blogs - 2021 - may 2 red coat 5 same sounds 4

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand-reading.org.uk

2021 May p1 A of 15Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand


2021 May p1 B of 15Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand

2 Red Coat

5 Same Sounds 4

8 Fraser Unedited

11 Phrase Paras 1

PDF Date: 7 October 2021

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt

https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk

https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand-reading.org.uk

https://long-live-pitmans-shorthand.blogspot.com

Blogs - 2021 - May

mailto:https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk

https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand-reading.org.uk

https://long-live-pitmans-shorthand.blogspot.com

https://pitmans-snippets.blogspot.com





Red Coat

As I walked through my local shopping area,I passed by a family who had a little girlwith them, about three or four years ofage*. My gaze was firmly on the paving, asit can be uneven here, so the first thing Isaw was her very bright red shoes andmatching knee high socks with a generousthick frill round the top. Her coat was alsothe same bright red. I was instantlytransported back to the time when I had asimilar coloured coat, at age about ten*. Itwas my absolute dream coat, made in softbrushed* wool fabric, and it was a feast forthe eyes and fingers to roam over the vividred surface. I was thrilled whenever I hadthe opportunity to wear it, which would nothave been on school days. Taking it off wasnot so welcome, but at least* when I did Icould* admire an even greater expanse ofred gorgeousness. This was rather like new

shoes, you can either admire them in theirentirety, or watch the delightful front partsas they move purposefully and confidentlyalong the path.

* "three or four" See Theory website,Vocabulary Numbers page, for the range ofthese phrases

* Omission phrase "years (of) age"

* "ten" Always insert the vowels in ten,eighteen, tenth, eighteenth

* "brushed" The Ish goes upwards tobalance the R Hook

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

* "I could" Not phrased, so as not to looklike "I can"

Red Coat

In those days, we were not likely to getnew outer clothes very often, the majoritywould be either hand-made, or swapped orpassed down between family and friends.Some given items would just be used forthe fabric, so an adult dress might be cutdown into a child’s garment, or a shirtmade into aprons, which were always inneed of renewal. I might* get the tinyscraps to make things for my dolls andteddies, but it was not long before I cameto the conclusion* that my sewing effortswere better directed at improving my own*wardrobe, which actually started inearnest* with the first sewing lesson at

secondary school. Sewing as a useful hobbydid not really take off until I was oldenough to use a sewing machine.

* "I might" Not phrased, so as not to looklike "I may"

* Omission phrase "I came (to thecon)clusion"

* "my own" Not using the N Hook, as thatwould be "mine"

* "earnest" Distinguishing outline, compare"erroneous" Ar + Ns





Red Coat

There were a few clothes crazes during myschool years. The first one I remember wasthe special clog type sandals, consisting ofa very smooth lightweight wooden sole,shaped into the undulating curves of thefoot, with a wide strap at the front, thathad an ingenious snap-in buckle, a low heeland a thin rubber sole. If they wereadjusted* correctly, they did not fall off,but still gave a rather pleasing gentle clackwhen the foot was lifted and the shoesprang back up to meet the foot. You couldnot* run in them, but what did I care aboutthat, they were heavenly to walk on andthere was no hard back edge or hard

leather to have to wear in. Although thistype of sandal is still current today, at thattime they were a complete novelty to us,unlike our normal traditional multi-strapfoot-hugging sandals. After hints, requestsand asking “When?” my Mum bought me apair in white leather, and I enjoyed paddingaround in them for as long as they lasted.

* "adjusted" Do not be misled by spelling,there is no D sound in this word

* "You could not" This can be phrased, as"you cannot" is entirely different

Red Coat

In the sixth form we were allowed to wearour own clothes and I joined in the fashionfor a long sleeveless jumper coat, forindoor wear. It came down to mid-thighand had a long woolly fringe round thelower hem. If unbuttoned, it swishedaround quite pleasingly*, or it could bebuttoned all the way down for the sleeklook. I was not sleek so I took the middleway of having the top buttoned up, for

neatness, and the lower part loose forswishiness and comfort.

