Headlines are often first thing the readers come across in newspapers. It is
also generally established that journalistic language, in particular headlines, has its
own characteristic that can clearly be distinguished from the ordinary English
language. Due to the constraint of space, headlines are displayed differently from
construction of the common core—defined as a range of linguistic features found
in all varieties, dialects, etc. of a language including their basic rules of word
order, word formation, as well as high frequency vocabulary (Crystal, 2003: 85).
This study analyzed the syntax of headlines, focusing on the types of
headlines, especially the difference between sentential and non-sentential
headlines and their structures; in addition to determining the specific grammatical
features of headlines that deviate from the norm of the language, known as block
language.