There`s MORE THAN oNE way to Take the Lead whory

There's MORE THAN oNE way to Take the
Lead
Varying the lead,,oRenin8 paragraph, is the ke/to good
you want to
writing.
inforrn
lnd grab th6 readiis atLoiion. yoo ilir E-vv emphasize
v"'r'*serzE what
rryrr' is the
essential information.
"iro
1' An ADJEcTIVE-lead begins with an
gdjective describing the subject of the
copv. Adjective
proviiie color
a.ioiptiuJuppr.r.
1."{l
""a
FARG., ru'n'._
wind-whipped.snow shur
!eyr, sranding tiaver..,
North Dakota veslerdl)r,
dHeavy
a"*i
r,ighways in easrern
-"1"r
[t"u;;;;;
wirh sruck vehicres.
sno:w srands N;r,h rffi;iii.t.o,"
Nov. g, l99o
(Thc warhingnn post,
*J
r
Exotic' colorful a1d often bizerre, orchids takc
cenrer srage in Baltimorc this week.
( Th e lvat h i ngto n p o st, " O r chesrati
; f.i
n g O..f , *,
;;:l ; ; ;i
i
"r.
2' An AD\IERB lead begins with an adverb. Adverb
leads provide active
description in the first iew,o"ar.
Suddenly everything that had omc bcforc acquired
a purpose. The our-of-the-money
finishes as a sreen teel"ger in sarajcvor n", af
The failures iutdoors itiaru.rwiulr
uJ. rrL dir;; b;;;,i;*J*rir?i.a.
i.rH.a u* r.r*"r. rr.n.-i,. p.u. l4 disasterln the
,t"."".*i.rt"i"ffi.ir., had slipped and finished
F;;;#;t
vikingskipet skating
*h;;;;il;;; something astonishing hall.
500 meten at these olympia, where he,
eighth, seemed of a piece tnith *h"r.*r.t.al*,
The unlikelv h,d happened when Dan
Jansen^lost;
happen
(spih
:.rrgql
tu**iiirl.is,
aint
3' The literarv, historical or mythological ALLUSION
lead consists most
frequently of a quotation o" r.ier*ce-to,a iltg"6,;is.torica-l
or mythological
character' when the reference is natural aneqoiJ"irate,
the
writer is able
to communicate more about the subject than thl'ffirfing
of
the current
story would convey.
If claude Monet had been
a diver, hc might have bypassed
{e gard.ns of Giverny
to paint feather stars perched lila blooms in a
coral vase offthe loast of Sulawesi,
Indonesia I've encountercd manysuch scenes
ghorographing fcather..srars, yet I"m
in more rhan five years of
r-.*a"i
"irr
(National Geographic, ',Flowirs of the Coral
,rr.r,
il""rr
"1rd
S.*," D.*rnU., jg9l.l
diversiry.,,
Barring a sudden and violent Kansas tornado thar
would make Harry Truman,s l94g
galg scem like a toddrer blgwlng out birthday
candrcs, president clinton will be
reelected hn4rL1,n.1, week, briiging-*irh
him o.-**i"laair-ion, ,o rhe House
and senate. poriticar meteororogiits
b..r.o,p,.a
|cRublican cra whory
ii[
srorm/.ii.o *.,
, *i"r"a.
tir"r th. post_I96g
dittt;;;;iiilr.,ion,
is over.
To draw that conclusion, however,,"ouia u" to misakc
weather for climate.
