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2015 May p1 A of 21Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand 2015 May p1 B of 21Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand

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2 General Election

5 Contractions 1

9 Contractions 2

14 Contractions 3

19 Short Letters 4

PDF Date: 8 July 2020

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General Election

I have just returned from casting my votein the British General Election. In a GeneralElection every seat in the House ofCommons is contested. A month beforeelection day, Parliament is dissolved, sothat officially there are no ministers, onlycandidates. Each candidate must benominated by 10 voters living in theconstituency, who will be listed on thenomination papers. In the months beforethe election, we will have been watching avariety of Party Election Broadcasts on thetelevision, giving reasons why peopleshould vote for them, and the numbers ofthese are strictly controlled according toeach party’s electoral strength and numberof candidates. Leaflets and posters willhave been distributed by the variousparties to every household, so that voters

have full information on the candidates,with contact details if they wish to inquirefurther. Some people will be using tacticalvoting in order to* avoid* a dislikedoutcome, rather than voting for the personwho they want to be in government.Everyone involved hopes that the turnoutwill be good and that all those entitled tovote do so, in order to* accurately reflectthe wishes of the electorate.

* "House of Commons" A common term inthe UK, but the abbreviation not so usefulelsewhere

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

* "avoid" "evade" Always insert the vowel

General Election

My name is on the electoral register orelectoral roll, and so I am entitled to usemy vote to elect both the Member ofParliament for my area and also, in theby-elections, choose who I wish to be mylocal councillors. My polling station is anearby school, but almost any building canbe used for this purpose, as long as it isaccessible by all the voters in the area. Ireally enjoyed voting day when I was at

school, as it meant a day off! I gave thepolling clerk my name and address, and hehanded me my ballot paper listing all thecandidates in my constituency who arestanding for election. I went into theprivate booth and marked my chosencandidate with a pencilled cross next to thename. I then folded the ballot paper andput it into the ballot box, which is a securelocked metal box with a slit in the top.



General Election

The whole process is controlled by thepresiding officer of each polling station.Those who cannot attend to vote in personcan either apply for a postal vote, ornominate a proxy to vote on their behalfand both of these are called an absenteeballot which have to be applied for someweeks in advance of the election.Sometimes there are people outside thepolling station taking an exit poll, asking

people who they voted for. The pollingstations close at 10 pm and then thecounting of the votes commences. If theresults are very close, candidates can askfor a recount and the returning officer, whocontrols the voting process in the area, willmake a decision on whether or not the*ballot papers will be recounted.

* Omission phrase "whether (or) not the"

General Election

Tomorrow morning I will awake to find outwhether my chosen person has become myMember of Parliament, and which politicalparty has gained the majority of the seats.The safe seats, where the outcome is fairlypredictable, are not as interesting as themarginal constituencies, where the gap invotes between the leading parties is verysmall. A landslide is when one party winsby a large margin. A majority governmentis one that has over half of the seats in theCommons and the opposite situation is

called a minority* government. Of the non-governing parties, the one with the mostseats is called the Opposition. If no partyhas an overall majority, it is called a hungParliament. Such an outcome can result incoalition agreements between parties, whoagree to cooperate on certain issues.

* "minority" Outline shows modernpronunciation with diphthong, although thedictionary gives third place dot



General Election

The British system is called "first past thepost" (a term borrowed from horse racing)which means that the candidate who gainsthe most votes wins the seat. In the run-upto the election, candidates and theirsupporters will have been travelling aroundthe country canvassing and raising theirown profile in order to* gain additionalsupport from the voters. The partymanifesto is a public declaration of theparty’s policies and promises to the voterson future actions. The Prime Minister* willappoint various senior ministers into agroup called the Cabinet. Later on theChancellor of the Exchequer* will announce

his budget, which is the government’s taxand spending plans. Eventually the Queenwill deliver the Queen’s Speech which setsout the new government’s legislativeprogramme for the coming session ofParliament, and this is written by thegovernment, not the Queen herself.

