Section 1 — The News Grammar focus

Session 1 Grammar: Passive voice in headlines

English news headlines use the passive voice to create impact, urgency, and brevity — and to move the action to the center of the sentence.

Grammar Focus

[Subject] + [past participle] / [Noun phrase] + [past participle]

News headlines frequently omit the subject (the actor) and the verb "to be", leaving only the past participle. This creates urgency, brevity, and focus on the event rather than who caused it. Structure: [Verb in past participle form] + [object/context]. Full form: "The government has announced new sanctions." → Headline: "New sanctions announced." This pattern can also be used to deliberately obscure who is responsible — a powerful tool both for efficiency and for evasion.

"Man arrested in connection with bank robbery" (Full: A man has been arrested...)

"Bridge collapsed after heavy rains" (Full: A bridge collapsed...)

"Deal reached after marathon talks" (Full: The parties have reached a deal...)

"Protesters detained ahead of summit" (Full: Police have detained protesters...)

"Three killed in border clash" (Full: Three people were killed...)

"Emergency budget measures announced" (Full: The government has announced...)

Variations to practice

...confirmed ...denied ...launched ...suspended ...rejected ...overturned