(Thc Ncw yo*cr,"Solar Eclipsc,"
Nov. 4, 1996)
Think of British Telccommunications pLC as a
modern -redcoar, that
tircd of marching in paradc formadon *a
y*" ;";;;;;;;h-tcch
has gotten
rebel, shootins
at the world's ricJrest'tar-ge.'s. That's ttt
fi.r'ilhT
$2r
"-uition
deal last week for thc \fishington areatiereco;.";;;;r"J.".,*
;",
Communications
'
Corp. (Iic warkngto, prra Nor.
trt
i;:ltgOt-'
In a world where musicians arc rucky ,o get their^fulr
rferholian
Jones has remeined thc Dudc for hif a Jn,ury, n",' sii",r"
known, must bc thc world,s rno*souful
(U.r
-ogul
...
bilion
r"rcr
l5 minurcs, euin.r
. i;."p. e
Nov. l99O
as hc,s arso
of phrases that help to portray
4. An ATMOSPHERE lead co-nsis-ts of " .8l9op
It thooih boused onlv when the setting or
the setting o, *oid
mood of ai event is interesting or significant'
fJ;;;a;t.
houn, waiting
n**i", Nov. l6_They filled the villagc centerfor
The yl g*I hot' and thq waigd',,,others'
*d
ti"t"
^
for brothers -l;li;;,
Nov' 17 ' 1996)
Jra i""g, *Jtiiff they waited. (Thc Wthington Port
KABIZA,
Rain fell
ft*a
Burnishedbyalow-slungAlaskasun,rhefishleapcdfromthesealikered-gold
River,
arrows. They courd
,.nJ
rh"
ware rs
of their binhplace , the Ayakulik
soillinein'.r'"poin.Searchingforthemouthoftheriverinorderto-spawn
by fishing vessels. Ninery
Jp:;r.";:;;*"[.y. ,"fr".n juriped, surrounded
like bull-riding
engines'
reined in thcir
,ilipp.rr;".f..y.j i"" .e"sition'
"nd
cowtoys'waiting for the chute to bang open'
which will put the news in
5. BACKGROIJND leads give information
perspective or give historic context'
the constitution has been a nuisance
Thcre have *.n n r,"ti"* presidents to whom
only seven years after the Bitl of Rights
to be overrulcd by any means nec€ssarr. In 1798,
led Congres in the p"staee of thc Alien and
was ratified, J"h"
oGrr for bringing the
ofjo-urnalists
n'-b.,
Sedition
"
So much for the First Amendment'
disrepua."
or
'*nt.n,p_t
i,r'to
C"nl*"
Ai"-;;qh*rbr
a*,'#i"'i*i-*;;i;i
president o,
(iit-i*t'ng"nVost'
*i
commentar)" Nov' I 6' I 99o
reason or cause of the action and begins
6. A CAUSAL lead emphasizeq
lhe
usi'ncen and "in an attempt''
as
;;il;;th;;ds
FoXBoRo,Mass.,Nov.lT_SinceJohnElwayjoincdtheDenverBroncos,they
the
have not to*
games have
Davis got to Denver'
figl*a P"rioa' Sincc'ferrell
-f"5..;N.*
dose.," 1Th, w^i;"gt""Porr, "Davis Run's vild Y.t Again,"
.
";;
Nov. 18, 1995'
slowly-butresolutely. ,
Makeadrugtharcan getridof fat,andAmericanswillwaddle
own flab (fully a third
our
weigh_tof
the
under
ro your door. V'. ...
"on"tion.groaning
lose
it. So it seemed
ro
of us are oU.r.i, *J*.,p."ai".r $3b bilion a yearlrling
reported lastJuly
#*,,. when'rhree groups of researchers independently
away'
melt
fat
micc
in
il"G'Jf.ond " p.o,.in rh"i- "i L"tt
-made
vivid to be most effective. It is
7. The CONTRAST lead should be sharp and
too eood,o
used to point out opposites and extremes'
other often threw the book at his
One man qoo* ir.* books o his audiences. Thc
in Virginia"^ (Thc W*hington Posl
*t"". A"i ;;i;tlt ttt nllning-for governor
Race," Nov' l8' l99O
"2 Candidate$,-a;;"lt;; i.try"nroln Va. Gubema:torial
is true' On
Evernhing eood and bad that pcople say about Paris
a
mild April
sPot on Earth, until
ili;;;ii"'ah;;Et**.ott your
out of nowhe*'
*. p"""lt on a diit bikc come burclingand-escape
iiP
,l::se
boulevarcl'
down the
Ul'
eirlfiend's arm' scettcr
a flock
ttt. most romantic
,1}'t:
of nuns
I 6' l99o
?i;; r;i;nsr;;r'ri,;i" p.'it' An tutist Regerns His Touch'" Nov'
poRT CLINTON, OHlo-\ralking througl a field of.thick grass aller
ri-t'iut ploughing through one in the
is a novel .rp.,itn* tt
,fr"n
"ri)' in a tinv r6"1'lta
downright
"ou "t.