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "Prime(M)inister"

* "Chancellor of the Exchequer" A briefphrase for this can be found atwww.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/phrasing5-omission.htm

General Election

One last thing you might be interested toknow about the current General Election inBritain is exactly how I voted. I think I cantrust you with this highly personal andconfidential information, which peoplegenerally keep to themselves to avoidembarrassment, argument or conflict. I didactually vote for Sir Isaac Pitman as my MP,which in my books means Master ofPhonography. This hard-working, honestand tireless person is the one who laid thefoundations for the employment of

hundreds of thousands of office workersand reporters over the past almost twocenturies. I believe his untiring efforts arestill contributing to people’s working livesand each day shorthand writers* aroundthe world are grateful to him for his part intheir career success. If you would permitme just a moment on my favourite soapbox,I would like to propose three cheers for SirIsaac! (919 words)

* Omission phrase "short(hand) writers"



Contractions 1

This article practises the contractions andthey are presented in roughly the sameorder as the contractions page on the mainwebsite. The entire list will be covered overseveral blogs. The majority of contractionsare formed by using the first two or three*consonants of the word, exactly as onemight do in longhand when there is no time

to write the full version. There arecontractions for only certain versions of theroot word and the normal outlines forrelated words are also listed on thecontractions page.

* Omission phrase "two (or) three"

Contractions 1

We are going to advertise the job on ourwebsite. We have advertised it before butthere were no replies. We may have toplace an advertisement* in the local paperfor a capable person to do the job. Theywill need to send us a copy of theircertificates and be of a hardworking andhonest character. The characterisation andportrayal of this type of person was wellwritten in the novel. The maincharacteristic required in this product isdurability in order* for it* to be acommercial success. We are convinced thatthis is a commercially viable business. Webelieve we have successfully combinedcommercialism with integrity. He gaveaway a substantial amount of his

possessions. This report is substantiallydifferent from the draft that we were sentlast week*. The new proposals are quiteinsubstantial and we will need to meetagain to agree on improvements.

* "advertisement" Note that "advert" is anormal outline, with a halved Vr stroke

* "in order" R Hook and Doubling torepresent "order"

* "for it" Only the outline for "if" is halvedor doubled (if it, if there)

* Omission phrase "las(t w)eek"



Contractions 1

The staff were not enthusiastic about beinggiven extra work to do. The news was notenthusiastically received. He workedenthusiastically all day, especially when hehad met his target by midday. Hisenthusiasm spread to the other workerswhen they found out how much* bonus hereceived. We must be* especially carefulnot to forget to take all the papers to themeeting. It was an especial honour to meetthe chairman. He should be addressed asJohn Smith esquire. He helped to establishthis company many years ago. Heestablished our sister company overseas aswell. He said it had been hard workestablishing the new association. The

establishment of the new sales departmentis now completed. To disestablish means towithdraw status or recognition from anorganisation. We have managed to re-establish the wildlife in the national park toits previous level. They have re-establishedtheir reputation as providers of a very highquality service. The re-establishment of theformer conditions may take some time.

* "how much" Faster to include the M in thephrase, and also helps to differentiate itfrom "how large"

* Omission phrase "mus(t) be"

Contractions 1

I think the attorney will cross-examine thewitness but I doubt that the cross-examination will bring any results. The manmay just give a description of whathappened. His descriptions* of the eventwere different from what we saw ourselves.I have subscribed to the monthlynewsletters from the sports website. Whensubscribing you have to give some of yourdetails, but cancelling your subscription iseasy to do if you change your mind later.We did not* find any difficulty inunsubscribing* from receiving emails* andpromotions. The soldier received hisdischarge from the armed* services. Theman discharged his duties cheerfully. Thepipe was continually dischargingcontaminated water into the river. At last*we have bought a simple electric foodmixer from the electrical department. Thedevice is electrically charged and must notbe* touched. The electricity supply to theshop was cut off this morning. They had no

electricity for their machines and noelectrical power to operate the officeequipment.