* In UK schools, the sixth form are the twoyears of optional education, after thecompulsory years are completed

* "pleasingly" Keep clearly through the line,as "pleasantly" is similar





Red Coat

In the early seventies there was anotherbrief fad for the Afghan, a large roomysheepskin coat, with suede side outermostand very shaggy fur within, hence itsnickname “Animal”. It could have* kept outarctic blasts, being extra long, but as therewere no buttons or toggles, it had to beworn hanging open, in order to be*fashionable without cooking in the spring orautumn warmth. Another coat craze wasthe maxicoat, which went down to theankles, although this meant that there hadto be a long opening up the back to allow

some movement, so that rather defeatedthe purpose of keeping the legs warm. Butthen fashion and purpose don’t alwaysbelong together. I had to have one of those,a generous and imposing looking black one.

* "It could have" Not phrased, so it doesnot look like "it can have"

* "in order to be" The omission phrase "inord(er to)" includes the "to", so there is noneed to put the B through the line for "tobe"

Red Coat

Somewhat longer lasting was the fashionfor full swirly summer skirts with a deepgathered lower border in the same material,and perhaps with a lace trim along the hem.This suited me admirably and I made manyof them* in various flowery designs overthe years. They continued to be a staplesummer item for a long time* although thepatterns on the material gradually* becameless eye-catching than the wild andfloriferous designs of that decade. Theyfaded away in the eighties, replaced by a

plain but still very boldly coloured style ofwomen’s clothing, with the famous paddedshoulders and puffed up flowing hair.

* "many of them" Include the "of" sign;without it, this would be the omissionphrase "many oth(er)"

* Omission phrase "for (a) long time"

* "gradually" Uses full strokes, so it doesnot look like "greatly"





Red Coat

The current fashion for slashed jeans seemsto be on the wane, although I did once seesomeone wearing a version with factory-stitched patches all over. Maybe themanufacturer was redeeming their stock inthe face of changing demand, or haddecided to try out a new variation on the

“not new” style. Another pair had somedifferent material patched to the back ofthe slashes to look like an additional itemof clothing underneath. When these jeansturn up in thrift shops, I suspect thematerial will be used by crafters for making

bags, cushions and household items madeof denim fragments in all shades of fadedblue. As I was born in the fifties, reusingeverything was still the normal way ofacquiring clothes and did not need a specialword like “recycling”, so seeing fabrics finda new second life is very heart warming,although not nearly as much as being thepossessor of the red coat. My red treasuresnow are the red shorthand dictionary, thered pen and the red ink, which are nevergoing to go out of fashion or be replaced bysomething else. (1026 words)

Same Sounds 4

Most words that sound the same arewritten the same in shorthand, but thereare some instances where the meaning ofthe word decides which outline is used. Thishappens mainly with short forms, forexample where the short form “be” is notused for the insect “bee”. This is becauseshort forms were allocated to very common

words that are so obvious and predictablein a sentence, that we can get away withrepresenting them with just one stroke orone vowel sign. This obviousness would notbe the case with a word like “bee” theinsect. This is the principle of legibilitytaking precedence over sound.





Same Sounds 4

With names, Mr Short, Mr Gold and Mr Childare the only ones that use the short forms,but they must have their vowels written in.You would also write a short form orcontraction in full if it was used out of itsnormal setting, such as within the name ofa company, or as a word on its own, notpart of the grammar of the sentence, as

these cannot count as context* for readingthem back. Extra examples of this aregiven in the last paragraphs. In thefollowing, the short form or contraction is incaps and the other word is underlined.

* "context" Never use proximity for this"con", as it can easily be misread as "text"

Same Sounds 4

We ALL know that you need an awl to makeholes in wood.

It would BE good to get a close-up photo ofa bumble bee.

Last week* we held a Spelling Bee in theold hall.

Have you BEEN to that restaurant and triedtheir wonderful bean soup?

They will BUILD the house and we will bebilled at a very low rate.

