SHORTHAND PRACTICE-LEGAL OUTLINE WITH MATTER

 NOTES ON OUTLINES   � “being” “doing” “going” Do not use diphones, as the first vowel is deemed to be part of the non-vocalised short form, and therefore only the dot is required against the stroke Ing. � “coming” “giving” take dot Ing (not the normal stroke Ing for horizontals) to maintain legibility, as the short form does not contain the middle consonant.  � “into” The stroke En is deemed to be the short form “in” and so that stroke is not vocalised.  � “tick the” and the short vertical sign for “he” used only in middle or end of a phrase. Write “tick the” at sharpest angle.  � “on” and “but” are vertical, but are written with a slight right slope when “tick the” is added, to distinguish from “I”.  � “oneself” omits the hook N.  � “woman” and “women” are positioned according to the 2nd vowel, to provide distinction between them.  � “can’t” Such abbreviations for negatives with an apostrophe in longhand are always written as full outlines and f...

 

  As a shorthand writer * , it is easy to feel an instant affinity with the Egyptian scribes, who used a cursive form of hieroglyphic writing known as hieratic (priestly) and demotic (popular) for their ink writings. As well as papyrus, they wrote notes on plaster tablets * , which were like wax tablets, but instead with a thin coating of plaster on the wood that could be washed clean for reuse. They must have occasionally had stenographic ordeals like our own, as they attempted to get all of a speech or message down with no gaps. Did they prefer to keep a large supply of papyrus rolls and spare tablets to hand, or did some of the less conscientious ones get down to the end of the roll, only to be requested to take more notes with space rapidly running out? Did they keep on hand a supply of good quality ink cakes and reeds, or did some of them think they could get by with lumpy ink blocks and a blunt reed pen? And did the novice scribes ever have one of those days when the words re...

    I wonder how many thank you letters are sent nowadays. As children we had to be reminded to write them, especially as, to the child’s mind, yesterday is gone and today is much more important * . It was good training to remind ourselves of the generosity and friendship of others, even if we had to be coached through it. Maybe it is the thank you email *  or text message today, although the recipient of a thank you letter does have something to keep, which will resurface decades later, to the astonishment *  of the now adult sender * . The letters below are the ideal excuse to provide very short and simple sentences which means you have a few extra seconds at fairly close intervals to catch up. This does interfere slightly with the overall speed measurement, as more of it is blank seconds, but the purpose is easier writing and therefore neater shorthand.

1. “_____ her name Eliza?”  “No, _____ .” A) What / it isn’t           B) Is / she isn’                C) Is / it is not           D) Is / it isn’ 2. Is your surname Anderson?   A) Yes, you are.                B) Yes, it is                  C) Yes, I am.                  D) Yes, my is. 3. “Is she American?”  “No, _____ .” A) hers isn’t                B) she isn’t                 C) she is not                 D) she her isn’t 4. “____ their names Jack & Benny?”  “Yes, _____ .” A) Are / they are           B) Aren’t / there are      ...

ENGLISH STENO PASSAGE <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4957217951240873"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script> I met lots *  of old family members, now passed away, via the efforts of my uncles as youngsters taking up the new and exciting hobby of photography and home developing *  of the prints. I met a few children I ought to know very well *  but who now seemed rather distant. They were, in fact * , actually us as babies, toddlers and young ones, captured in our adventures by our ever present amateur photographers, always on the look-out for a snapping opportunity. There I was, smiling happily in my pram (baby carriage), being held by admiring grandparents, getting chased along a beach by someone with a bucket of seawater, and sitting on that wonderful tricycle in a stripy jumper. Yes, it certainly was me but not as anyone knows her now, she was a fresh unwritten sheet, entirely ...

It was a relief to have the fragile and creased ancient photos safely captured, and they could now be viewed on the screen without disturbing the originals. I also had the huge fun of digitally removing all the dirty marks and white creases from some of them * , keeping the edited version as a separate file, with the original scan untouched. I revisited all the early years holidays in Cornwall, Devon and Wales * . There was a large collection covering the years after our move to our present house, and a detailed record of the creation of the garden, from totally overgrown * , to almost park like perfection, a slow journey of path laying, trellis building, and shrub and apple tree planting, as well as several enlargements of the fish pond.   * Omission phrase "some (of) them" Note that "some other" uses doubling.   * "Wales" Special outline, to distinguish from place name "Wells" which uses the Wel stroke   * "overgrown "evergreen" ...