News Language in construction

There are nine rules of news language which journalist use on a regular basis when constructing articles

KISS-keep it short and simple. Articles usually consist 16-20 words per sentence, everyday language is used to make it quick and easier to explain.

Reading for speed- the use of headlines, crossheads, narrow columns and short words aids the reader reading the article quickly.

Never use three words when one will do- and example of this ‘in the first instance- firstly’

Don’t repeat yourself-don’t use words that mean the same thing e.g. final outcome

Use active verbs- and example of this is ‘burglars took the dog’

Use puns-plays on words keep it interesting and grab the reader’s attentions

Make the story personal-this makes the story more relatable

Categorise people–because it makes it easy to read (stereotypical) and example being ‘The shopaholic 16 year old girl….’When people are wrote about in articles they are usually always stereotyped .This being it is quicker to describe the person as well as helping the audience understand the person’s character better.

Things to avoid

1. Clichés –such as lovechild, it’s a scorcher etc

2. Being too chatty/gossipy

3. Unnecessary foreign phrases


Headline language


What techniques are used in headlines?

Rhyme

Alliteration

Slang

Puns

Abbreviation

Emotive language

Speech

Reportive speech -is not using speech marks telling you what it said

Direct speech- is the use of quotes and speech marks.
In the newspaper they cut down to the only important information by using reportive or direct speech

A mixture of Reportive and Direct speech is always used in a more in depth article. It helps break the text up and gives a more personalised story if there are quotes.