PTnt':
#;ffiilili;,.;;il;hik
"
'""t'i
hunter'
the habitat of thc duct, and thc domain of the duck
t"tt
.l.'Welcornc rc
world in which a punt is not a kick but a boat,
il1[;; ffi; ri.ft, Atu"i;
griiirt
.*a gamc but ipecies of duck, and a yellow lab is
*ir."" i, not a bizarrc
bandana but a lean, working
;;?;';;;,gh, o*ny dog forc.ito y."1l^rid
1996)
10'
a
retriever. (Thi Ncw Yorh
Timcs,
Nov'
8. The DEFINITION lead should be used sparingly.
9. It kp-eqs the reader waiting. The name of the subject, the essential "who" is
not told for several paragraphs or even until the end in the OniereD lead.
T*
C.hicago church was jammed,
$e crowd hushed. Cardinal Joscph Bernardin
(uil rooaU Nov. 15, I996)
- his own.
wdked gingerly to the dtar !o speak about death
10. The DESCRIPTIYE lead consists of a description-of either a person, place
or event. Used *fel com-par?tively few words can formulate ri"ia iiti"g.?
in the reader's mind, it is closely relited to the ATMospHnnn "r.ua.
GoM,{ Zaire, Nov. r7-veney Kanyahamanga's bones nearly spiked through
his skin' Shadows engulfcd his eyes. His legs..i. ., rhin as the'sdcks on whicTi
helay. (The V'ashingtonPar4 "Rwandan fr.fug. Trek lxaves Trail of Dead and
Dying," Nov. 18, 1995.
A 4-inch round of sizzling ground bcef nestled on a warm bun, crowned wirh
bright
sauces and f1e1h
broadcasting an aromx so iresisdble that it
within ".ggr-.r,
sniffing distance: That's the all-American hamburger.
il_r,.*r.*.rr9ne
'!7e've
been d.'9ldqg.bygers in the u.s- since 1904, when they werc poiularized
ar the sc Louis r7orld's Fair. r7hite casrre-rhe world's fint burger .fi;originated in $7ichita, Kan.,T5 ycars ago, (parada,,Of course yo-u,d Rathcr
Have
aBurger,"Nov. 17, l99O
on the sree'' of Mani_la"
l.iuryn !)n" o young as l0 hop in and out of uaffic
selling MarlboJgs and Lucky Strikei to pa.sing-moorira, In the discos
and
coffee.shops of seoul, young Korean-s rigit up-fot ign brands thar a
decade
were illegd to Possess. Downtown Kiev has become-the Ukrainian yersion "go
of Marlboro
-- -- Country, with the gray socialist ciryscapc puncruarcd with colorful billboads ol
cowboy sunse rs and chiseled faces. And in'Beijing, America,s biggest robacco
companies are competing for the right m launch-cooperative prii."r,
with fie
stare-run tobacco
hopes ofcapturing aih"re of rh.tigg.rt potential
ll"n:rybrjl
poi, clein Frankel, "u.s.
market in the world.
Firms in
.!r!tc \suriston
conquests Across Asai" Agressive siraregr Forced open Lucrative Marker,fr
w.
tgga)
Xaj cig;;.
v,
11. DIRECT ADDRESS or IMPERATIVE lead usually implies
the second.
person voice rather than directly use the pronoun. It will
ir"ti tttu t.rd."
