Newspaper headlines

A newspaper headline is a very short summary of a news report. It normally appears in large letters above the report.

The grammar of headlines is often non-standard and they can be difficult to read. The main features of the grammar of headlines are the use of a series of nouns and the use of ellipsis (leaving out words which are not necessary).

We often leave out articles (a/an, the) and verbs (especially the verb to be).

Headlines often use the present simple, even where the report refers to a past event. This is done to make the news seem more dramatic and immediate:

Headlines often use the *to-*infinitive form to refer to future events.