I have SENT you a parcel containing thebottle of scent.

* Omission phrase "las(t w)eek"

Same Sounds 4

If I sent you the documents, it would costme sixty cents.

DEAR Mr Smith, thank you for theinformation about the litter in the deer park.

YOU may have seen our old ewe restingunder the yew tree.

It was a GREAT idea to remove the irongrid and install a grate.

I have emailed* HIM a copy of the hymn heasked about.

We are staying IN a hotel called The*Crown Inn.

"emailed" Always insert the vowel, asotherwise it is the same as "mailed"

* "The Crown" Not using Tick The, as theword is part of the name

Same Sounds 4

I said that TILL* I get another job, I willcarry on working at the till.

I TOLD him that they had tolled the churchbells for the wedding.

WE were halfway there when the little onewanted to wee.

It was wonderful when WE saw the pictureof the wee child at last.

I am sure he WOULD know where thefencing wood is stored.

Give the dog ITS food, as it’s getting quitelate now.

* "till" This word means the same as "until"but it is not an abbreviation of it, thereforeit does not need an apostrophe at thebeginning





Same Sounds 4

I think you CAN take the food out of thecan and put it in the fridge.

It is a MERE half a mile to the park with thelarge mere.

I don’t know any MORE about Mr Moorewho lives in Moor Lane.

NOR do I have any information on thewhereabouts of Mr Knorr.

I can do this job BUT I must say that* MrButt can do it faster.

The water butt is full BUT I don’t have timeto empty it.

* Omission phrase "I mus(t) say that"

Same Sounds 4

I was wondering HOW our friend Mrs Howewill get home.

Sally was MUCH admired by her boyfriendMr Mutch.

LORD Black is a real LORD, but Mr Lord is acommoner.

I took the LIBERTY of visiting Liberty’sstore while I was in town.

My PRINCIPAL reason for coming is to talkto Mr Principal.

I must TELL you, I really enjoyed hearingthe William Tell Overture.

Same Sounds 4

I am wondering WHAT the manager MrWatt will say about that.

The electrician said that WHAT we need is anew twenty watt bulb.

The teacher said, hands up WHO likes towatch Dr Who films.

When I was in ENGLAND I worked for MrsEngland in accounts.

Miss English will be running the ENGLISHlanguage classes next term.

We have a new YOUNG teacher coming tohelp our Mr Young.

Same Sounds 4

I have been invited to SPEAK at the councilmeeting by Mr Speke.They brought a LARGE parcel addressed toMiss Mary Large.

We were VERY interested to hear thehistory of the Very light.

This was a VERY useful flare systeminvented by Edward Very.

I have sold all the GOLD items to Mrs Goldin the antique shop.

It is only a SHORT time* before I have myinterview with Miss Short.

* "short time" The halving is doing duty forboth T's





Same Sounds 4

They asked the CHILD to report to the headteacher Mrs Child.

The CHILD said he was going to see hisdentist Mr Rothschild.

The MOST efficient person in this office ismy assistant Mr Most.

We GENERALLY went to a pub called TheGeneral for our lunch.

We took ADVANTAGE of their advice andhired Advantage Solutions to help us.

Please INFORM us why you have chosenthe name “Inform” for your company.

Same Sounds 4

They were full of ENTHUSIASM for studyingthe subject of MAGNETISM.

The teacher asked the students to spell“magnetism” and “enthusiasm”

Please write JANUARY in full, rather thanjust “Jan”.

I have three files marked “Sometimes”“NEVER” and “NOVEMBER”.

I made a REMARK that the college ought tore-mark all the papers.

