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General Election
Contractions 1
Contractions 2
Contractions 3
Short Letters 4
General Election (15 May 2015)
I have just returned from casting my vote in the British General
Election. In a General Election every seat in the House of Commons is
contested. A month before election day, Parliament is dissolved, so that
officially there are no ministers, only candidates. Each candidate must
be nominated by 10 voters living in the constituency, who will be listed
on the nomination papers. In the months before the election, we will
have been watching a variety of Party Election Broadcasts on the
television, giving reasons why people should vote for them, and the
numbers of these are strictly controlled according to each party’s
electoral strength and number of candidates. Leaflets and posters will
have been distributed by the various parties to every household, so that
voters have full information on the candidates, with contact details if
they wish to inquire further. Some people will be using tactical voting
in order to* avoid* a disliked outcome, rather than voting for the person
who they want to be in government. Everyone involved hopes that the
turnout will be good and that all those entitled to vote do so, in order
to* accurately reflect the wishes of the electorate.
* "House of Commons" A common term
in the UK, but the abbreviation not so useful elsewhere
* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"
* "avoid" "evade" Always insert the
vowel
My name is on the electoral register or electoral roll, and so I am
entitled to use my vote to elect both the Member of Parliament for my
area and also, in the by-elections, choose who I wish to be my local
councillors. My polling station is a nearby school, but almost any
building can be used for this purpose, as long as it is accessible by
all the voters in the area. I really enjoyed voting day when I was at
school, as it meant a day off! I gave the polling clerk my name and
address, and he handed me my ballot paper listing all the candidates in
my constituency who are standing for election. I went into the private
booth and marked my chosen candidate with a pencilled cross next to the
name. I then folded the ballot paper and put it into the ballot box,
which is a secure locked metal box with a slit in the top.
The whole process is controlled by the presiding officer of each polling
station. Those who cannot attend to vote in person can either apply for
a postal vote, or nominate a proxy to vote on their behalf and both of
these are called an absentee ballot which have to be applied for some
weeks in advance of the election. Sometimes there are people outside the
polling station taking an exit poll, asking people who they voted for.
The polling stations close at 10 pm and then the counting of the votes
commences. If the results are very close, candidates can ask for a
recount and the returning officer, who controls the voting process in
the area, will make a decision on whether or not the*
ballot papers will
be recounted.
* Omission phrase "whether (or) not
the"
Tomorrow morning I will awake to find out whether my chosen person has
become my Member of Parliament, and which political party has gained the
majority of the seats. The safe seats, where the outcome is fairly
predictable, are not as interesting as the marginal constituencies,
where the gap in votes between the leading parties is very small. A
landslide is when one party wins by a large margin. A majority
government is one that has over half of the seats in the Commons and the
opposite situation is called a minority* government. Of the
non-governing parties, the one with the most seats is called the
Opposition. If no party has an overall majority, it is called a hung
Parliament. Such an outcome can result in coalition agreements between
parties, who agree to cooperate on certain issues.
* "minority" Outline shows modern pronunciation with diphthong, although
the dictionary gives third place dot
The British system is called "first past the post" (a term borrowed from
horse racing) which means that the candidate who gains the most votes
wins the seat. In the run-up to the election, candidates and their
supporters will have been travelling around the country canvassing and
raising their own profile in order to* gain additional support from the
voters. The party manifesto is a public declaration of the party’s
policies and promises to the voters on future actions. The Prime
Minister* will appoint various senior ministers into a group called the
Cabinet. Later on the Chancellor of the Exchequer* will announce his
budget, which is the government’s tax and spending plans. Eventually the
Queen will deliver the Queen’s Speech which sets out the new
government’s legislative programme for the coming session of Parliament,
and this is written by the government, not the Queen herself.
* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)"
"Prime (M)inister"
* "Chancellor of the Exchequer" A brief phrase for
this can be found at
www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/phrasing5-omission.htm
One last thing you might be interested to know about the current General
Election in Britain is exactly how I voted. I think I can trust you with
this highly personal and confidential information, which people
generally keep to themselves to avoid embarrassment, argument or
conflict. I did actually vote for Sir Isaac Pitman as my MP, which in my
books means Master of Phonography. This hard-working, honest and
tireless person is the one who laid the foundations for the employment
of hundreds of thousands of office workers and reporters over the past
almost two centuries. I believe his untiring efforts are still
contributing to people’s working lives and each day shorthand writers*
around the world are grateful to him for his part in their career
success. If you would permit me just a moment on my favourite soapbox, I
would like to propose three cheers for Sir Isaac! (919 words)
* Omission phrase "short(hand)
writers"
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Contractions 1 (21 May 2015)
This article practises the contractions and they are presented in
roughly the same order as the contractions page on the main website.