* "descriptions" This plural does not usethe contraction, to avoid clashing with

"discourse" which has a similar meaning

* "we did not" Not phrased, so it it is notmisread as "we do not"

* "unsubscribe" Not in dictionary

* "email" and "mail" Always insert the firstvowel

* "armed" Ensure the Md is clear, as "army"would also make sense

* "at last" "at least" Always insert thevowel

* Omission phrase "mus(t) not be"



Contractions 1

I would like to exchange these shoes for adifferent size. You will have no difficulty inexchanging your purchase for another item.When we met we exchanged phonenumbers in order to* be able to contacteach other in the future. It is a matter ofexpediency that the accounts office hasbeen moved to another building. Theinexpediency of changing the workinghours has become clear over the past week.My expenditure on clothes over the pastmonth has increased enormously. Many ofthe items are expensive, because I believethe inexpensive items will not last very long.This makes the so-called* inexpensivepurchases more expensive in the long term.I am familiar with this type of work and Iunderstand that familiarity with the

accounting system will be gained duringtraining. I am somewhat unfamiliar withyour accounting procedures at present. Ishall familiarise myself with everythingwhen I arrive in January. By February I willhave finished my familiarisation with thesystem. We have received the* financialaccounts for last January and February. Thefinancial future of the business is verypromising. This commercial undertaking isfinancially insecure and needs to improveits methods.

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "wehave (re)ceived the"

* "so-called" Not using short form, whichcannot join here

Contractions 1

It is the job of the elected government torun the country for the benefit of all. Theyhave the power to govern every aspect ofthe affairs of the nation. These officialshave been governing the area for a longtime*. Some felt that governmentalinterference was not helping them in theircommercial businesses. It was a wildungovernable country. It had beenmisgoverned by those only interested intheir own gain. We will be taking immediateaction to put this right. We will be holding ameeting immediately in order to* discussthe situation. I am sure the chairman willbe quite imperturbable when he faces allthe difficult questions*. We haveincorporated their views into the report.The report has been written by anindependent body of advisers. He bought

the house in order to* become independent.They will be attending the independenceDay celebrations. The two parts of themachine work independently. A knowledgeof mechanics is indispensable for this job. Ifa worker is indispensable, he is likely toreceive high wages. The individual portionswere quite small. We will deal with eachquery individually, until they are allresolved. They wrapped all the cakesindividually as they were quite soft andsticky.

* Omission phrases "for (a) long time" "inord(er to)"

* "questions" Optional contractionuestions"Optional contraction



Contractions 1

I would like to INFORM you of a problem onI would like to inform you of a problem onyour website. You were informed about it amonth ago. We think that informing themanager of the situation would be the bestcourse of action. An informer told us aboutwhat was going on at the newspaper office.He believed their intention was tomisinform the general public about thematter. The authorities will now inspect thepremises. I have inspected the goods andthey are all in good condition. The managerwill be inspecting the rooms once the

equipment has been installed. We have torespect his wishes in this matter. Theofficer respected the request from theemployees regarding the situation. Thechildren were given their respectiverewards. John and Jane are ten and eightyears old respectively. They are arespectable quiet family and they live in arespectable neighbourhood. The visitor wasvery respectful when he was invited intothe man’s house. He did not want to showany disrespect to those who lived in thearea.

Contractions 1

He decided to go ahead irrespective of thedifficulties that seemed to be everywhere.He expected to overcome everything. Hewas always expecting a good outcome. Hisfriends were worried they might find outthat something unexpected had happenedto him. We admired the modernarchitecture but noticed manyimperfections in the surface of the paths.These imperfections were very noticeable.We think that the architect’s instructionshad been imperfectly carried out*. Thebuildings are architecturally important and

must be* preserved despite theirimperfections. The society no doubt hasplans to preserve the town’s architecturalheritage for future generations* to enjoy.(1251 words)

* "carried out" Using halving for the T of"out"

* Omission phrase "mus(t) be"

* "generations" Optional contraction



Contractions 2

Continuing our journey through thecontractions, I hope you have all theappropriate* objects in front of you, a goodquality pad with margin, and a pencil orpen. The objective is to read and write thematter repeatedly until you know them alland can recall them instantly. Knowingthere is a contraction but not rememberingit in time is a most objectionableexperience, and I think there will be noobjection to my suggestion that youcontinue to practise them. If you view itobjectively, it will get you to your goal, andthat is the object of the whole exercise.Objectivity is what is needed, and theprospect of* increasing your speed shouldmake it easy to do. Like a person

prospecting for gold, you will be searchingevery area for shorthand opportunities. Aprospective employer will want to knowwhether you can keep up the writing atlength without any gaps or errors. Aprospectus is a booklet issued by a collegegiving information on all of its courses.Prospective students will of course bereading it eagerly.