The members re-formed their club anddecided to REFORM the rules. (877 words)

Fraser Unedited

I am wondering where our fictional friendFraser has been during the last part of thisyear’s lockdown. I think it very likely hehas been beavering away in his study athome, surrounded by shorthand books anddictionaries, the mark of a true shorthanddevotee and speed aspirant. I guessedright and here is his latest offering. I justhappened to notice that it contains lots* ofwords of a certain interesting construction,therefore I have left it entirely unedited.This type of practice passage is to get theseoutlines firmly established in the mind, asoutlines where you have a succession of T’sand D’s can be troublesome if you don’t

know them beforehand*. There is no needto push for speed on this, and just gettingit all correct at one of your own fairly easyspeeds is an accomplishment. One day oneof them will occur in a high speed take, andthe correct form will then come instantly tomind. It would not go amiss to also look upand practise all the derivatives and relatedforms.

* "lots" "masses" Insert the vowel, as thesetwo are similar in outline and meaning

* "beforehand" Optional contraction





Fraser Unedited

During these winter months at home, Ihave tidied my work space, totted up andrecorded my collection of shorthand booksand audited my stash of shorthand pads,pens and pencils. I had become a bitagitated over the clutter whenever Iretreated into my study room, and I wasdevastated when I found the dreaded dustpiling up behind the books. This somehowmutated into an irritated frame of mind,but I am glad to say that* I was nottotally* incapacitated by the disarray.Although I hesitated to make a start, aftera short while I found that I had gravitatedtowards the cleaning supplies. The clean-upnecessitated getting out the small vac andbrush*, and the supply of damp cloths

greatly facilitated my efforts. I also decidedto repaint all the walls in an understatedshade of pale green. I did this on a warmday, as the paint pot stated* a drying timeof six hours.

* Omission phrase "I am glad (to) s(ay)that"

* "totally" Note that "total" uses L hook

* "brush" Upward Ish to balance the hook,"blush" has downward Ish

* "stated" Standing alone, this doesn'tneed any disjoining as the first T is part ofthe Stee loop

Fraser Unedited

I thought it would be a good idea if Iinstituted a new storage system, as theplanks that constituted my bookshelveswere sagging. I had a premeditated plan atthe ready and I orchestrated a completemakeover for the space. I traded in the oldoutdated bookcases and treated myself to anew updated shelving system made ofuntreated pine. Having removed everythingfrom its place, I knew I was going to besomewhat frustrated, not to mentiondisorientated, when looking for certainbooks. I rotated the order of the books,placing my annotated dictionariesimmediately in front of me*. The otherbooks could be accommodated to my left,and the backdated shorthand periodicals

that illustrated various points of interestcould be stored on the lower shelves. Thedisks containing all the dictated mattercould be consolidated onto the hard drive,as I knew the disks themselves would soonbe invalidated when I change to a newlaptop. The sound files are all clearly datedand having them all in one place means Iwill no longer be intimidated by the task ofsearching for the exact one needed.

* * "instituted" Omits the first T sound, i.e.ins(t)ituted"

* "of me" Phrases with "me" are written asnormal, and phrases with "him" shouldinclude a dot vowel





Fraser Unedited

After that it was time to sort through mypapers, and I felt inundated by the piles ofoutdated paperwork that had built up. Iedited it all most severely, starting withsome junk mail of supposedly accreditedbusiness courses, which entreated me tosend money, but which in my mind werecompletely discredited by being dotted withspelling errors. It was with great pleasurethat I expedited their demise into my

ferocious new shredder and I felt that Ihad certainly not mistreated anything ofany value. Finally, I had reinstated someorder into the room. As I meditated on thenow clean and well-ordered study, I felt myenergy for shorthand work had beenresuscitated, and my relief at being able towork comfortably, and without beingdebilitated by dust and disorder, cannot beoverstated.