The entire list will be covered over several blogs. The majority of
contractions are formed by using the first two or three* consonants of
the word, exactly as one might do in longhand when there is no time to
write the full version. There are contractions for only certain versions
of the root word and the normal outlines for related words are also
listed on the contractions page.
* Omission phrase "two (or) three"
We are going to ADVERTISE the job on our website. We have ADVERTISED it
before but there were no replies. We may have to place an ADVERTISEMENT*
in the local paper for a CAPABLE person to do the job. They will need to
send us a copy of their CERTIFICATES and be of a hardworking and honest
CHARACTER. The CHARACTERISATION and portrayal of this type of person was
well written in the novel. The main CHARACTERISTIC required in this
product is durability in order*
for it*
to be a COMMERCIAL success. We are
convinced that this is a COMMERCIALLY viable business. We believe we
have successfully combined COMMERCIALISM with integrity. He gave away a
SUBSTANTIAL amount of his possessions. This report is SUBSTANTIALLY
different from the draft that we were sent last week*. The new proposals
are quite INSUBSTANTIAL and we will need to meet again to agree on
improvements.
* "advertisement" Note that "advert" is a normal outline, with a halved
Vr stroke
* "in order" R Hook and Doubling to
represent "order"
* "for it" Only the outline for
"if" is halved or doubled (if it, if there)
* Omission phrase "las(t w)eek"
I think the attorney will CROSS-EXAMINE the witness but I doubt that the
CROSS-EXAMINATION will bring any results. The man may just give a
DESCRIPTION of what happened. His descriptions* of the event were
different from what we saw ourselves. I have SUBSCRIBED to the monthly
newsletters from the sports website. When SUBSCRIBING you have to give
some of your details, but cancelling your SUBSCRIPTION is easy to do if
you change your mind later. We did not* find any DIFFICULTY in
UNSUBSCRIBING* from receiving emails* and promotions. The soldier
received his DISCHARGE from the armed* services. The man DISCHARGED his
duties cheerfully. The pipe was continually DISCHARGING contaminated
water into the river. At last* we have bought a simple ELECTRIC food
mixer from the ELECTRICAL department. The device is ELECTRICALLY charged
and must not be* touched. The ELECTRICITY supply to the shop was cut off
this morning. They had no ELECTRICITY for their machines and no
ELECTRICAL power to operate the office equipment.
* "descriptions" This plural does not use the contraction, to avoid
clashing with "discourse" which has a similar meaning
* "we did not" Not phrased, so it it is not
misread as "we do not"
* "unsubscribe" Not in dictionary
* "email" and "mail" Always insert the first vowel
* "armed" Ensure the Md is clear, as "army" would also make sense
* "at last" "at least" Always insert the
vowel
* Omission phrase "mus(t) not be"
The staff were not ENTHUSIASTIC about being given extra work to do. The
news was not ENTHUSIASTICALLY received. He worked ENTHUSIASTICALLY all
day, especially when he had met his target by midday. His ENTHUSIASM
spread to the other workers when they found out how much* bonus he
received. We must be* ESPECIALLY careful not to forget to take all the
papers to the meeting. It was an ESPECIAL honour to meet the chairman.
He should be addressed as John Smith ESQUIRE. He helped to ESTABLISH
this company many years ago. He ESTABLISHED our sister company overseas
as well. He said it had been hard work ESTABLISHING the new association.
The ESTABLISHMENT of the new sales department is now completed. To
DISESTABLISH means to withdraw status or recognition from an
ORGANISATION. We have managed to RE-ESTABLISH the wildlife in the
national park to its previous level. They have RE-ESTABLISHED their
reputation as providers of a very high quality service. The
RE-ESTABLISHMENT of the former conditions may take some time.
