Olga
Undestranding newspaper language Hello! These days I'm working on a project (for my English exam) which includes the grammatical analysis of some texts taken from newspapers (I've chosen The Guardian). The idea is to show the particularity of their language and to underline the most chatacteristic detailes of their style. I'd like to know how would you explain the use of the infinitive construction "Trump to ignore" in this headline: 'He'll tweet whatever he wants': Trump to ignore China's strict censorship Is it a kind of "Trump is thought to ignore/is said to ignore" , hence, a kind of hedging/distancing which is typical for the newspaper language? Thank you in advance!
Nov 8, 2017 3:42 PM
Answers · 4
1
Hi Olga! I would personally read this headline as: Trump [is set] to ignore..., Trump [is going] to ignore ...
November 8, 2017
1
It's not hedging - it's just saving space. In fact, it's extremely common for headlines to use the 'to' + infinitive structure to signal a future plan/ intention/ arrangement, simply because it takes up very little room. For example, 'BA to axe 1000 jobs' would be typical headline jargon for an article about the airline's plan to reduce its workforce. You're sure to find lots more examples like this in the course of your project. Well done for choosing the Guardian, by the way. A wise decision.
November 8, 2017
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