("you") into the passage.
Forger dreary vore coun[s.. Thc only qucsrion now is, How strong
a hold docs rhe
42nd Presidcnr havc on rhc popular imagination? !7ill Sorheby'Jteem wirh
spendthrifts rhree decades from now when chilsea clinron aucdons offh.ia*"r;I- -
joggingshorrs? (Tina 'Clinton pop,"Nov. lg, l99O
12. An EXCLAMATORY lead consists of short exclamahry sentence
frequently set off-r1,Mragraph by itself. It is usu;iiy rr"".*t".*"ii
information, often big news-.
!!1, funny Girl Grow up alrcady!
"The Mirror Has Two Faccs," Barbre Strcisand's latest folly, sounds as
if it ought
to b" a horror movie ild:
g. ray, ir is. "\ilh"t E"e, H"pp.;;d ,"
TtZ
corncs immediagly-t9 mind,. (Tbc varbington pox, "The Mi*or
Has Twoiaces,"
Rita Kcmpley, Dl, Nov. l1.,19g6)
il;J-?i;
fu:T: spon in rhc Mntcl olympicsr Bobslcdding? Think again.
way. Downhillskiingl Not wen close.'Norhing rhar
!:g.t {.9
Alberwille Gamcs can match fie high*peed thrills of spcid skiing, thc ncwesr
demonstration event. TheLsi specd skiers .r! rnor.
30 mph faster than
9trypi:
bobsleddcn and 50 mph swiftcr than downhill raccn.
Quick!'!?har's
*.
hkesil;;;r#-
*"t
strikine
p.rods the Justice
SMASH! Internet Explorer is free forever' KAPOM bL'"?pt
is full of securiry
Explorer
Internet
B^ASH!
Depa$ment ,o in".r,lg*-s:lgrlft.
l99O
oct.8,
(PCvfEEK'
hotls. SMACK!
...
begin this lead.
13. Use an adage, a truism or a familiar EXPRESSION to
pgnlV
earned") will
maxim, a motto o" utt epigram (uA penny Pygd ig a
ffiGi;;.; ot uii"* you toihowhowTwhen/with whom it is no longer true.
A
true, it probably is'
You have h.ard iisaid many times before: lf it sounds too good to be
how'
right
of
the
Internet
story
That's essentially the
(ThcVirginiaPiloe Nov. 15' l99O
learn'
Iron builds strong, healthy bodies-that's one of the first nutrition axioms Americans
iron
with
a
liquid
blood
"tired"
their
up
ro
perk
pcople
urge
ro
Television ads usEd
supplement'. .' (Readcri Digat'October 1995)
Often
14. Occasionally the FIRST PERSON is used for a more intimate lead.
ifrirlr used by ioiumnists who have established a rapport with. readers.
have a bottle'..
have the new Michael Jordan Cologne in rny office' I don't actuall)r
I
ui"t Foot l,ocker-which I admit-is not gtnerally
for a penond fragrllcc. I sniffed the card, found the odor
tttoppini
-y
"n"tf*
1.ft i, on riy i"rk ani thought n-othing..ttot about it until my friend
,"it., p.rky,
N*"y *ai..a in the office and asked -iif I'd had ih9 carpe-t-sprayed for scarab
0' I 996)
beetle infestat ion. (The wafiington Pott, Tony Kornheise r, Nov' I
i hi"" r"-ple
fiot"
card that I picked
15. A FRAGMENT is another type of freak lead that can capture.a basic
sight, sound or smell [o draw the reader into the narrative'
;rtt;;;
Competition' First ic makes you sick' Then ic makes you healthy'
(Thi\Vashingua Parr' Business section, Nov' 17, l99O
16. A GERUND lead begins with a verb ending in
Use gerund leads sparingly.
*ingl in a noun-like form.
