Transcript Document

Lesson Eight
Journalism
The Sunday Times 1991 on the
Miner’s Strike
From the start the Sunday Times took a firm
editorial line: for the sake of liberal democracy,
economic recovery… Scargill had to be defeated. It was
a position from which we never wavered.
Our views, however, were kept where they belong – the
editorial column.
For us the miners’ strike was above all a massive
reporting and analysing task to give our readers an
impartial and well informed picture of what was going
on.
Report. The Independent
New Year’s Eve end for USSR
Editorial: The Independent
A burden lifted for UN
Daily Mirror
Don’t be an ass, Fergie
The Sun
Up yours, Delors
Report
Factual information
greater use of past tense
passive form
sensational (and redundant) lexis in tabloids
“meteoric rise in cancer cases”
“terrible catastrophe”
Editorial
Cluster of elements (see Biber)
present tense
infinitives
modals (must, should, may, etc.)
suasive verbs
conditionals
The Times 16/10/03 - report
It was the ultimate Chinese take-away: twenty
dishes were blasted into space from the Gobi
desert yesterday, and eaten by a single man as
he circled the Earth fourteen times.
The Times 16/10/03 - editorial
Space Junk
Yesterday’s launch into space of LieutenantColonel Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut,
is an event which has been long in coming….
There are no new lands to conquer, trade to
generate, natives to pacify…
China would be well advised to temper national
pride with pragmatism.
The Economist – A Decent Choice
Three weeks ago there was a strong suspicion…
Mr Gore probably won the first and third debates.
He has generally seemed more likeable…
And he has exceeded expectations
Elections can turn on trivial personal details
If people want to reject Bush
Mr Gore stands for a more interventionist America
But politics is rarely ideal.
The Economist – A Decent Choice
(2)
Past Tenses
Present Tenses
Perfect Tenses
17
26
8
Progressive increase of present as text
progresses.
Noun phrases
One -word noun phrases
Angela, Bolivia
she, it
woman, country
Noun phrases (2)
an illness
an old, rather obstinate woman
The Angela I introduced you to last week
Noun phrases (3)
Government Environment Department Air
Pollution Report Findings Scandal
Headlines
AIDS
RAPE
DEATH
FEAR
Extended noun phrases (lack of verbs)
Headlines (2) empty lexis
AIDS RAPE DEATH FEAR SCANDAL
AIDS RAPE DEATH FEAR CASE
AIDS RAPE DEATH FEAR PHENOMENON
Grammar for extended noun
phrases
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vacuous phrases common
Verb in canonical sentence becomes head
Central adjectives modify head
Collocations remain
Modifier on left modifies element on right
Vacuous phrases common
Football bribes scandal
Iraq invasion threat
Teenager drugs concern
Verb in canonical sentence
becomes head
AIDS RAPE DEATH FEAR
People fear that a person raped by an aids victim
may die.
Modifier on left modifies
element on right
Government > Environment > Department >
Air > Pollution > Report > Findings >
Scandal
Central adjectives modify head
Great fruit drinks con