NEWS ENGLISH: Dành cho những người làm báo Anh ngữ

NEWS ENGLISH: A brief guide
By Stephan Millett
(continued)
Participles
A participle is, according to the Oxford Concise Dictionary, a "verbal adjective qualifying noun but retaining some properties of the verb, e.g., tense and government of object." There are two main things to avoid with principles. One is what is called a dangling, or misrelated, participle and the other is the inclusion of participles in initial subordinate clauses. Here is an example of a dangling participle:

Walking across the field, the bull charged him.​

The participle "walking" is intended to refer to the man (or boy), but positioned as it is, it refers to the bull, and leads to ambiguity. Who is walking, the man or the bull? The participle is dangling because it is isolated from that to which it is intended to refer.
There are several ways to avoid the dangling participle, for example:

1. Walking across the field, he was charged by a bull.
2. He was walking across the field a bull charge him.​

The second example substitutes the past continuing (imperfect) tense for the participle and so avoids confusion. The first example is correct but it is an example of the second thing to avoid with participles - that of including them in innitial subordinate clauses - (the clause "Walking across the field" merely qualifies the main point of the sentence "He was charged by a bull"). The problem is that we must read the netire sentence before we know who the subject is and to whom or to what "walking across the field" refers. In this example the problem is not great but more extreme examples are frustratingly common.
As a rough rule of thumb, verbs ending in "ing" are participles, e.g., "standing", "running", "walking", "thinking". However they can be mustaken for a gerund, which is a participle used as a noun, as in, e.g., "Thinking is rewarding activity."
Adjectives
An adjective is used to describe or limit the meaning of a noun, pronoun or other adjective. A compound adjective is present when two or more words function adjectivally as one. Compound adjectives take a hyphen, e.g.,
The well-known poet (although if the poet is well known it is not necessary to say so).
The well-structured argument.
Down-to-earth humour.
Perhaps the most common, but lease recognised, adjectives are the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a, an). They function, as do all adjectives, to indicate which, how many or what kind of noun is being referred to. Adjectives (other than articles) are used sparingly in News English.
Tenses
It is important not to mix tenses in narrative reporting. For example, it is correct to write, say, a picture caption in the present tense to gain a greater impact, such as:
Brock leaps from his blazing car.
But one cannot then, consistently, change tenses to continue:
And stepped into a pool of burning oil.
Another common problem with tenses arises when paraphrasing a direct quote into reported speech. The speaker may say: â?oI am not convinced ca[ital punishment is the answer because I have seen its effects in other countries.â? In reported speech the present simple and present completed will become the past simple and past completed tenses and the quoted passage will be paraphrased as: he said he was not convinced that capital punishment is the answer because he had seen its effects in other countries. The reason for the change in tense is that the reported speech chronicles events or statements which happened in the past. To be true to the original meaning the original chronological rder must be retained as all verbs move one step toward the past.
Some more examples:
â?oI see him,â? he said.
Becomes
He said he saw him
â?oI have seen him,â? he said.
Becomes
He said he had seen him.
Ted Bottomley and Anthony Loftus, in A Journalistâ?Ts Guide to the Use of English (Star Publications, Birmingham), disregard the often-confusing tra***ional tense names to give a clear idea of how the tenses fit together.
There are three basic times (present, past and future) and three basic actions (simple, completed and continuing) and these give nine different tenses, as the following table shows:
Tra***ionally, the continuing tense is called the imperfect and the completed is called the past perfect, but the names are unimportant.
There other tenses can be formed where there is a mixture of continuing and completed action:
Paraphrasing direct speech into indirect speech is economical and precise, and avoids some of the ambiguities which arise without it.
Gender-specific language
There is no general need to use gender-specific terms such as "chairman", "spokesman" when other terms are available. It is better to say, e.g., "Ms Smith was in the Chair", and thereafter to refer to the position as "the Chair" than to use the term "Chairman". Terms such as "spokesperson" may innitially sound strange, but usage will make them more familiar. Many newspapers still insist on the old, gender-specific terms being used. The terms are written into paper''s House Style. The house style for most government publications is to use non-gender-specific language. This extends to using the title "Ms" for women generally, unless a particular woman prefers "Miss" or "Mrs", in which case she preferred title will be used. (Honorifics such as these are, however, not used in some certain newspapers).
Some non-gendered language can sound cumbersome and awkward, especially that used by government departments. This can often be re-writeed more simply and elegantly while still retaining its non-gendered character. It is your responsibility as a journalist to transform ungainly bureaucratic language, of all forms, into simple, elegant and unambiguous English.
There are some expressions which are blantly ***ist and which must be avoided. These include "lady doctor", "lady lawyer", "woman pilot", and "male nurse". The distinction based on *** is pejorative. It is also demeaning to allude to the physical attributes of a person when one would not do the same to a person of the opposite *** in the same circumstances. If it sounds ludicrous, which it does, to describe a man as "chesty, brown-eyed brunette father-of-three Graeme Smith", then why should it be acceptable to describe Betty Smith as "buxom, browm-eyed brunette mother-of-three?"

