News Item 4

News Item 4

Grade XII

Ceremonial News

News which tell us about a formal event performed on a special occasion, e.g the official opening of a building, seminar, congress, commemoration, anniversary, a handover of a position, a celebration of a special day, or a welcome party for official guests from other countries

Multiple Select

Which of the following headlines doesn't belong to ceremonial news?

• UK Minister Visit RI to Strengthen Ties

• Philippines President to Visit RI Monday

• Bird Flu Alert Heightened in Padang City

• New Zealand Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 166

• Donor Steps in to Ease Blood Shortages

Crime News

News telling about any violation of law, an omission of duty or the commission of an act forbidden by law.

Multiple Select

Which of the following headlines doesn't belong to crime news?

• Musician Corinne Bailey Ray Impressed with Audience Welcome

• President to Attend Java Music Jazz Music Festival

• Tourist Caught Working Illegally

• Daily Checkpoint Nabs Seven Offenders

• Libyan Warplanes Launch Air Strikes on Rebel Force

Newspaper Headlines

Headlines are printed in large letters to catch the readers' eye and use as few words as possible. Hence, we sometimes call them "phrase headlines'. Grammar words like articles (a,an,the) and auxiliary verbs (is, are, was, were, may, must, can,etc) are often left out

See examples of phrase headlines:

• Government to Accelerate Infrastructure Development

• Government Thinking of Setting up Six Economic Corridors

• Old Woman Jailed for Shoplifting

• Cambodia, Thailand Accept RI as Observer

• MoU of Textile Product with China Signed

Headlines

Some headlines use the present tense although the event happened two days ago. Why? The present tense gives a sense of freshness and immediacy. This makes the news more interesting to read.

The tenses in headlines:

• The past participle is used for passive sentence. example : Agreement is signed today. Headline: Agreement Signed Today (Past Participle)

• The infinitive is used for future events. Example: The president will open the ASEAN summit. Headline: President to Open ASEAN Summit (to infinitive)

• The present participle is used for happening events. Example: English teachers are having a TEFLIN seminar. Headline: English Teachers Having TEFLIN Seminar (present participle)

• To be and pronouns omitted in headlines. Example: People are free to choose their leader. Headlines: People Free to Choose Leader (adjective)

The Passive Voice

We often see the use of passive sentences in news stories to emphasize the action, not the participant (who did it). The passive voice is also useful when you din't know who the agent is.

Study the sentences below!

• A mountainous valley of Inner Mongolia was shaken by a strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale last Friday.

• Warning had been given by the police, but the motorists chose to ignore them.

• Lava has been discharged by the volcanic mountain in the Sunda straits several times lately.

• The Minister of Public Works has instructed that the damaged roads and bridges will be repaired soon before the end of this month by PT kerka Karya, a state-owned company.