BUJUMBUp.,,.1--Po*.r-rh.ring between Tutsis and Hutus had signally failed
to calm Burundi's ethnic violence; many parts of the countqt had become
Formed
savage no-go areas, out of the govern-.ni" *nttol..The power-sharing,
(Thc
Economirt'
collapsed'
itself
in
1993,
coup
in tlie waki of an attempted
"Anybody there?" JutY/Aug. l99O
ca!.; honking, swerving,
exhilarated rhan alarmed, we
rVorc
firou$ a crowded forcign capital.
radio biasting
j..r
of a tropical ciry.,.
flavors
and
smells
lifc, abiorbing dre sight,
hold on fo,
I 996)
I
Sept5'
Prose
Francine
Rcviatt,
,
(The Ncat Yorh Timct Booh
Reading Jessica Hagedorn's fiction is rather tike riding in a
uto." Infinitive leads
INFINITIVE lead uses a verb form along with
provide and emphasize action at the beginning. o{gopy'
17. An
To undersmnd what golf is now, don't watch Tiger \floods.'$7atch who uanhcs
itg;; \r".dr. Youngilack women in tight j-eaniand.hecls' Tour caddies, back out
ori h. *urr" after liauling a bag l8 holCI. 'f{-hite arbitrageurs with ce [l phones. Giant
gtupr of fourth-grad.o, iri.iJking thcir frrst golf swings. Pasty gglf.writcrs who have
ior m thc press i.nr rincc the dayJof FatJack. Hispanic teens in Dallas Cowbopjcrscys tryini ro find thcir ryay .ro,1nd a golf coursc For the first time in their lives' Bus
iririrc
go.
and bEOs and mothen with stroilcrs catching the wheels in the bunkers as they
(Spo* IlhatratcdD9A
18. The NOVELTY lead comes in many variations (ASTONISHER,
FRAGMENT, DEFINITION). Theymay be used to capture the spirit of the
subject or to make a point very quickly while grabbinf the readei's attention.
Efyoo kan reed thcs, thank
e teechur.
(Thc Wathingnz Parr, "Schools Suffer Through
a Bad
Spell," Nov. 17, l99O
19. The PARODY lead consists most frequently of a play on words of a wellkn-own-song, poem, quotation or book or motion pictureiitle, Should be used
only when the parody is appropriate and easily iecognized and not trite.
It had to be Yew.
The Nixon Center for Peace and Frcedom didn't want just any hcro, so it se lected
lre Kuan Yew, the senior ministe r of Singaporc. The center's second fuchitect of
the New Cenury award was prescnted to the legendary and conrroversial leader last
night
ac
the Four Seasons
Hotcl.
(Tlze \Yashington Porr, "singaporean Praise," Nov. 12, 1996)
Sufferin'succotash! That irrevcrent alpha coon, Bugs Bunny, has been reduced to a
sock-sniffing cfieerle.dcr in Michael Jordan's ego-tripping ispace Jam." And even
though the wacky wabbit shares top billing wirh His Airness,ihis ovcrly commercial
enterprise is almost as hareless as Jordant bald head. (Thc lYarhington Post,TomShales,
Nov. 15, l99O
DANA POINT, Cdif. If you build a bridge, rhey will come.
(\va$ington Times, "Building a red bridge to the Asian c€or'r/," Nov. lg,
1996)
Threescore and six years ago, in the riverbank town of Muscatine, Iowa,
a warehousc laborer named George long founded a semipro baseball t.am
and became its manager. Those Musetine Red Sox are still going suong...