RULES FOR NEWS WRITING

1. Every word must be spelt correctly.
2. Every name (proper noun) must be spelt correctly. Check and re-check.
4. Every phrase and sentence must be grammatically correct.
4. Every fact must be accurate.
5. Write clear, concise, crisp English.
6. Every story should include answers to Who, What, Where, When, How and Why? But not necessarily in that order (Why? may not always be readily apparent).
7. Use the active voice (A man died yesterday, not: A man was killed yesterday).
8. For reported/indirect speech, use the tense one tense further toward the past from the tense actually used by the speaker.
DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS OF NEWS LANGUAGE
1. Accurate - conveys unambiguously what was intended.
2. Correct - grammatical, in contemporary idiom, without misspellings.
3. Clear - understood immediately.
4. Concise - fewest words consistent with accuracy, grace and clarity.
5. Brief - pressure to provided many stories in limited space or time requires stories shorn of non-essential components. (But note that in radio important information may be repeating).
6. Specific - names, sources, subjects, places and times; spells out facts; cites, examples; provides a picture for the mind''s eye.
7. Direct - subject-verb-object sequence in active voice preferred, simple passive voice might be useful on a few occasions to shift emphasis.

RULES FOR NEWS WRITING

1. Every word must be spelt correctly.
2. Every name (proper noun) must be spelt correctly. Check and re-check.
4. Every phrase and sentence must be grammatically correct.
4. Every fact must be accurate.
5. Write clear, concise, crisp English.
6. Every story should include answers to Who, What, Where, When, How and Why? But not necessarily in that order (Why? may not always be readily apparent).
7. Use the active voice (A man died yesterday, not: A man was killed yesterday).
8. For reported/indirect speech, use the tense one tense further toward the past from the tense actually used by the speaker.
DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS OF NEWS LANGUAGE
1. Accurate - conveys unambiguously what was intended.
2. Correct - grammatical, in contemporary idiom, without misspellings.
3. Clear - understood immediately.
4. Concise - fewest words consistent with accuracy, grace and clarity.
5. Brief - pressure to provided many stories in limited space or time requires stories shorn of non-essential components. (But note that in radio important information may be repeating).
6. Specific - names, sources, subjects, places and times; spells out facts; cites, examples; provides a picture for the mind''s eye.
7. Direct - subject-verb-object sequence in active voice preferred, simple passive voice might be useful on a few occasions to shift emphasis.