* "appropriate" Insert the diphone, and thefirst vowel in "proper" as the outlines andmeanings are similar

* "prospect of" Avoid using the F hook for"of" as it would then look like "prospective"

Contractions 2

In retrospect the students wished they hadtaken an additional subject, but realisedthat retrospection was not going to be ofgreat help. The employees receivedretrospective rewards for their goodperformance last year. The fact that* thewages were paid retrospectively was notedin the report. I suspect that this job will bechanging next month*. The report was justas I had suspected, too long and full of

irrelevant facts. They are always suspectingthe people who come into the building. Hehad many unsuspected business talentswith which to surprise his colleagues. Thefamily took great pleasure in giving thegifts to the unsuspecting children.

* Omission phrases "fac(t) that" ne(k)s(tmon)th



Contractions 2

We have started a new project in our class.We always like it when new projects comealong. We have projected the figures intothe next two years. The projected forecastfor sales made for exciting reading. Werealised that projecting the sales figuresahead did carry some risks. We should notneglect to consider* other factors as well.Neglecting to include an amount againstpossible 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 intheir obligations to the staff. Some other*companies had neglectfully gone aheadwith untested and unrealistic ideas.

* Omission phrase "to (con)sider"

* "some other" Doubling to represent"other"

Contractions 2It is the job of the judge to avoid prejudicewhen considering the cases. The man wasprejudiced against any new employee whocame to the office. His views were very farfrom unprejudiced. We believe our carinsurance* is far too high. We shall belooking for another insurance company withlower fees. We believe the insurancecompany has undertaken reinsurance withanother larger company in order to*minimise their risks. We wish* to make aninvestment in order to* safeguard oursavings. Investments must be* verycarefully considered*. The government hasundertaken disinvestment in the area, bywithdrawing support and funding for someof the schemes. We believe thatreinvestment should be considered*immediately to avoid problems withunemployment. It is most irresponsible towithdraw support at this stage. The workerwas highly irresponsible in not informing usof the accident* immediately. Their

irresponsibility has caused* delays to ourdelivery schedule. A responsible persondoes the right thing, but an irresponsibleperson does not care about the results oftheir actions.

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "mus(t)be" "carefully (con)sidered" "should be(con)sidered"

* "insurance" It would be quicker to usethe intersection Ns but full outline is shownhere in order to learn it

* "we wish" and "we shall" Write the Ish alittle lower for "wish" so it goes through theline

* "accident" Keep the K straight and outlinehigh, so it does not look like "incident"which has a similar meaning

* "caused" special outline, to differentiate itfrom "cost"



Contractions 2

A substance that is magnetic exerts anattraction or pulling power on anotherobject. Magnetic north is in a differentposition from true north on planet Earth.The sales in the clothes shop exerted amagnetic influence on the shoppers. Thestudents studied magnetism in the physicsclass. Both of the objects had becomemagnetically charged through the presenceof a third magnetic object. Themanufacture of these goods has a longhistory in the area. We have manufacturedthese machines since the middle of last

century. Are they able to manufacture theequipment for us? The area has a lot ofmanufacturing industry located in a smallarea. The manufacturer of these items hasbeen trading here for the last ten* years.Can you find a manufacturer who can buildthe workshop for us? The frame of thebuilding was manufactured in our newfactory nearby.

