Chapter 4 - The Language of the News

Why is writing numerous errors in stories bad?

It can potentially damage a news organization’s credibility, but also get the person responsible, fired.

What are nouns?

People, animals, places, qualities, acts or ideas.

What are the 3 types of verbs?

Words that describe action; they tell what things and people do.

1. Transitive - Propel the action in the sentence from the subject to the object.

2. Intransitive - A verb that does not take a direct object

3. Linking - A verb that connects the subject of a sentence to a word that describes or renames it, rather than showing an action

What are adjectives?

Words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns.

What are adverbs?

Words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

What are articles?

The words “a,” “an” or “the” and their equivalents used as adjectives.

What are pronouns?

Words that replace proper or common nouns to avoid needless and confusing repetition of a noun.

What is a preposition?

A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence.

Comes before a preposition, called an antecedent, and a word or phrase that follows, called an object or a subsequent.

What are conjunctions?

Words or phrases that connect other words, phrases, clauses or sentences.

What are interjections?

Words or short phrases that express strong, sudden emotions.

What is a clause? / Independent clause? / Dependent clause?

• Clause - A group of words containing a subject and verb and is used as part of a sentence.

• Independent clause - A complete sentence.

• Dependent clause - An incomplete thought.

What are passive-voice sentences? / Active-voice sentences?

• Passive-voice sentences - Where the subject receives the action instead of doing it.

  • “The tsunami was caused by the earthquake.”
    
    

• Active-voice sentences - Where the subject does the action.

  • “The earthquake caused the tsunami.”

What are appositives? / Essential appositive? / Nonessential appositive?

A noun or noun phrase that renames, identifies, explains or in some way supplements the meaning of another noun or noun phrase.

• Essential appositive - Defines the noun or noun phrase it accompanies. No punctuations.

  • “The required class Organic Chemistry 101 is one of the most difficult in the program.”

• Nonessential appositive - Adds supplemental information and is set off from the rest of the sentence with punctuation.

  • “That house is painted in the same tones as my university colors, green and white.”

What is a run-on sentence? / Comma splice?

• A run-on sentence - Contains two or more independent clauses with no punctuation separating them. Eliminate those, or add punctuation.

• Comma Splices - A punctuation error that happens when you join independent clauses using only a comma.

When should you use “who” vs. “whom?”

If “he,” “she” or “they” sounds right, use “who.” If “him,” “her” or “them” would be more natural, use “whom.”

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word or phrase that is put in the wrong spot in a sentence, making sentences ambiguous, confusing, or nonsensical.

“She retold the ordeal of being held hostage with tears running down her cheeks.”

to…

“With tears running down her cheeks, she retold the ordeal of being held hostage.”

What is a dangling modifier?

A word or phrase that describes something, but the word it is meant to describe is missing or placed incorrectly in the sentence.

What is parallelism?

Using the same grammatical structure for similar or matching ideas in a sentence or paragraph.

What is syntax?

The arrangement and relationships of the words and phrases in a sentence.

Problems to avoid

• Do not overuse adjectives and adverbs.

• Do not overuse clichés - words or phrases that writers have heard and copied over and over.

• Avoid slang.

• Avoid technical language and jargon.

• Do not overuse euphemisms - Vague expressions used in place of harsher, more offensive terms.

• Avoid profanity.

• Avoid stating the obvious.

• Do not mention yourself in the news stories. - Avoid the words “I,” “me,” “we,” “our” or “us,” except when they are directly quoting some other person.

• Avoid negative constructions. Sentences should be case in positive form. Sentences containing two or three negatives are wordy and difficult to decipher.

• Avoid quoting sources who “gush” with exaggerated enthusiasm.

  • How to avoid: use more than once source for a story.

• Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, use the day of the week to refer to events that occur on the day of publication or within seven days before or after publication.

  • Eliminates confusion that might arise with the use of “today,” “tomorrow” or “yesterday” in news stories.

• Avoid the present tense and terms for printed newspapers because many of the events they report end before readers receive the paper.

  • Write in the past tense.

• Avoid excessive punctuation.