BASIC STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY OF NEWS STORIES

1. Most significant items in first 25-word lead paragraph (lead), encapsulating the story.
2. Further items in roughly descending order of importance, provided there is no suspension of reader/listener comprehension.
3. Story arranged to provide a number of exit points, above which the story could stand as self-contained.
4. Short paragraphs, most of them of one sentence only, conveying one intelligible unit of information.
Reasons:
- News format requires multiple stories in limited space or time. Therefore writers must allow for sub e***ors to truncate stories without losing their essential meaning.
- News paper readers skim the paper, and the format encourages this. There is a strain between two objectives: reporters write to hold readers'' interest to the end, but must also provide for readers to exit early. (Note that radio/TV audiences do not have a skimming option.)
- Sub-e***ing to precise length requires short paragraphs for fine adjustment.
- Fast e***ing is easier if stories can be cut from the bottom.

BASIC STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY OF NEWS STORIES

1. Most significant items in first 25-word lead paragraph (lead), encapsulating the story.
2. Further items in roughly descending order of importance, provided there is no suspension of reader/listener comprehension.
3. Story arranged to provide a number of exit points, above which the story could stand as self-contained.
4. Short paragraphs, most of them of one sentence only, conveying one intelligible unit of information.
Reasons:
- News format requires multiple stories in limited space or time. Therefore writers must allow for sub e***ors to truncate stories without losing their essential meaning.
- News paper readers skim the paper, and the format encourages this. There is a strain between two objectives: reporters write to hold readers'' interest to the end, but must also provide for readers to exit early. (Note that radio/TV audiences do not have a skimming option.)
- Sub-e***ing to precise length requires short paragraphs for fine adjustment.
- Fast e***ing is easier if stories can be cut from the bottom.

SOME SIMPLE WRITING TENETS

1. Get rid of Unneeded Words
Bad: A crowd of several hundred people watched the fire.Good: Several hundred watched the fire.
Bad: He also wnt on th add that the school was totally destroyed.
Good: He also said the school was destroyed.
Bad: He suffered the loss of his right eye.
Good: He lost his right eye.
Bad: It was not until 6pm that the police were finally able to locate the child.
Good: The pilice found the child at 6pm.
Bad: The elderly man said the incident affected him for a considerable time.
Good: Andrew Brown, 78, said the hijeck left him sleepless for six weeks.
Bad: He has a long history of involvement with rockets.
Good: He has experimented with rocket engines for 11 years.
Bad: She said the hours she worked were excessive and the pay was poor.
Good: She said she got only $150 for working 60 hours a week.
2. Avoid Generalisation-Plus-Specifics When Specifies Alone Will Do
Bad: Other injuries the man received include a broken arm.
Good: The man also had a broken arm.
Bad: Legal action was then taken by the company, which sought an injunction to halt the strike.
Good: The company then sought an injunction to halt the strike.
Bad: This is not the first time he had been robbed in the last year; he has been held up three times in the last eight months.
Good: He has been held up three times in the last eight months.
3. Use Direct Simple Structures and Active Verbs
Bad: Sharp criticism of the case put forward by the prosecutor was voiced by the judge.
Good: The presiding judge sharply criticised the prosecutor''''s case.
Bad: Security-loving unadventurous people were referred to as consequences of early marriages by Margaret Mead, who is widely known for her work in anthropology.
Good: Anthropologist Margaret Mead said early marriages created security-loving unadventurous people.
Bad: Police officers were notified by telephone by a neighbour.
Good: A neighbour telephoned the police.
Bad: He has gone on record as saying that he had to be regarded as being in opposition to the motion.
Good: He had opposed the motion.
Bad: The Irish were obliged by absentee landlords *****bsist in slum con***ions.
Good: Absentee landlords forced the Irish to live in slums.
Bad: However, to remodel the centre has been made a completely uneconomic proposition by inflationary movements in building workers'''' wages.
Good: But rising wages have made the remodelling too costly.
4. Use Verbs Instead of Abstract Noun plus Preposition
Bad: They voted for the expulsion of the secretary.
Good: They voted to expel the secretary, or They expelled the secretary.
Bad: A parade will be held for the decoration of the six men by the Governor.
Good: The Governor will decorate the six men at a parade.
5. Avoid Other Miscellaneous Forms of Padding
Bad: The theatre has seating accommodation for 600 people.
Good: The theatre seats 600.
Bad: They accepted employment on a part-time basis.
Good: They took part-time work.
Bad: The claims were of a far-reaching character.
Good: The claims were far-reaching.
Bad: Warmer con***ions will obtain.
Good: It will be warmer.
Được Katjusha sửa chữa / chuyển vào 12:55 ngày 18/11/2004