* "how much" Faster to include the M in the
phrase, and also helps to differentiate it from "how large"
*
Omission phrase "mus(t) be"
I would like to EXCHANGE these shoes for a different size. You will have
no difficulty in EXCHANGING your purchase for another item. When we met
we EXCHANGED phone numbers in order to* be able to contact each other in
the future. It is a matter of EXPEDIENCY that the accounts office has
been moved to another building. The INEXPEDIENCY of changing the working
hours has become clear over the past week. My EXPENDITURE on clothes
over the past month has increased enormously. Many of the items are
EXPENSIVE, because I believe the INEXPENSIVE items will not last very
long. This makes the so-called* INEXPENSIVE purchases more EXPENSIVE in
the long term. I am FAMILIAR with this type of work and I understand
that FAMILIARITY with the accounting system will be gained during
training. I am somewhat UNFAMILIAR with your accounting procedures at
present. I shall FAMILIARISE myself with everything when I arrive in
JANUARY. By FEBRUARY I will have finished my FAMILIARISATION with the
system. We have received the* FINANCIAL accounts for last
JANUARY and
FEBRUARY. The FINANCIAL future of the business is very promising. This
COMMERCIAL undertaking is FINANCIALLY insecure and needs to improve its
methods.
* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "we have (re)ceived the"
* "so-called" Not using short form, which cannot join here
It is the job of the elected GOVERNMENT to run the country for the
benefit of all. They have the power to GOVERN every aspect of the
affairs of the nation. These officials have been GOVERNING the area for
a long time*. Some felt that GOVERNMENTAL interference was not helping
them in their COMMERCIAL businesses. It was a wild UNGOVERNABLE country.
It had been MISGOVERNED by those only interested in their own gain. We
will be taking IMMEDIATE action to put this right. We will be holding a
meeting IMMEDIATELY in order to* discuss the situation. I am sure the
chairman will be quite IMPERTURBABLE when he faces all the difficult
questions*. We have INCORPORATED their views into the report. The report
has been written by an INDEPENDENT body of advisers. He bought the house
in order to* become INDEPENDENT. They will be attending the INDEPENDENCE
Day celebrations. The two parts of the machine work INDEPENDENTLY. A
KNOWLEDGE of mechanics is INDISPENSABLE for this job. If a worker is
INDISPENSABLE, he is likely to receive high wages. The INDIVIDUAL
portions were quite small. We will deal with each query INDIVIDUALLY,
until they are all resolved. They wrapped all the cakes INDIVIDUALLY as
they were quite soft and sticky.
* Omission phrases "for (a) long
time" "in ord(er to)"
* "questions" Optional contraction
I would like to INFORM you of a problem on your website. You were
INFORMED about it a month ago. We think that INFORMING the manager of
the situation would be the best course of action. An INFORMER told us
about what was going on at the newspaper office. He believed their
intention was to MISINFORM the general PUBLIC about the matter. The
authorities will now INSPECT the premises. I have INSPECTED the goods
and they are all in good condition. The manager will be INSPECTING the
rooms once the equipment has been installed. We have to RESPECT his
wishes in this matter. The officer RESPECTED the request from the
employees regarding the situation. The children were given their
RESPECTIVE rewards. John and Jane are ten and eight years old
RESPECTIVELY. They are a RESPECTABLE quiet family and they live in a
RESPECTABLE neighbourhood. The visitor was very RESPECTFUL when he was
invited into the man’s house. He did not want to show any DISRESPECT to
those who lived in the area.
He decided to go ahead IRRESPECTIVE of the DIFFICULTIES that seemed to
be everywhere. He EXPECTED to overcome everything. He was always
EXPECTING a good outcome. His friends were worried they might find out
that SOMETHING UNEXPECTED had happened to him. We admired the modern
ARCHITECTURE but noticed many IMPERFECTIONS in the surface of the paths.
These IMPERFECTIONS were very noticeable. We think that the ARCHITECT’S
instructions had been IMPERFECTLY carried out*. The buildings are
ARCHITECTURALLY important and must be* preserved despite their
IMPERFECTIONS. The society no doubt has plans to preserve the town’s
ARCHITECTURAL heritage for future generations* to enjoy. (1251 words)
* "carried out" Using halving for the T of "out"
* Omission phrase "mus(t) be"
* "generations" Optional
contraction
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Contractions 2 (30 May 2015)
Continuing our journey through the contractions, I hope you have all the
appropriate* OBJECTS in front of you, a good quality pad with margin,
and a pencil or pen. The OBJECTIVE is to read and write the matter
repeatedly until you know them all and can recall them instantly.
