Why word selection and placement are so vitally impotent

by Tom Shafer

December 29, 2017

Okay, so I really meant “important.”  Anyway, when I was a paid language arts teacher (now maintaining my amateur status for the upcoming Language Arts Olympics), I was constantly suggesting to my students that word selection – and placement – were important to the writing process.  To drive the point home, I liked to present examples from the unreal world.  What follows are samples from the newspaper realm, real titles for what I’m sure were better written articles.  Enjoy!

Man Kills Self before Shooting Wife and Daughter

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

War Dims Hope for Peace

If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Hospitals are Sued by Seven Foot Doctors

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Craft Distillery Explosion Fueled by Change in State Law

Wright State begins three year track to become a doctor

Man Arrested After Daughter Shot Out of Jail

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