Abstract:A headline is the brief summary of the main idea of a news report. In order to attract readers’ attention, a headline should be vivid, novel and interesting, and the uses of lexical, grammatical and rhetorical devices can make it more eye-catching. Sports are an indispensable part of our social and cultural life nowadays. Therefore, more and more attention is paid to sports events and relevant news reporting. 

On the basis of stylistic theories, this thesis studies the stylistic features of sports news headlines in China Daily --the most popular English newspaper at home. The paper consists of four chapters. Chapter one is introduction. Chapter two introduces stylistics. Chapter three analyzes the stylistic features of English sports news headlines from the perspectives of lexicology, grammar and rhetoric. Chapter four is a conclusion, which summarizes the major findings and limitations of this study and recommendation for future research.

Keywords:  English  sports news headlines  stylistic features  China Daily

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 English News Headlines-1

1.2 Sports News-1

1.3 China Daily-2

1.4 Structure of the Thesis-2

Chapter Two Stylistics-3

2.1 Definition of Stylistics-3

2.2 Development of Stylistics-3

2.3 Stylistical Features-3

Chapter Three Stylistic Features of English Sports News Headlines-5

3.1 Lexical Features-5

3.1.1 Short Verbs-5

3.1.2 Abbreviation-6

3.1.3 Nicknames-6

3.1.4 Numbers-7

3.2 Grammatical Features-7

3.2.1 Tense-8

3.2.2 Voice-8

3.2.3 Quotation-9

3.2.4 Question-10

3.3 Rhetorical Features-10

3.3.1 Simile & Metaphor-10

3.3.2 Personification-11

3.3.3 Hyperbole-11

3.3.4 Alliteration-12

3.3.5 Synecdoche-13

Chapter Four Conclusion-14

Reference-15