* "ten" "eighteen" Essential to alwaysinsert the vowels

Contractions 2

She has always enjoyed mathematics* andis well on her way to becoming* anexcellent mathematician. He has done a lotof work on the mathematical equations forthis project, although at first* he thought itwas mathematically impossible. Maximummeans the greatest or highest amount,quantity or value that is possible. This isthe maximum that we are willing to pay forthese goods. We are certainly not* going togo over the maximum budget. Yourmaximum shorthand speed is the highestthat you can write at and still read backand if you can’t read it back, it doesn’tcount! Your maximum speed will change

according to the difficulty of the subjectmatter but constant practising will give itan upwards trend.

* "to becoming" Based on the short formphrase "to be"

* Omission phrase "at (fir)st"

* "mathematics" The shorter words "maths"and "math" are normal outlines, above theline and vocalised

* "certainly not" N Hook and Halving torepresent "not"



Contractions 2

There is a mechanical problem with thisequipment. He enjoys building mechanicaltoys that perform various actions. He isvery mechanically minded and can alwayssort out any mechanical problem. He hasbecome the Chief mechanical Engineer forthe metropolitan Railway. metropolitanrefers to the main city in an area, andcomes from the Greek for mother and city.A metropolitan underground railway is oftensimply called the metro in some cities. Wehave been able to take out a mortgage with

the bank to buy the new house. When aproperty is mortgaged, it becomes securityagainst the repayment of a loan. We havemortgaged our house in order to* secureanother loan. Mortgaging the property willincur great risk to this business. Once amortgage is partly paid off, some peopleremortgage in order to* purchasesomething larger or more expensive.

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

Contractions 2

We ordered the goods last November butonly received them in January andFebruary. We think November will be ourbest month for sales of these items. Wenever go away in November* as theweather is too cold. I never enjoy the coldand I never miss going out on a hot day.nevermore means never again and is aslightly archaic or poetic version of thisphrase. The history of the area has beenlost, nevermore to be passed on to futuregenerations*. 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 theshorthand should reflect this as well: I amnever more contented than when I amdoing shorthand.

* "November" Put in the cap marks, ifnecessary to avoid it being misread as

"never"

* "generations" Optional contraction



Contractions 2

We are going to organise a trip to the coast.We organised one last year which was agreat success. They are organising a largeevent at the conference centre. He alwaysorganises his notes before he starts towrite the report. This organisation employsabout twenty workers in the main office. Itis an organisational nightmare to geteveryone in the right place at the right time.We should consider bringing in aprofessional organiser who can do this jobfor us. I have reorganised the stationery*store, which had become very disorganised.He is a very disorganised person who isalways losing his paperwork. The definitionof inorganisation is a lack of organisation.The inorganisation of this office astoundsme and I insist that all the filing cabinetsare properly* organised by a capableperson. The pile of papers was unorganisedbut we will be able to sort it out within afew hours. Unorganised means that the

items have never been sorted, anddisorganised means that any formersemblance of order has been removed,disrupted or destroyed. As a dedicated*shorthand writer* I am quite sure you haveno idea whatever of ever beingdisorganised with your shorthand materialsand notes. (1323 words)

* "stationery" To remember the spellings,stationERy is papER, and a cAR isstationARy

* "properly" Insert the first vowel, and thediphone in "appropriately" as theyu aresimilar in outline and meaning

* "dedicated" "educated" "deducted" Allthese need their vowels, underlined, todifferentiate

* Omission phrase "short(hand) writer"



Contractions 3

I hope* your revision of the contractions isresulting in more confident writing. By nowshorthand is no longer* a peculiar writingsystem and the former peculiarities arenow just a normal way to write efficiently*.You have left behind the peculiarities oflonghand, at least* for the moment, untilyou come to transcribe*. Your performanceduring writing is surely much better thanbefore. When as children we made a fuss itwas called making a performance, but Ithink that by now any performances areuseful and effective instead. An actor oractress* is called a performer, andsomeone who fails to do what they should,might be accused of non-performance oftheir duties. They have not performed theactions that they were supposed to. Anaction that can be done is calledperformable. Let’s* hope there are nofussing "performances" when a dictationhas more than the usual amount ofcontractions and new words, and that theperformance of the task is an easy andeffortless one.