Knowing there is a contraction but not remembering it in time is a most
OBJECTIONABLE experience, and I think there will be no OBJECTION to my
suggestion that you continue to PRACTISE them. If you view it
OBJECTIVELY, it will get you to your goal, and that is the OBJECT of the
whole exercise. OBJECTIVITY is what is needed, and the PROSPECT of*
increasing your speed should make it easy to do. Like a person
PROSPECTING for gold, you will be searching every area for shorthand
opportunities. A PROSPECTIVE employer will want to know whether you can
keep up the writing at length without any gaps or errors. A PROSPECTUS
is a booklet issued by a college giving information on all of its
courses. PROSPECTIVE students will of course be reading it eagerly.
* "appropriate" Insert the diphone, and
the first vowel in "proper" as the outlines and
meanings are similar
* "prospect of" Avoid using the F hook for "of" as it would then look
like "prospective"
In RETROSPECT the students wished they had taken an additional subject,
but realised that RETROSPECTION was not going to be of great help. The
employees received RETROSPECTIVE rewards for their good PERFORMANCE last
year. The fact that* the wages were paid RETROSPECTIVELY was noted in
the report. I SUSPECT that this job will be changing next month*. The
report was just as I had SUSPECTED, too long and full of irrelevant
facts. They are always SUSPECTING the people who come into the building.
He had many UNSUSPECTED business talents with which to surprise his
colleagues. The family took great pleasure in giving the gifts to the
UNSUSPECTING children.
* Omission phrases "fac(t) that" ne(k)s(t mon)th
We have started a new PROJECT in our class. We always like it when new
PROJECTS come along. We have PROJECTED the figures into the next two
years. The PROJECTED forecast for sales made for exciting reading. We
realised that PROJECTING the sales figures ahead did carry some risks.
We should not NEGLECT to consider* other factors as well. NEGLECTING to
include an amount against possible future costs would be very risky. The
person who wrote the PROJECT report NEGLECTED to include the new sales
figures. The management were not NEGLECTFUL in their obligations to the
staff. Some other* companies had NEGLECTFULLY gone ahead with untested
and unrealistic ideas.
* Omission phrase "to (con)sider"
* "some other" Doubling to
represent "other"
It is the job of the judge to avoid PREJUDICE when considering the
cases. The man was PREJUDICED against any new employee who came to the
office. His views were very far from UNPREJUDICED. We believe our car
INSURANCE* is far too high. We shall be looking for another INSURANCE
company with lower fees. We believe the INSURANCE company has undertaken
REINSURANCE with another larger company in order to* minimise their
risks. We wish* to make an INVESTMENT in order to* safeguard our
savings. INVESTMENTS must be* very carefully considered*. The GOVERNMENT
has undertaken DISINVESTMENT in the area, by withdrawing support and
funding for some of the schemes. We believe that REINVESTMENT should be
considered* IMMEDIATELY to avoid problems with unemployment. It is most
IRRESPONSIBLE to withdraw support at this stage. The worker was highly
IRRESPONSIBLE in not informing us of the accident* immediately. Their
IRRESPONSIBILITY has caused* delays to our delivery schedule. A
RESPONSIBLE person does the right thing, but an IRRESPONSIBLE person
does not care about the results of their actions.
* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "mus(t) be" "carefully (con)sidered"
"should be (con)sidered"
* "insurance" It would be quicker to use the intersection Ns but full
outline is shown here in order to learn it
* "we wish" and "we shall" Write the Ish a little lower for "wish" so it
goes through the line
* "accident" Keep the K straight and outline high, so it does not look
like "incident" which has a similar meaning
* "caused" special outline, to differentiate it from "cost"
A substance that is MAGNETIC exerts an attraction or pulling power on
another OBJECT. MAGNETIC north is in a different position from true
north on planet Earth. The sales in the clothes shop exerted a MAGNETIC
influence on the shoppers. The students studied MAGNETISM in the physics
class. Both of the OBJECTS had become MAGNETICALLY charged through the
presence of a third MAGNETIC OBJECT. The MANUFACTURE of these goods has
a long history in the area. We have MANUFACTURED these machines since
the middle of last century. Are they able to MANUFACTURE the equipment
for us? The area has a lot of MANUFACTURING industry located in a small
area. The MANUFACTURER of these items has been trading here for the last
ten* years. Can you find a MANUFACTURER who can build the workshop for
us? The frame of the building was MANUFACTURED in our new factory
nearby.