(Sports
lllwtraud t99A
Minor Minor
on the wall Wo\ nost gifcL n, lifcd of us a//iA month after shc
turned 50, Linda Casey strerched out on a surgical tabie in a downtown lrashington
clinic. An inravcnous sedative dribbled into one arm and brighr lights rhon" on"
her face. working through incisions in her scalp, Sreven B. H-oppine scraped the
skin and underlying tissues of Casey's face away Fom the mus"Lr bJlo*. he rh.n
lifted and "redraped" them higher on her face, snipped off the extra skin with tiny
scissors and stapled shut the incisions. The surgcon;s mandare was ro rid Casey oi
her "turkey gobbler" neck (Tha lYashington Po* Health, Oct.29, |fl91
A rolling puck
ove
gathers no goals, bur an eager defenseman can spin his tcam into
Washingnn Po$"Tinordi Helps Caps Reboun d for 2-2 Tie," Nov. 20, 1996\
rtime. (Thc
Take mc out ro the bdlgamc,
Takc me out with thc crowd,
Buy me 1 comput€r with modem and rnouse,
I'm in the ballpark and yet in my house ...
(U,5. Nau &WorA Repor4 "The Grand Old Gamc, On rhe Inrerner,"July
I, 1996)
pARTICIpTfl lead begins with a verb ending in "ingf or.ed, in an
adjective phrase. It can incorporate both action and desc;pdon in the first
20. A
word. Use participle leads sparingly.
FERTILE' Minn.-Anchorcd
o thc windswept prairie by a grain clevator and
dead-cnd railroed road rrac.k, this town of 90b peoplc r...J.r rcmore from rhc
f1k qidc of cybcspacc as it is from thc lights of Timcr Square. (Tbe Nau Yorh Timq,
"On Minnesota Prison Compurcr, Filcs ro Makc parents iihir.r,; No". lg, l99O
a
leads should be used sparinglv'
21. PREDICTION and DEFINITION
Onedayearlyinthencxtcenuq|'sevcralpeoplewilllandonMars'TheywillPuton
under a pink sky' After this
spacesuis
""d
exhilarating
*";;rir;;vehiclc,
bou.ndinl
oi., ..d rocla
move into e cluster of habiram
d; *;;; Eurh il1billionr,"rh9l willmaking
scientific sudies, and then
there
living
y.*
already on ,ir..tiil'.li;iil;&;
wilicycle in. Bacf at home we will start to .*ke
they will ,.,urn ,o E**r. irro,h.i*"big witl have begun. (Newsucek, oct' 14, 1996)
the base ro, gr**J Nevertheless, t"*.;hl;;ry
prepositional phrase and provides
22. APREPOSITION lead begins with a
description.
onmylibraryshelfrestsashellfrgmthesouthSeas,banded,beaded,flutedand
and, closing my. eyes, I* -y fingen along its
fringed. rrr. .J., a"y, I took it down
what t f,cH in my had was proof that
rher
elegan*pir"l ;ii. ;#" ;JJ ii.*
Like the rose's
n through evolution.
living creaturer".r"lJ"., posibly"have arise
far .oo intricate and beautiful to havc
seems
ln.tt
Iu"n
bloom or ,h.
a
"
selecrion acring upon randgm genetic mutation-s, Process
i;;;;,
fashionefi;il;
bcen
skeptics dirp"r.il ;lhd il
c,'. (ThiI't'au
Yorh Timcs, Nov. 10,
l99O
a proper noun or name when that
23. A PROPER NOttN lead begins with
is the riost important part of the storv' Because
.ts";i;"ti*
il;;;;;
proper noun ,"uaTaoJi i*prv
ott Qq*.pgingly in feature writing'
"ttiott,
\TashamislTnow.Sheisbeaudful,withlongthickblondhairandtarglryf|
virginia and is a senior in high
eyes and ,,unninf ,rir.. sr,. lives in Northe-rn
"
lircraryhagazine and.apply-ing.to
school, r"Aglri-iri rJ.nr, L.di* of thc
Heather'
"
P; ;;ton and Northwestcrn' M Jgan's mother'
Her
much'
p[i'-:*
on
fi'
t"lla
"oll.g..-D.,im;;th,
Megan
who is my.;;;;ii;'[i:'that
daughter and
a normal
gor
t]i.y'r.
th.r
il
dad, Eric, *iil;[;J;h
Tenage that is-but
*i* a t..n"g.-d"nghte r-whatever
that they're ffi;;;;J1ie
it's wonderful.