* Omission phrase "I (h)ope"

* "longer" Downward L in order to join inthe phrase

* "efficiently" You can add an L stroke toany contraction if felt necessary for clarity,either joined or disjoined

* "at least" and "at last" Always insert thevowel

* "transcribe" Omits the R, to helpdifferentiate from "describe"

* Add the vowel in "actress" so it is notmisread as "actors". Some "-ess" outlinesuse stroke S to avoid this, in those caseswhere the suffix adds another syllable e.g.

"manageress"

* "Let's" Wavy line underneath as areminder it is the apostrophied version, aseven with the vowel it could still be read as

"let us"

Contractions 3

The reforms were put into actionimmediately, and a report was compiled ofthose laws that have been reformed in thelast twelve months. reformers are keen tochange things and we hope that theirreforms are for the benefit of all those wholive here. If you form something, and thenchange its form, it is called reforming,which has a different first vowel and doesnot use the contraction. If something isperpendicular, this means that it is upright*or in a vertical position, or in geometry atright-angles* to a horizontal plane. Itcomes from the Latin for hang, balance orweigh, and can also be seen in the word

pendulum. The perpendicular style ofarchitecture can be seen in the EnglishGothic style of the sixteenth century. Thewooden beams were positionedperpendicularly along the north edge of thefoundations.

* Omission phrase "we (h)ope"

* "upright, right-angles" Ray is only halvedwhen there are other strokes in the outline.If you wrote "upright" with full R and T, itcould be mistaken for the contraction

"perpendicular" when written at speed,which has the same meaning



Contractions 3

I think by now you will be fairly familiarwith the outline for practice, as it is onethat is essential to any shorthand article. Itis interesting that it derives ultimately fromthe Greek for "do". I have been practisingmy writing skills every day, and the list ofunpractised words is getting very much*shorter. It is not practicable to actuallywrite whilst on the bus so I read instead.The practicability of accomplishing all thesetasks in a short time* is something that weshall have to look into. The peopleapplying* for this job had to attendpreliminary interviews, and not all of themwill make it onto the shortlist. Thescientist’s preliminary experiments

provided the information to help him decideon the best methods of investigation. Theseathletes have won the preliminaries and willnow go on to the main races.

* Omission phrase "short (t)ime" Thisphrases takes advantage of the T soundalready present in "short" to remainreadable

* "very much" Faster to include the M inthe phrase, and also helps distinguish from

"very large"

* "applying" Not using a triphone, as the "I"sound is included in the Dot Ing

Contractions 3

It is probable that some of the contractionswill occur in the next shorthand dictationthat you take. You will probably know mostof them by then and the probability ofsuffering hesitations and gaps is rapidlydiminishing. It is quite improbable that thisemployee made such a mistake, but it is

highly probable that it was the newassistant, who has not yet been trained. Iam probably going to be away from theoffice in June. I will probably be travellingto America. The probability is that we shallbe flying direct this time, and we willprobably arrive in the early evening.



Contractions 3

The proportion of employees taking up thisoffer has been quite high. They have beenspending money quite out of proportion totheir financial position. The extent of thisproject has to be* kept in proportion to theamount of funds that can be allocated to it.The new truck is of gigantic proportions andwill certainly do the job very quickly. Alltheir problems seemed to be out ofproportion to the original mistake that wasmade. The word proportionate means thesame as "in proportion to". Our monthlyspending on clothes is proportionate to our

disposable monthly income. At the meetingthere was a disproportionate amount oftime spent discussing irrelevant issues. Thewages were disproportionately high,considering the little work that was done.Shorthand success will be in directproportion to the amount and quality oftime spent practising.

* "has to be" The similar "is to be" is bestwritten as two separate outlines thuskeeping all the short forms in position

Contractions 3

The public gathered in large numbersoutside the council offices. The report willbe made public in about two weeks’* time.The business has decided to announcepublicly their proposed plans for this site.They will publish a report on the matter*before the next meeting. I have publishedtwo books on the subject of gardening. Iwill be publishing another one in the springof next year. This book is not publishable atpresent as it needs a lot more editing andchecking of the facts. The publication wasmailed to everyone who had expressed aninterest in the company. She worked aspublications Manager* for several years

and is now head of the publishingDepartment.