* "ten" "eighteen" Essential to
always insert the vowels
She has always enjoyed MATHEMATICS* and is well on her way to becoming*
an excellent MATHEMATICIAN. He has done a lot of work on the
MATHEMATICAL equations for this PROJECT, although at first* he thought it
was MATHEMATICALLY impossible. MAXIMUM means the greatest or highest
amount, quantity or value that is possible. This is the MAXIMUM that we
are willing to pay for these goods. We are certainly not* going to go
over the MAXIMUM budget. Your MAXIMUM shorthand speed is the highest
that you can write at and still read back and if you can’t read it back,
it doesn’t count! Your MAXIMUM speed will change according to the
DIFFICULTY of the subject matter but constant PRACTISING will give it an
upwards trend.
* "to becoming" Based on the short form phrase "to
be"
* Omission phrase "at (fir)st"
*
"mathematics" The shorter words "maths" and "math" are
normal outlines, above the line and vocalised
* "certainly not" N Hook and
Halving to represent "not"
There is a MECHANICAL problem with this equipment. He enjoys building
MECHANICAL toys that perform various actions. He is very MECHANICALLY
minded and can always sort out any MECHANICAL problem. He has become the
Chief MECHANICAL Engineer for the METROPOLITAN Railway. METROPOLITAN
refers to the main city in an area, and comes from the Greek for mother
and city. A METROPOLITAN underground railway is often simply called the
metro in some cities. We have been able to take out a MORTGAGE with the
bank to buy the new house. When a property is MORTGAGED, it becomes
security against the repayment of a loan. We have MORTGAGED our house in
order to* secure another loan. MORTGAGING the property will incur great
risk to this business. Once a MORTGAGE is partly paid off, some people
REMORTGAGE in order to* purchase something larger or more EXPENSIVE.
* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"
We ordered the goods last NOVEMBER but only received them in JANUARY and
FEBRUARY. We think NOVEMBER will be our best month for sales of these
items. We NEVER go away in NOVEMBER*
as the weather is too cold. I NEVER enjoy the cold and I NEVER miss going out on a hot day. NEVERMORE means
NEVER again and is a slightly archaic or poetic version of this phrase.
The history of the area has been lost, NEVERMORE to be passed on to
future generations*. The sailors left the harbour, NEVERMORE to return to
their homeland. The longhand is written separately when the "more"
belongs with the next word, resulting in a different meaning, and the
shorthand should reflect this as well: I am NEVER more contented than
when I am doing shorthand.
* "November" Put in the cap marks,
if necessary to avoid it being misread as "never"
* "generations" Optional
contraction
We are going to ORGANISE a trip to the coast. We ORGANISED one last year
which was a great success. They are ORGANISING a large event at the
conference centre. He always ORGANISES his notes before he starts to
write the report. This ORGANISATION employs about twenty workers in the
main office. It is an ORGANISATIONAL nightmare to get everyone in the
right place at the right time. We should consider bringing in a
professional ORGANISER who can do this job for us. I have REORGANISED
the stationery* store, which had become very
DISORGANISED. He is a very
DISORGANISED person who is always losing his paperwork. The definition
of INORGANISATION is a lack of ORGANISATION. The INORGANISATION of this
office astounds me and I insist that all the filing cabinets are
properly* ORGANISED by a CAPABLE person. The pile of papers was
UNORGANISED but we will be able to sort it out within a few hours.
UNORGANISED means that the items have never been sorted, and
DISORGANISED means that any former semblance of order has been removed,
disrupted or destroyed. As a dedicated* shorthand writer* I am quite sure
you have no idea whatever of ever being DISORGANISED with your shorthand
materials and notes. (1323 words)
* "stationery" To remember the spellings,
stationERy is papER, and a cAR is stationARy
* "properly" Insert the first vowel, and the
diphone in "appropriately" as theyu are similar in outline and
meaning
* "dedicated" "educated"
"deducted" All these need their vowels, underlined, to
differentiate
* Omission phrase "short(hand)
writer"
Top of page
Contractions 3 (31 May 2015)
I hope* your revision of the contractions is resulting in more confident
writing. By now shorthand is no longer* a PECULIAR writing system and
the former PECULIARITIES are now just a normal way to write
EFFICIENTLY*. You have left behind the PECULIARITIES of longhand, at
least* for the moment, until you come to transcribe*. Your PERFORMANCE
during writing is surely much better than before. When as children we
made a fuss it was called making a PERFORMANCE, but I think that by now
any PERFORMANCES are useful and effective instead. An actor or actress*
is called a PERFORMER, and someone who fails to do what they should,
might be accused of NON-PERFORMANCE of their duties. They have not
PERFORMED the actions that they were supposed to. An action that can be
done is called PERFORMABLE. Let’s* hope there are no fussing
"PERFORMANCES" when a dictation has more than the usual amount of
contractions and new words, and that the PERFORMANCE of the task is an
easy and effortless one.
