIDE FOR DEMOCRATS
Lash: criticize violently
OPPOSITION LASHES GOVERNMENT REFORMS
Lead: clue (in police enquiry)
LEAD IN RESORT MURDER CASE
Leak: unofficial publication of secret information
PM FURIOUS OVER TAX PLAN LEAKS
Leap: big increase
LEAP IN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Life: imprisonment for life
LIFE FOR SERIAL MURDERER
Loom: threaten to happen
VAT ON FOOD: NEW ROW LOOMS
In newspaper headlines, words which are short and dramatic are preferred. Here is a list of common headlines vocabulary.
Mar: spoil
VIOLENCE MARS CUP FINAL
Mission: delegation (official group sent to a conference etc)
UN MISSION ARRIVES TODAY
Mob: angry crowd
Mob: organized crime/Mafia
INFANT DIES: MOBS ATTACK HOSPITAL
MOB LEADERS HELD
Move: step towards a particular result (often political)
MOVE TO BOOST TRADE LINKS WITH CHINA
Nail: force somebody to admit the truth
CRIME BRANCH NAILS THE ACCUSED
Odds: chances, probability
MAYOR RE-ELECTED AGAINST THE ODDS
Opt (for) : choose
WALES OPTS FOR INDEPENDENCE
Oust: drive out, replace
DEMOCRATS OUSTED IN UNION ELECTIONS
Over: about; on the subject of, because of
ROW OVER VAT ON FOOD
Pact: agreement
DEFENCE PACT GETS CABINET NOD
Peak: high point
INFLATION HITS NEW PEAK
Peg: hold (prices etc) at present level
BANKS PEG INTEREST RATES
Plea: call for help
BIG RESPONSE TO PLEA FOR FLOOD AID
Press: the newspapers
BID TO GAG PRESS OVER DEFENCE SPENDING
Press for: ask for urgently
OPPOSITION PRESS FOR ENQUIRY ON DEFENCE SCAM
Pull out: withdraw
PAKISTAN PULLS OUT OF PEACE TALKS WITH INDIA
Push for: ask for, encourage
SCHOOLS PUSH FOR MORE CASH
Quit: resign, leave
OPPOSITION LEADER QUITS
Raid: enter and search
POLICE RAID DUCHESS’S FLAT
Rampage: riot
HOOLIGANS RAMPAGE THROUGH STREETS
Rap: criticize
DOCTORS RAP HEALTH MINISTRY PLANS
Riddle: mystery
MISSING TEENAGER RIDDLE: TWO MEN HELD
Rift: division, disagreement
LABOUR RIFT OVER DEFENCE POLICY
Rock: shock, shake
BANK SEX SCANDAL ROCKS THE CITY
JAPAN ROCKED BY QUAKE
Row: noisy disagreement, quarrel
NEW ROW OVER WAGE CUTS
Rule out: reject the possibility of
PM RULES OUT MIDTERM ELECTION
Sack: dismissal from job
STRIKING DOCTORS FACE SACK
Scare: public alarm, alarming rumour
BIRD FLU SCARE IN MIDDLE EAST
Scrap: throw out as useless
GOVERNMENT SCRAPS DEFENCE DEAL WITH ISRAEL
Seize: take especially in police and customs searches
SMUGGLED ARMS SEIZED AT AIRPORT
Set to: ready to; about to
PROPERTY PRIZES SET TO RISE
Slam: criticize violently
OPPOSITION SLAMS DEFENCE POLICY
Slash: cut, reduce drastically
GOVERNMENT TO SLASH HEALTH EXPENDITURE
Slump: fall (economic)
EXPORTERS FEAR NEW SLUMP
Spark: cause to start
REFEREE’S DECISION SPARKS RIOT
Spree: wild spending expenditure
BUS DRIVER SPENDS MILLIONS IN CREDIT-CARD SPREE
Stake: financial interest
GERMANS BUY STAKE IN BRITISH AIRWAYS
Storm out of: leave angrily
TRADE UNION LEADERS STORM OUT OF MEETING WITH MINISTER
Toll: number killed
QUAKE TOLL MAY RISE
Urge: encourage
ENVIRONMENTALISTS URGE GOVERNMENTS TO ACT ON POLLUTION
Vow: promise
EXILED PRESIDENT VOWS TO RETURN
