Understanding news headlines

Woordenschat

• 新闻news
• 标题headline / title
• 报道to report / a report
• 事件event / incident
• 发生to happen / occur
• 被捕to be arrested
• 宣布to announce
• 调查to investigate / investigation
• 声明statement / declaration
• 证实to confirm / verify
• 否认to deny
• 据报道reportedly / according to reports

Uitdrukkingen

• 据报道，事件发生在北京。Reporting a news event with source hedging
• 嫌疑人已被警方拘留。Stating someone has been detained
• 政府宣布了新的政策。Announcing a government policy
• 调查结果将于下周公布。Saying results will be announced
• 目击者否认参与此事。A witness denying involvement
• 公司声明对此表示遗憾。Company expressing regret via a statement

Veelgemaakte fouten

• ✗警察被嫌疑人逮捕。
  ✓嫌疑人被警察逮捕。

  In a 被-sentence, the receiver of the action is the subject — the police arrest the suspect, not the other way around.

• ✗被洪水桥冲毁了。
  ✓大桥被洪水冲毁了。

  被 must be followed immediately by the agent (洪水), then the verb — do not insert the subject between 被 and the agent.

• ✗据报道发生了事件在凌晨。
  ✓据报道，事件发生在凌晨。

  Time expressions in Chinese come after the verb-object, not at the very end — place 在凌晨 after 发生.

• ✗调查正在被进行。
  ✓调查正在进行中。

  Not all verbs take 被 — 进行 (to carry out) uses 进行中 for ongoing actions, not 被进行.

• ✗政府被宣布新政策。
  ✓政府宣布了新政策。

  政府 is the agent, not the receiver — 被 is not used here since the government is doing the action, not receiving it.

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