* Omission phrase "I (h)ope"
* "longer" Downward L in order to join in the phrase
* "efficiently" You can add an L stroke to any contraction if felt
necessary for clarity, either joined or disjoined
* "at least" and "at last" Always insert the vowel
* "transcribe" Omits the R, to help
differentiate from "describe"
* Add the vowel in "actress" so it is not misread as "actors".
Some "-ess" outlines use stroke S to avoid this, in those cases
where the suffix adds another syllable e.g. "manageress"
* "Let's" Wavy line underneath as a reminder it is the apostrophied
version, as even with the vowel it could still be read as "let us"
The REFORMS were put into action IMMEDIATELY, and a report was compiled
of those laws that have been REFORMED in the last twelve months.
REFORMERS are keen to change things and we hope that their REFORMS are
for the benefit of all those who live here. If you form something, and
then change its form, it is called REFORMING, which has a different
first vowel and does not use the contraction. If something is
PERPENDICULAR, this means that it is upright* or in a vertical position,
or in geometry at right-angles* to a horizontal plane. It comes from the
Latin for hang, balance or weigh, and can also be seen in the word
pendulum. The PERPENDICULAR style of ARCHITECTURE can be seen in the
ENGLISH Gothic style of the sixteenth century. The wooden beams were
positioned PERPENDICULARLY along the north edge of the foundations.
* Omission phrase "we (h)ope"
* "upright, right-angles" Ray is only halved when there are other
strokes in the outline. If you wrote "upright" with full R and T, it
could be mistaken for the contraction "perpendicular" when written at
speed, which has the same meaning
I think by now you will be fairly FAMILIAR with the outline for
PRACTICE, as it is one that is essential to any shorthand article. It is
interesting that it derives ultimately from the Greek for "do". I have
been PRACTISING my writing skills every day, and the list of UNPRACTISED
words is getting very much* shorter. It is not PRACTICABLE to actually
write whilst on the bus so I read instead. The PRACTICABILITY of
accomplishing all these tasks in a short time* is something that we shall
have to look into. The people applying* for this job had to attend
PRELIMINARY interviews, and not all of them will make it onto the
shortlist. The scientist’s PRELIMINARY experiments provided the
information to help him decide on the best methods of INVESTIGATION.
These athletes have won the PRELIMINARIES and will now go on to the main
races.
* Omission phrase "short (t)ime" This phrases
takes advantage of the T sound already present in "short" to remain
readable
* "very much" Faster to include the
M in the phrase, and also helps distinguish from "very large"
*
"applying" Not using a triphone, as the "I" sound is included in the
Dot Ing
It is PROBABLE that some of the contractions will occur in the next
shorthand dictation that you take. You will PROBABLY know most of them
by then and the PROBABILITY of suffering hesitations and gaps is rapidly
diminishing. It is quite IMPROBABLE that this employee made such a
mistake, but it is highly PROBABLE that it was the new assistant, who
has not yet been trained. I am PROBABLY going to be away from the office
in June. I will PROBABLY be travelling to America. The PROBABILITY is
that we shall be flying direct this time, and we will PROBABLY arrive in
the early evening.
The PROPORTION of employees taking up this offer has been quite high.
They have been spending money quite out of PROPORTION to their FINANCIAL
position. The extent of this PROJECT has to be* kept in PROPORTION to
the amount of funds that can be allocated to it. The new truck is of
gigantic PROPORTIONS and will certainly do the job very quickly. All
their problems seemed to be out of PROPORTION to the original mistake
that was made. The word PROPORTIONATE means the same as "in PROPORTION
to". Our monthly spending on clothes is PROPORTIONATE to our disposable
monthly income. At the meeting there was a DISPROPORTIONATE amount of
time spent discussing irrelevant issues. The wages were
DISPROPORTIONATELY high, considering the little work that was done.
Shorthand success will be in direct PROPORTION to the amount and quality
of time spent PRACTISING.
