Many students have difficulty understanding newspaper headlines. This is because newspaper headlines are often incomplete sentences (i.e. Difficult Times Ahead). Here is a guide to the most common exceptions found in newspaper headlines.
Noun Phrases
Headlines often contain a noun phrase with no verb. Here are some examples of noun phrase headlines:
Under Pressure from Boss
Unexpected Visit
Overwhelming Response of Voters
It's useful to ask yourself questions such as: From what?, About what?, From whom?, To whom? etc. By asking yourself these questions, you can begin preparing yourself for the article.
Various Verb Changes
There are a number of verb changes made to headlines. The most common are:
- Simple tenses used instead of continuous or perfect forms. For example:
Forgotten Brother Appears = A forgotten brother has appeared (after a long period of time).
Professors Protest Pay Cuts = Professors are protesting pay cuts (at the university). - The infinitive form refers to the future. For example:
Mayor to Open Shopping Mall = The mayor is going to open a new shopping mall.
James Wood to Visit Portland = (Famous actor) James Wood is going to visit Portland soon. - Auxiliary verbs are dropped in the passive form. For example:
Man Killed in Accident = A Man has been killed in an accident.
Tommy the Dog Named Hero = Tommy the Dog has been named a hero (by the mayor).
Drop Articles
Perhaps you have noticed in the examples above that both definite and indefinite articles are also dropped in newspaper headlines (i.e. Mayor to Choose Candidate). Here are some more examples:
President Declares Celebration = The president has declared a celebration.
Passerby Sees Woman Jump = A passerby has seen a woman jump (into the river).
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