(Thc|Y'ahingnnPorr,"RemoyingtheNoose,"BoCaldwell,Nov.l0,lgg6'\r14.)
AlgerHis,g2,theformerStateDepartmentofficialwhosclg50Periuryconviction
one of the most
g;i-;;f
abouc communist espionage activiry
" dramaric sPy cascs or mis cenrury, d'ied yesterdar at l*1-o1^Hill Hospitd
and
crlebrared
(Thc \Yashingtor Port, Nov. 15, l99o
for lying to
in
F*t
N*yo.t .-c" t"J.-'piryr.*".
usually of a:hgrt' snappy
24. The PUNCH or ASTONISHpR lead consists
Uylit.tf with the summary of ofher.facts in
sentence set off
ivhen the writer has one fact that is
iiT*
the secona
ii a;;"gtfiU
p"r"t"it.
"t"d
extremelY imPortant or starftmg'
and RidrardNixon
It hurts * bad. It ur.. o.K. whcn splro Agnew
"rhat
from Bob Dole, efur
to
hear
Bur
troubles:
their
for
bias
media
for him,
t,,..1vil:-6i-;,"Good-bye
all we did flor
to \flharever Man," Nov' 18. I99O
Something's
Something'swrong.here'. ^^
|
He hasn't touched his pack of Camels' He. has F.t
;;ffi
iffi
blamed liberd
r! c--^-..-^cLr^-L.^fF
fi:,tt:tt^t-lbJf,!.:ft*
*
.C;!:;d'uhi'J;i"-"h..:."*:!-'Xtll'-Tltll:::::,I;ll'l:
-"ffi."''tlT,T:T*,*:**;j1ilf#:ffi,',f
in thc
:i.*'n
awhisper,
in :'ffi
wotd."lt.:y:
r-li.g"n".d;niyr-"1{-h*."taredthef
tV.t*?s:T{T:ff
ilh. il"; *irh s,""" gu;Jmil (uiNov' l99O
ilTffi"ff:t"flfi;f"
fi;
It was the strangest of
this Brookrvn diner' and
games'
lT.pcnafties' 7 turnovcn and 4 overtimc
irloii'r*t "fr.;;, 68 poinu,
placc
;;id g;.il.i|" ,f,", *.r. .irl.a or nullificd by ncnalties, tuizone
i,n
i"
kicker Kevin Butt.,
,.a..irr.Jii-*f
Uy m.king
"
i2-yard field god with 33
I
s€conds left in overtime to give the Cardinals e37-34 victory over the
Redskins in front of 51,929 at RFK Sndium. (Thc Wafiington Pox,
"Cardind Passes for 522Yuds; Butler Kicks Field Goal ..,," Dave Sell, Nov. I l, 1996)
'Washingrcn
25. The old standby is the QUESTION lead. This should be the last resort.
They are usually banal and ask the obvious.
How can something as smdl as the nose rccognize the nearly infinite number of
smells in the world? ICs a question that has long mysdfied biologists. (Thc lVa$ington Post,
'Eiologr: Unraveling How the Nosc Knows," David Brown, Noy. 18, 1996, AZ)
If less than l0o/o of your cuslomers judged a product cffective and if seven out of l0
said they werc more confused than enlightened by iL you would drop ir, righd So, why
don't more companies drop thcir annud jobpcrformancc revicws?
(The \Yall Strcet Jounal, ulc's Time to Evaluate Your Vork, and All Involved fue Groaning,"
Timothy D, Schellhardr, Nov. 19, 1996)
26. A QUOTATION or DIRxcT QUOTATIoN lead begins with a quote from
the subject of the copy or photograph. It is used when what is said is more
striking or important than the person who made the statement. The direct
quotation should be revelatory or original.
\TASHINGTON
"I don't like ro deal," insists Senarc Majoriry lrader Trent
l,ott, rhe new GOP- strongman on Capiol Hill. "I like o get results."
