我们通常在一些英文杂志、报刊上会看见新闻英语，它的题材和体裁都很丰富。常见的新闻英语由以下特点:
(一)词汇层面
(1) 新闻报道通常拥有自己的一些惯用词汇，或者叫做"新闻词语"，如story一词意思常常是news item或news report，而probe一词则指"(新闻)调查"，如中央电视台的一个重要栏目"新闻调查"即译为News Probe.还有如cut表示reduction;bar表示prevent;curb表示restrain或control等等。常见的其他例子还有：
accord (give) ban (prohibition)bid (attempt) boost (rise, increase) clash (disagreement) deal (business agreement) freeze (stabilization) loom(appear) blaze(fire) comb(search) row [rau] (violent argument) rap(to speak severely to, to blame, to punish) move (plan, decision, suggestion)round(a series of action) shock (astonishment, blow) shun(to keep away from…) heist (robbery) viable (workable) voice(express) operation(activities) pact (agreement) woo (to seek to win…，to persuade…) fake (counterfeit)
这些常用的新闻词语一般都具有短小精悍的特点，这主要是由于使用短小的词语能够节省时间和篇幅并有利于抢发新闻的缘故。
(2) 为了表达的需要和追求新奇以吸引读者，新闻英语中常会使用一些新词(包括旧词赋新义)和临时生造的词(nonce words)，以使文章生动活泼，并给人以新奇之感。如gay (同性恋者)，basket (一组问题等)，unisex (男女共用)，hijack (劫持)，supercrat (高级官员)，dial in (电话示威)，moneywise (在金钱方面)，thumbsuck (安抚)，sitcom (情景喜剧)，Reaganomics (里根经济学)，Jazznik (爵士乐迷 )，heartmen (换心人)，Euromart (欧洲共同市场)，Masscult (大众文化)，atobomb (原子弹)，blacketeer (黑市商人)等。在这一点上，新闻英语与广告英语十分相似。
(3) 新闻英语还广泛借用社会各界的行业用语以及外来词语。如从商业用语中它吸收借用了a package deal (一揽子交易)，从赌博业中它借用了showdown (摊派)，从体育中借用了knockout (击败)等。而外来词语有如：coup de theatre (非常事件，源自法语，)，swindler (骗子，源自德语)，Zen (禅宗，源自日语)，renegade (变节分子，源自西班牙语)，rapport(两国间的亲善关系，源自法语)，macho (伟男气概，源自西班牙语)等等。
(4) 新闻英语还大量使用新闻套语，如according to…(eyewitness, AP reports, sources concerned, etc.)(据目击者，美联社，有关方面等)，informative sources or well-informed source(消息灵通人士)，with guarded reserve(持审慎态度)，no comments(无可奉告)，on the brink of a breakthrough(即将取得进展)，quoted as saying (cited as saying)(援引……的话说), in response to allegation in The New York Times(就《纽约时报》的提法发表评论)，Not so, not yet(不置可否)，preferred not to be identified(不愿透露姓名的)等等。
(5) 为节省篇幅，新闻报道还常使用缩略词，如：ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)，PC (personal computer)，TMD(Theater Missile Defense)，memo (memorandum)，AIDS (Acquired immure Deficiency Syndrome)，mod (modern), Lab (Labor), Lib (Liberal), nukes (nuclear weapons), heliport (helicopter airport), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), memo (memorandum), SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) 等等。
(二) 句法层面
(1) 为求得在较小的篇幅内容纳较多的信息量，新闻英语多采用扩展的简单句(expanded simple sentences)，其方法是使用定语、状语、同位语、介词短语、分词短语等语言成分来扩展简单句。因此，英语报刊里经常出现一个句子就是一个段落的情况。而要把众多的信息包容到里面，在确保句式不过于复杂的前提下，作者只有大量使用或增加修饰限定词的数量。试看下列一则报道：
LAGOS, Dec. 15(Reuter) - The Nigerian foreign ministry's offices were completely destroyed by a fire in the center of Lagos Monday night.
Eyewitnesses gave conflicting reports about the number of people injured in the blaze, which firemen suspect was caused by an electrical fault.
One fireman said four people had been rescued from the ministry, suffering from minor injuries. About 100 firemen were unable to prevent the blaze spreading to buildings beside the seven-storey ministry.
The foreign ministry, which lost many valuable records in the blaze, was due to be moved to a new site shortly.
The building, completely gutted by the blaze, also housed offices of the information ministry and the ministry of science and technology.
(2) 广泛使用直接引语间接引语。这既可增添新闻报道的真实性和生动性，又可显示其客观性。
(3)新闻英语多用主动语态，但为了叙事的客观和便利，有时也使用一些被动结构。
(4)正文较多地使用现在时，而标题所使用的时态则几乎都是现在时，这可对读者产生一种"某事正在发生"的印象，从而增强其真实感和现实感。例如：China Starts WAP Service. / Longevity star dies at 110.
(5)标题中常使用省略句。像冠词、动词、介词等常在标题中省略，这既可节省版面，又可使新闻的风格显得简洁明快。如：House and Senate Pursuing Efforts to Reduce Deficit (The New York Times) = The House of Representatives and the Senate are pursuing the efforts to reduce the deficit.
（责任编辑:doublejp）
