Can 'successful swearing' help you get ahead in the workplace? Last Updated: 12:01am BST 18/10/2007

1. Can 'successful swearing' help you get ahead in the workplace? Last Updated: 12:01am BST 18/10/2007 Max Davidson, who only dared use the F-word once he reached voting age, would rather not endure expletives around the photocopier. It's not nice. It's not pretty. It's not the way we were brought up. But it's here to stay. And if you don't like it, you can **** off.

2. The language of journalism The term ‘journalistic’ may refer to several kinds of texts: advertising, horoscopes, weather reports, crosswords, business reports, cartoons, film/book reviews, obituaries, letters to the editor and agony aunt columns (?). (A newspaper columnist who answers questions and offers advice on personal problems to people). But, the most representative genre is the informative news report (article)

3. MAIN FUNCTIONS OF NEWSPAPER REPORTS TO INFORM BUT SOMETIMES ALSO TO ENTERTAIN

4. Popular vs. Quality Press? ANY IDEAS? Watch the following and tell the evident differences Do you think they are quality or popular press newspapers?

10. A tabloid (popular press) is a term for a smaller newspaper formats; usually newspapers that tend to sensationalize and emphasize or exaggerate crime stories, gossip columns, scandals about the deeply personal lives of celebrities, sports stars, politicians etc. As the term "tabloid" has become synonymous with down-market newspapers in some areas, some small-format papers which claim a higher standard of journalism refer to themselves as "compact" newspapers instead. The tabloid newspaper format is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. Larger newspapers, traditionally associated with 'higher-quality' journalism, are called broadsheets (quality press)

11. Central features of newspaper articles The different fonts, colours and letter size distinguish: • Major headlines from minor headlines (leads); • Leads from other sub-headings; • All other headlines from the main text. All these features make newspaper layout recognisable among most other written text forms.

12. Inverted pyramid The most important items of information are presented first (in the various headlines and in the opening sentences). This has the advantage of concentrating information into easily-accessible chunks, but it can also overload a headline with copious data which can mislead the reader.

13. Orbital pattern and grammar Orbital pattern: • Mostclauses in the text refer back directlyto the headline and lead. • =>Hyperthemecreated in the headlines • Especially in tabloids (popularpapers vs. quality press), in orderto create sensationalism. Redundantgrammaritems are oftenremoved and sometimeswords are shortened: • Channelraily link decisionthis week • Article • Freshfruit the pickof the bunchthis week (pickof the bunch????) Fior fiore • Copular verb • Mothertellsof baby’s death at hospital • Possessive • Gent for gentleman/ celebsforcelebrities

14. Creation of interpersonal communication between the writer and the reader… by exploiting many of the characterstics of the spoken language: • 1) the speaker is postponed (i.e. it’s time for IRA truce, says Adams). • 2) quotation of single key words (i.e. IRA dismisses truce as ‘unworkable’) • 3) use of questions or exclamations to create a sense of sharing something

15. Headline techniques • Alliteration; • Assonance; • Euphemism; • Irony, sarcasm; • Methapor; • Exclamation; • Metonym; • Rhetoricalquestions; • Slang; • Puns; • Rhyming.

16. Headline techniques Straight headlinesThey simply relate the main topic of the story. They are the most common types of headlines and are the easiest to understand.Example:Ferocious dogs savage man to death

17. Headlinesthatask a question Mostheadlinesofthiskind are notreallytypicalquestions at all. They are statementsfollowedby a questionmark. Thesequestionmarks are usedwhen: • The headlinereports a future possibilityExample:Are Chinesehotels in shapeforgames? • Thereis some doubtabout the truth or accuracyof the story.Example:HiddenTreasures on Caribbeanseabed?

18. Headlines that contain a quotationA quoted speech is often used in headlines. Example:Men shot in Arctic ‘had no enemies at all’

19. The language of headlines • Headlines are almost always in the simple present tense.Example:Madonna separates from Guy. • The simple present tense is used to describe something happening in the present or in the past.Example:Africa fears outbreaks of violence • The simple present tense is used to describe both something happening now, and something that happens repeatedly. Example:Nasdaq tumbles on recession fears

20. The present continuous is sometimes used, to give the meaning of something that is developing. The auxiliaries ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ are usually omitted. • Example:Bikers flexing their muscles for the race.

21. The infinitive is used to refer to the future.Example:Liberals to spend $700-million on research and development projects. • Articles and conjunctions are often omitted. • In passive forms, the auxiliary is omitted and only the past participle is used.Example:Woman killed in crash. • A series of nouns used as adjectives are often put together without any verbs or conjunctions.Example:Electoral popularity key consideration. • Acronyms and abbreviations are often used in headlines.

22. Rules to keep in mind • KISS (keep it short and simple); • Never Use Three Words When One Will Do; • Never be repetitive and redundant; • Play with language (puns); • Use adjectives or other elements to categorise people (secret lover…, retired teacher…, mother of three…, etc.)

23. Alwayskeep in mind the 5 wh: Whowhenwhatwhywhere • Headline: summarizes and draws attention to the story; • Lead: summarizes and begins to tell the story; • Original source given; • The participants are categorized, their name often being preceded by a general term and adjectives (handsome English singer Robbie Williams); • Explicit time and place locations (in Paris yesterday); • Facts and figures; • Direct or indirect quotations;

24. Text analysis • Does the article answer the five ‘W’ questions in the first few paragraphs? • Does the article include all the information you want to know about the topic? If not, what’s missing? • Is there a photo accompanying the article? • If so, what information does it provide? Does it help the reader understand the main point of the article? • Can you detect any slant or viewpoint in the article (in the word choice or selection of facts?) • Does the information in this article differ in any way from what you have heard on the radio, seen on tv, or read in another newspaper about the same event? • Does the article deal with a controversial issue? If so, are the opposing points of view given equal space and objective presentation? Can you tell which side the journalist favors? • Do you consider this article a good example of clear, objective news reporting? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of this article? • If an editor had asked you to write this news story, what would you have done differently? • What are the language features of this article?

25. Here is a simple news story which would not appear on a newspaper. The language does not work. Read it carefully. Then: • Try to rebuild the text newspaper purposes; • Create at least two possible headlines considering the techniques previously seen.

26. In the middle of the night last night, some burglars broke into Buckingham Palace and got away with a whole heap of the Queen’s most valuable jewellery as well as kidnapping her favouritedog whose name was Tootles and who slept in the Queen’s bedroom with her. The Queen wasn’t actually around that night as she was away on her tour of Japan with Prince Philip, but her ladies-in-waiting were, and they were terrified and extremely worried about Tootles who is quite old and needs a special diet so he does not get too overweight.

27. http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/ This site contains all the newspapers available in UK. For next week (Tuesday 10th) choose two articles (one belonging to popular press and the other to quality press) on the same topic and highlight all the language (but also other) differences you see. Prepare a PPP working alone or in pairs. PPPs should last max. 15 minutes. 4 of your works will be presented during the class.