Visual Language - Back To Basics

We started by defining vital aspects of the English language:

Verb - A doing word.
Adverb - Describing a verb.
Noun - A place, name, thing or idea.
Pronoun - A function word in place of a noun.
Subjective Personal Pronoun - A pronoun that relates to people.
Adjective - A describing word.

Defining a Noun:
Late last year, our neighbours bought a goat. (3)
Fred Bates is a tutor. (2)

A sentence that includes all language techniques:
I worked quickly with Lewis, he was very ambitious.

We received an article in which we had to reduce it to 140 characters:
The oldest contestant, Wagner Carillho, has moved out of the X Factor house after complaining of a 'funny smell' and 'personal bad habits'.

We then had to reduce another article to 160 characters, for a quick post on an online site such as Twitter:
Fergie stays silent bout Rooney's future @ Man U, after not signing a new deal.  Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea & Man C are possible buyers if Man U decide to cash in.


These exercises, and a refreshing recap on the English language, have taught me how to shorten copy effectively to a short and precise statement.  This will be useful when shortening to key points when making room for imagery, or creating powerful captions.