Explain the concept of reported speech in reported newspaper headlines.

Reported Speech Questions Long



74 Short 67 Medium 44 Long Answer Questions Question Index

Explain the concept of reported speech in reported newspaper headlines.

Reported speech refers to the act of reporting or paraphrasing someone's words or statements. In the context of reported newspaper headlines, it involves summarizing or rephrasing the original statement made by a speaker or a source in a news article.

Reported newspaper headlines are a common way for journalists to convey information to their readers. They often summarize the main points of an event or an interview in a concise and attention-grabbing manner. However, due to space limitations or the need to maintain objectivity, direct quotations are not always used in headlines. Instead, reported speech is employed to convey the essence of the original statement while maintaining the journalistic style.

When using reported speech in newspaper headlines, certain changes are made to the original statement. These changes include:

1. Tense changes: The tense of the reported speech is often shifted to reflect the time of the reported event. For example, if the original statement was made in the present tense, it may be reported in the past tense in the headline.

2. Pronoun changes: Pronouns in the reported speech are often adjusted to match the subject of the headline or the person being quoted. For instance, if the original statement used the pronoun "I," it may be changed to "he" or "she" in the reported speech.

3. Verb changes: Sometimes, the verb used in the reported speech is altered to maintain grammatical accuracy or to fit the context of the headline. This can involve changing the verb tense, mood, or form.

4. Omission of certain words: In order to make the headline more concise, certain words or phrases from the original statement may be omitted. However, care is taken to ensure that the essence of the statement is not lost.

For example, let's consider the following original statement made by a politician during a press conference: "I will introduce a new bill to address climate change."

A reported newspaper headline using reported speech could be: "Politician to introduce new bill on climate change."

In this example, the tense has been changed from future ("will introduce") to present ("to introduce"), and the pronoun "I" has been replaced with the noun "Politician." The essence of the original statement is preserved, but the headline is more concise and attention-grabbing.

In conclusion, reported speech in reported newspaper headlines involves summarizing or rephrasing the original statement made by a speaker or a source in a news article. It requires certain changes to be made, such as tense, pronoun, and verb changes, as well as the omission of certain words, in order to convey the essence of the statement in a concise and attention-grabbing manner.