SOME SIMPLE WRITING TENETS

1. Get rid of Unneeded Words
Bad: A crowd of several hundred people watched the fire.Good: Several hundred watched the fire.
Bad: He also wnt on th add that the school was totally destroyed.
Good: He also said the school was destroyed.
Bad: He suffered the loss of his right eye.
Good: He lost his right eye.
Bad: It was not until 6pm that the police were finally able to locate the child.
Good: The pilice found the child at 6pm.
Bad: The elderly man said the incident affected him for a considerable time.
Good: Andrew Brown, 78, said the hijeck left him sleepless for six weeks.
Bad: He has a long history of involvement with rockets.
Good: He has experimented with rocket engines for 11 years.
Bad: She said the hours she worked were excessive and the pay was poor.
Good: She said she got only $150 for working 60 hours a week.
2. Avoid Generalisation-Plus-Specifics When Specifies Alone Will Do
Bad: Other injuries the man received include a broken arm.
Good: The man also had a broken arm.
Bad: Legal action was then taken by the company, which sought an injunction to halt the strike.
Good: The company then sought an injunction to halt the strike.
Bad: This is not the first time he had been robbed in the last year; he has been held up three times in the last eight months.
Good: He has been held up three times in the last eight months.
3. Use Direct Simple Structures and Active Verbs
Bad: Sharp criticism of the case put forward by the prosecutor was voiced by the judge.
Good: The presiding judge sharply criticised the prosecutor''''s case.
Bad: Security-loving unadventurous people were referred to as consequences of early marriages by Margaret Mead, who is widely known for her work in anthropology.
Good: Anthropologist Margaret Mead said early marriages created security-loving unadventurous people.
Bad: Police officers were notified by telephone by a neighbour.
Good: A neighbour telephoned the police.
Bad: He has gone on record as saying that he had to be regarded as being in opposition to the motion.
Good: He had opposed the motion.
Bad: The Irish were obliged by absentee landlords *****bsist in slum con***ions.
Good: Absentee landlords forced the Irish to live in slums.
Bad: However, to remodel the centre has been made a completely uneconomic proposition by inflationary movements in building workers'''' wages.
Good: But rising wages have made the remodelling too costly.
4. Use Verbs Instead of Abstract Noun plus Preposition
Bad: They voted for the expulsion of the secretary.
Good: They voted to expel the secretary, or They expelled the secretary.
Bad: A parade will be held for the decoration of the six men by the Governor.
Good: The Governor will decorate the six men at a parade.
5. Avoid Other Miscellaneous Forms of Padding
Bad: The theatre has seating accommodation for 600 people.
Good: The theatre seats 600.
Bad: They accepted employment on a part-time basis.
Good: They took part-time work.
Bad: The claims were of a far-reaching character.
Good: The claims were far-reaching.
Bad: Warmer con***ions will obtain.
Good: It will be warmer.
Được Katjusha sửa chữa / chuyển vào 12:55 ngày 18/11/2004

Hiện nay em đang làm luận văn tốt nghiệp và có sử dụng tư liệu trong bài " News English : a brief guide" của stephan millett mà chị post lên . Tuy vậy em đã tìm trên mạng mà không ra được nguồn gốc của nó. Vậy chị có thể cho em thêm chi tiết về nguồn gốc của văn bản này không? Xin cảm ơn rất nhiều!

Hix. Anh code ơi, dạo này chị Thuỳ đi đâu roài ý ạ, lặn mất tiêu. Tình hình là anh fải tìm cách khác thui.
P.S: Sao dạo này ko thấy anh sang thăm chị em hụi Pink Lovers?