(Thc Wall Strca Jounzl, Nov. 17, I 99O
Wbm you ere hanctting in yotrfeld and yott ouerhoh a shcaf do not go bach
it. Leaae it for thc alicn thc fathcrlcss and thc tuidaus, n that thi Lord
God nay bhss Tott in all tbc worh oflnw hanlr.
-Oeutero nomy 24:19
On a dreary Saturday morning in October, five would-bc apple pickers
gathered at the Potomac Gardens housin-g compleir in Sourheast lfashington,
bearing plastic bags and buckets for an after-thi-harvest harvest at Moori'ront
Orchards, 100 miles away in Orangc Counry, Ya. (Thc tYarhington post
to get
yow
"Rcaping After the Harvest," Chris Nguyen, Nov. I 4, 1996
27. ASUSPENDED IIITEREST lead consists of a group of words or phrases
that help to portray the setting or mood for a reader. Uied only when the
setting or-mood of an event is interesting of significant. This ii a general
q4_.gqry_tlqt_qay il4q49 ole of t!r9 other types of leads listed; for example,
ATMOSPHERE or DESCRIPTIVE leads.
TOKYO-Rie Fukushima took
a deep brcath of cold winter air, wrapped her year-old
daughter in a blanket and took the srcps she had been dreading-acron tL strier and
into the neighborhood park (Thc wa$ingun Pox, "Tokyo's Forbiddcn 'park Moms'
Daunt Ncwcomcrs," Nov, 18, l99O
'!flhat
you noticc first when you open The Family ofManafter 40 years is rhe urter
absencc of irony. Very strangp. Very, very srrange. No *py connadictions, no
lethargic-rescntment, nonc of the smoggr brainlock you've come to expect from
bools of photographs and all the other arts in America in rhe quarter century since
Vietnam. Strange, indeed. (Tln VahinEon Post, "Pictures Frbm Anothcr Planer,"
HenryAllen, Nov. 17, 1995, !f18.
a time element and often begins with
28. A TEMPORAL lead features
oas'or *since." Make sure that time is most important when
Gnii.,il*here,o
this lead is used.
Northern
Frorn rhe day Thomas Jefferson High School opened 11 ye.ars ago as an elite campus for
a
of
school
as
part
muc!
Virginia's brightest sruden*, e permissiveatq_rgsghere ht
lifel lascr h[s and ,up.r--pur. rs. (Thc Varhingnn Porr, Robe rc O'Harrow' Nov. I 0, I 996' B I )
kT
sEAfiLE
crisis.
-
More rhan 100 years ago, rhis ciry was in the grip of en economic
srcaling their jobs. And one violenc night,
thc entire chincse communiry, 350 peoplc, wa.rherdcd onto stearner ships bound
for San Francisco' (USA TODAI( Maria Puentc, Nov' 17, l99O
!7hite worken blamed immigrants for
MLAMI, Nov. l&*Almost rwo minutes before valuJet Flight 592 plunged into
rhc Everglades, irs passengers and crew knew theywere in serious trouble, and
on" -"r,-.".n ur.d hi, ."Ilul.r phone ro make one last cdl to his wife, according
to documents released here todey. (Thc Washingnn
Par4,
Nov' l9' I 996)
l8-fu they husded to esqrp€ the world's largcst refrrgee
camp last week, thousands of Rwandans left behind some of thcir most important
porisrions, their children . (Thc v'ashingtonPasr, "Families Fdl Apart on Road to
Rwanda," Nov. 19, l99O
GISENTI, Rwande, Nov.
WHAT TO DO NOW? GET ACQUATNTED WITH MODELS.
Begin reading the newspapers, newsmagazines and feature magazines in
your home and library.
. Find-an example of 20 types of leads. Cut each out a-nd neatly glue to a 3x5
card whiCh you will label using one of the 27 titlesgiven.
o Place them in an alphabetical collection of leads. Include the source of the
lead: publication, headline or title of article, author, date.
o