* Omission phrases "two wee(k)s" "on(the) matter"

* "published" This may occasional have tobe written as a full outline (all full strokes,with upward L and upward Ish) when usedas an adjective, e.g. "We have a copy of hispublic/published letters"

* "manager" You can intersect stroke M for"manager" but it would be unclear writtenthrough the shun hook



Contractions 3

The PUBLISHER of my book has advised meto republish my sports history series. It hasbeen republished with new photos* andmore information. The same shorthandoutline is used for republic but as that is anoun, it is unlikely to clash. A republic is acountry ruled by an elected government orrepresentatives of the people, and not by a

monarch. A republic and a democracy aresimilar in meaning. The Republican Party inthat country won the election and it is clearthat republicanism is on the rise.

* "photos" Vowel inserted to prevent itbeing misread as "facts" which would alsomake sense in this context

Contractions 3

The accounts department have drawn up alist of recoverable debts. We are glad tohear that these recoverable losses are inthe process of being reclaimed. The patientis recoverable and will be back home inabout two weeks*. They think theirreputation is recoverable but it is going tobe hard work to convince the general public.They suffered irrecoverable losses due tothe effects of the storms. Theseirrecoverable debts will just have to be

written off. There was an irrecoverablebreakdown of trust between themanagement and the workers. Some of theunion representatives did however believethat confidence in each other wasrecoverable. The computer hadunrecoverable file and disk errors causedby the power failures.

* Omission phrase "two wee(k)s"



Contractions 3

I like to take regular exercise, and Iregularly go for a walk in the park. Thegarden has an irregular shape with a largetriangular lawn at the back. He madeirregular trips to the local shops, inbetween his visits to the big supermarket.Her behaviour is very irregular and doesnot conform to expected standards. Theseaccounts are highly irregular and have notbeen drawn up accurately or carefully. I amgoing to appoint a representative from theaccountancy firm to deal with them. I haverepresented my firm at the conference forthe last five years. I shall be representing

the football club at the council meetingnext week*. Our representative will becalling on you to give a quote for thewindows. They made a representation tothe government with their new proposals.unfortunately* our aims have beenmisrepresented and we are enclosing amore accurate report of our plans. Thesefigures are unrepresentative of the normallevel of profits for this period of the year.

* Omission phrase "ne(k)s(t w)eek"

* "Unfortunately" Optional contraction

Contractions 3

We are responsible for our own future andwe take full responsibility for formulatingour own plans. They asked who wasresponsible for all this damage to thefences. We are looking for a responsibleperson to employ as a guard. Hisresponsibilities* have been set out anddescribed in the letter that we sent to him.What is your response to this list of itemsthat need immediate attention? Theresponses we received to theadvertisement were very encouraging. Hemade a sensible offer on the house which

was accepted straight away. I am glad thechildren have acted sensibly and reportedthis matter to the authorities. The rudereply they received offended theirsensibilities. The visitors acted insensiblywhen they were in their friend’s house. Theitems are in good condition and shouldattract sensible offers from the buyers.(1347 words)

* "responsibilities" The contraction is onlyused for the singular



Short Letters 4

These short letters are intended to helpspeed up your writing. There is no specialvocabulary and as you know that the end isnot far away you are less likely to getdiscouraged on a fast attempt. If you printthem out and write over the top of theshorthand in pencil many times, you canget quite a high speed but it is important tospeak the words to yourself as you go andnot just copy the shapes without thinking.If you do several passages in one sessionthere will be less temptation to memorisethem and then when you come back to

them later on you may be pleasantly*surprised at the speed increase that ispossible. These count as easy successesbut that confidence can be carried over intoother more difficult passages, as it willhave proved to you that your hand canactually write fast just as long as the mindcan supply the correct outlines at the raterequired. (167 words)

* "pleasantly" "pleasingly" Helpful to insertthe vowels, as these are similar in outlineand meaning