* "has to be" The similar "is to be" is best written as two separate
outlines thus keeping all the short forms in position
The PUBLIC gathered in large numbers outside the council offices. The
report will be made PUBLIC in about two weeks’* time. The business has
decided to announce PUBLICLY their proposed plans for this site. They
will PUBLISH a report on the matter* before the next meeting. I have
PUBLISHED* two books on the subject of gardening. I will be PUBLISHING
another one in the spring of next year. This book is not PUBLISHABLE at
present as it needs a lot more editing and checking of the facts. The
PUBLICATION was mailed to everyone who had expressed an interest in the
company. She worked as PUBLICATIONS Manager* for several years and is
now head of the PUBLISHING Department.
* Omission phrases "two wee(k)s" "on (the) matter"
* "published" The contraction
should be avoided and written in all full strokes (P+B+L+UpIsh+T) when
used as an adjective, to avoid clashing with "public" e.g. "This is a
copy of the published/public report"
* "manager" You can intersect stroke M for "manager" but it would be unclear
written through the shun hook
The PUBLISHER of my book has advised me to REPUBLISH my sports history
series. It has been REPUBLISHED with new photos* and more information.
The same shorthand outline is used for REPUBLIC but as that is a noun,
it is unlikely to clash. A REPUBLIC is a country ruled by an elected
government or REPRESENTATIVES of the people, and not by a monarch. A
REPUBLIC and a democracy are similar in meaning. The REPUBLICAN Party in
that country won the election and it is clear that REPUBLICANISM is on
the rise.
* "photos" Vowel inserted to prevent it being misread as "facts" which
would also make sense in this context
The accounts department have drawn up a list of RECOVERABLE debts. We
are glad to hear that these RECOVERABLE losses are in the process of
being reclaimed. The patient is RECOVERABLE and will be back home in
about two weeks*. They think their reputation is RECOVERABLE but it is
going to be hard work to convince the general PUBLIC. They suffered
IRRECOVERABLE losses due to the effects of the storms. These
IRRECOVERABLE debts will just have to be written off. There was an
IRRECOVERABLE breakdown of trust between the management and the workers.
Some of the union REPRESENTATIVES did however believe that confidence in
each other was RECOVERABLE. The computer had UNRECOVERABLE file and disk
errors caused by the power failures.
* Omission phrase "two wee(k)s"
I like to take REGULAR exercise, and I REGULARLY go for a walk in the
park. The garden has an IRREGULAR shape with a large triangular lawn at
the back. He made IRREGULAR trips to the local shops, in between his
visits to the big supermarket. Her behaviour is very IRREGULAR and does
not conform to EXPECTED standards. These accounts are highly IRREGULAR
and have not been drawn up accurately or carefully. I am going to
appoint a REPRESENTATIVE from the accountancy firm to deal with them. I
have REPRESENTED my firm at the conference for the last five years. I
shall be REPRESENTING the football club at the council meeting next
week*. Our REPRESENTATIVE will be calling on you to give a quote for the
windows. They made a REPRESENTATION to the government with their new
proposals. UNFORTUNATELY* our aims have been MISREPRESENTED and we are
enclosing a more accurate report of our plans. These figures are
UNREPRESENTATIVE of the normal level of profits for this period of the
year.