Short Letters 4

Dear Mr Short*, I am writing to let youknow that our staff have now moved backinto the offices which you have beenworking on for us for the last month. Theyare very pleased indeed* with their newworkplace, and everyone has said howmuch better it will be for them, and how itwill improve their working days. They areespecially pleased with the higher lightlevels provided by the larger windows, newlight fittings and automatic blinds. We thinkthat the decision to make these changeswill make a great difference to our businessdealings, especially when our customersvisit our new comfortable and modern

premises, and we believe that this ismoney very well* spent. We will soon bediscussing the possibility of renewing ourother offices and hopefully we can worktogether on that at some future date. Yourssincerely*, James Long, Managing Director(150 words)

* "Short" Short forms are not used fornames, except for Child, Gold and Shortwhich must be vocalised

* Omission phrase "very pleas(ed) indeed"."very (w)ell" can stand without the W signquite reliably, "Yours (sin)cerely"



Short Letters 4)

Dear Mr Long, First of all* I would like tothank you for writing to us regarding thework that we recently carried out* for youat your premises. We are pleased to hearthat your staff are delighted with thechanges to their offices. We believe thereplacement windows and blinds, and thenew air conditioning, will make a bigdifference to their comfort, especially asthe building is now much brighter andwarmer than it was before. We think youwill find that your heating bills will also belower. There is still some work to do in thestore rooms but we think that we shallhave this finished by the end of the month.We will be sending our final* invoice to youshortly. If you have any questions*regarding the work, please do not hesitateto contact me immediately. Yours

sincerely*, Terence Short*, BuildingManager. (150 words)

* Omission phrase "First (of) all" "Yours(sin)cerely"

* "carried out " Halving to represent the Tof "out"

* "final" Helpful to insert the diphthong,and the first vowel of "official", as these aresimilar and either would make sense inmany contexts

* "questions" Optional contraction

* "Short" Short forms are not used fornames, except for Child, Gold and Shortwhich must be vocalised

Short Letters 4

Dear Gardener, I hope that you are*enjoying the summer weather that we havehad recently. As the spring flowers fade,you may find some gaps appearing thatneed to be filled, in order to* keep yourgarden beautiful throughout the rest of theyear, and with this in mind I have pleasurein enclosing a voucher which you can useat any of our three garden centres. Justpresent the voucher at the till to get yourdiscount, or quote the discount promotioncode if you prefer to order online. Thismonth* we have a great range of summerflowering perennials available at our

centres, and if you buy now they will havetime to settle in before the drier weatherarrives. Don’t forget, our plant orderingservice is able to locate that special plantfor you direct from our growers around thecountry. With best wishes*, Jane Green(150 words)

* Omission phrases "I (h)ope that you are""in ord(er to)" "this (mon)th" Ith can beintersected for "month" or joined as here

* "best wishes" Ish written upwards inorder to join



Short Letters 4

Dear Shareholder*, I am writing to let youknow* of our schedule of meetings for thisyear. We have many changes happeningthis year and we want you to have theopportunity to attend these meetings andtake part* in the discussions and decisionsthat will be made. This month* we arevoting in new members of the Board, andattached to this letter* is a report on thosewho are standing for office, as well as a listof dates and venues for the meetings. Ifyou wish to attend, it would be mosthelpful if you could let us know up to twoweeks* before each date, either by post oronline, for catering purposes. The pastyear* has been a very successful one for usand our speakers are looking forward* toreporting on past achievements and futureopportunities. I look forward* to seeing you.Yours sincerely* (150 words) (767 totalwords)

* "Shareholder" L can only be doubled for"-der -ther" if the outline has prior strokesas well

* "let you know" The U is written on its sidehere so that the N stroke can join, butwould normally be the right way up in "letyou"

* "part" Only hooked for convenience incommon phrases, otherwise use full strokes,likewise "park"

* "this letter" Downward L in order to jointhe phrase

* Omission phrases "this (mon)th" "twowee(k)s" "pas(t) year" "looking for)ward"

"look fo(r)ward" "Yours (sin)cerely"

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