* Omission phrase "ne(k)s(t w)eek"
* "Unfortunately" Optional
contraction
We are RESPONSIBLE for our own future and we take full RESPONSIBILITY
for formulating our own plans. They asked who was RESPONSIBLE for all
this damage to the fences. We are looking for a RESPONSIBLE person to
employ as a guard. His responsibilities* have been set out and described
in the letter that we sent to him. What is your response to this list of
items that need IMMEDIATE attention? The responses we received to the
ADVERTISEMENT were very encouraging. He made a SENSIBLE offer on the
house which was accepted straight away. I am glad the children have
acted SENSIBLY and reported this matter to the authorities. The rude
reply they received offended their SENSIBILITIES. The visitors acted
INSENSIBLY when they were in their friend’s house. The items are in good
condition and should attract SENSIBLE offers from the buyers. (1347
words)
* "responsibilities" The
contraction is only used for the singular
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Short Letters 4 (31 May 2015)
These short letters are intended to help speed up your writing. There is
no special vocabulary and as you know that the end is not far away you
are less likely to get discouraged on a fast attempt. If you print them
out and write over the top of the shorthand in pencil many times, you
can get quite a high speed but it is important to speak the words to
yourself as you go and not just copy the shapes without thinking. If you
do several passages in one session there will be less temptation to
memorise them and then when you come back to them later on you may be
pleasantly* surprised at the speed increase that is possible. These count
as easy successes but that confidence can be carried over into other
more difficult passages, as it will have proved to you that your hand
can actually write fast just as long as the mind can supply the correct
outlines at the rate required. (167 words)
* "pleasantly" "pleasingly"
Helpful to insert the vowels, as these are similar in outline and meaning
Each paragraph below is 150 words, so writing one in 90 seconds will be
100wpm:
Dear Mr Short*, I am writing to let you know that our staff have now
moved back into the offices which you have been working on for us for
the last month. They are very pleased indeed* with their new workplace,
and everyone has said how much better it will be for them, and how it
will improve their working days. They are especially pleased with the
higher light levels provided by the larger windows, new light fittings
and automatic blinds. We think that the decision to make these changes
will make a great difference to our business dealings, especially when
our customers visit our new comfortable and modern premises, and we
believe that this is money very well* spent. We will soon be discussing
the possibility of renewing our other offices and hopefully we can work
together on that at some future date. Yours sincerely*, James Long,
Managing Director (150 words)
* "Short" Short forms are not used for names,
except for Child, Gold and Short which must be vocalised
* Omission phrase "very pleas(ed) indeed". "very (w)ell" can stand
without the W sign quite reliably, "Yours (sin)cerely"
Dear Mr Long, First of all* I would like to thank you for writing to us
regarding the work that we recently carried out*
for you at your
premises. We are pleased to hear that your staff are delighted with the
changes to their offices. We believe the replacement windows and blinds,
and the new air conditioning, will make a big difference to their
comfort, especially as the building is now much brighter and warmer than
it was before. We think you will find that your heating bills will also
be lower. There is still some work to do in the store rooms but we think
that we shall have this finished by the end of the month. We will be
sending our final*
invoice to you shortly. If you have any questions*
regarding the work, please do not hesitate to contact me immediately.
Yours sincerely*, Terence Short*, Building Manager. (150 words)
* Omission phrase "First (of) all"
"Yours (sin)cerely"
* "carried out " Halving to
represent the T of "out"
* "final" Helpful to insert the
diphthong, and the first vowel of "official", as these are similar and
either would make sense in many contexts
* "questions" Optional contraction
* "Short" Short forms are not used for names,
except for Child, Gold and Short which must be vocalised
Dear Gardener, I hope that you are* enjoying the summer weather that we
have had recently. As the spring flowers fade, you may find some gaps
appearing that need to be filled, in order to* keep your garden beautiful
throughout the rest of the year, and with this in mind I have pleasure
in enclosing a voucher which you can use at any of our three garden
centres. Just present the voucher at the till to get your discount, or
quote the discount promotion code if you prefer to order online. This
month* we have a great range of summer flowering perennials available at
our centres, and if you buy now they will have time to settle in before
the drier weather arrives. Don’t forget, our plant ordering service is
able to locate that special plant for you direct from our growers around
the country. With best wishes*, Jane Green (150 words)
* Omission phrases "I (h)ope that you are" "in ord(er to)" "this (mon)th" Ith can
be intersected for "month" or joined as here
* "best wishes" Ish written upwards in order to join
Dear Shareholder*, I am writing to let you know* of our schedule of
meetings for this year. We have many changes happening this year and we
want you to have the opportunity to attend these meetings and take part*
in the discussions and decisions that will be made. This month* we are
voting in new members of the Board, and attached to this letter*
is a
report on those who are standing for office, as well as a list of dates
and venues for the meetings. If you wish to attend, it would be most
helpful if you could let us know up to two weeks* before each date,
either by post or online, for catering purposes. The past year* has been
a very successful one for us and our speakers are looking forward* to
reporting on past achievements and future opportunities. I look forward*
to seeing you. Yours sincerely* (150 words) (767 total words)
* "Shareholder" L can only be doubled for "-der -ther"
if the outline has prior strokes as well
* "let you know" The U is written
on its side here so that the N stroke can join, but would normally be
the right way up in "let you"
* "part" Only hooked for convenience in common phrases,
otherwise use full strokes, likewise "park"
* "this letter" Downward L in order
to join the phrase
* Omission phrases "this (mon)th" "two wee(k)s" "pas(t) year"
"looking for)ward" "look fo(r)ward" "Yours (sin)cerely"
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