Fraser Unedited

I thought maybe I would be sedated by thecalmness of the room’s updatedappearance, pleasantly situated with a viewover the quiet garden, punctuated only bygentle birdsong and the sunlight thatfluctuated throughout the day. But no, Iwas ready to restart my shorthand studieswith a new vigour and had rehabilitated my

former aims for high speed achievement. Ihad demonstrated my resolve, successfullysubstituted order for disorder, and imitatedmy mentor Sir Isaac, to whose example ofdiligence and thoroughness I have alwayscredited my shorthand success. (760words)





The practice paras are specially writtenwith maximum phrases, more thanwould be found in normal matter

Phrase Paras 1

Here we go with some very commonphrases, with each passage consisting ofone hundred* words. The commonestphrases are the most useful and make thegreatest* contribution to increasing skilland speed. I tend to favour the sneakmethod, where the same passage isrepeated many times. Start off by writingout very neatly the shorthand paragraph indark ink, paying careful attention to strokethickness and correct placement, and

omitting any of the vowel signs that youfeel you don’t need for this exercise. Setthe timer on your phone for 2 minutes,which gives 50 words a minute*. Practiseby writing over the top of your samplelightly in pencil or even just a point thatmakes no mark, saying the words out loudto yourself as you write. Keep the writingflowing evenly, gliding over the shapes andfrom one outline to the next.

* "one hundred" If the speaker said "ahundred" that would be written in fulloutlines

Phrase Paras 1

There will be no hesitation in forming theoutlines and when you can writecomfortably within your chosen timing, youcan then reduce it by a few seconds, andcontinue like that, but not reducing it so farthat the shorthand gets scribbly. As it is anexercise in maintaining neatness andsmoothness at slowly increasing speeds, agood ruse is to imagine a fellow learner willhave to read it without having to guess atanything. Getting the time down to oneminute gives one hundred words a minute*and 30 seconds gives two hundred words aminute*. After all the practising, read and

record the shorthand, which should now beentirely familiar and this gives a speed thatyou know you can do. It is veryencouraging to finally take it down fromdictation, after a short break, and see animprovement in performance. Thesevictories are not the same as managing anunseen dictation, but they are a step in theright direction, covering even, calm butspeedy hand movements, as well asrevision of outlines and phrases. (329words)

* Omission phrase "words (a) minute"





Phrase Paras 1

I started shorthand for the first time*during the winter months a short time ago*.I feel sure* that reading the book was avery satisfactory thing to be doing on aFriday afternoon*. As a rule* I would bedoing some other* activity at the beginningof the weekend, but so far as I wasconcerned* this would be very worthwhile*.It was perfectly clear* that in some months’time I would be more than halfway throughand I would be much more* able to writeas fast as speech. It is true you mustpractise on your own. (100 words)

* Omission phrases "for (the) first time" "Ifee(l) sure" "Friday af(ter)noon" "As (a)rule" "I was (con)cerned" "wor(th)while"

"perfect(ly) clear" "much m(ore)"

* Omission phrase "short (t)ime ago" Thehalving is doing duty for both T's

* "some other" Doubling to represent"other"

Phrase Paras 1

At first I was indeed on my own but later onI said to my friend Tom, I would like you tojoin me in this new subject. Tom foundseveral interesting phrase books inconnection with* our new hobby*. It isimportant we really enjoy doing somethinglike this in our spare time* and we foundwe were able to carry on improving ourwords a minute* speed. I think this subjectmust be considered* a worthwhile* one inrelation to* our future job opportunitiesand we are both very glad that we are nowgoing in this direction*. (100 words)

* Omission phrases "in connection (with)""words (a) minute" "mus(t) be (con)sidered""wor(th)while" "in relation (to)" "in thisd(ir)ection"

* "hobby" "habit" Insert the first vowel, asthese are similar in outline and meaning

* "spare time" Halving to represent the T of"time"





Phrase Paras 1

My new skill was something more than theusual and I took advantage of everyopportunity in the course of these months*of free time*. I am very certain that therehave been* some people who think it is* awaste of time* and almost impossible tolearn, but in fact* I do not think it isbeyond the average person. On the otherhand* if you do not have an interest in it, itis most certainly going to be less than*pleasant* to spend your time on. It isimportant to practise the signs over andover again*. (100 words)

* Omission phrases "these (mon)ths""there (have) been" "was(te of) time" "in(f)act" "on the oth(er) hand" "over (and)over again"

* "free time" Do not using the halvingmethod to phrase this, as that would readas "freedom" which has almost the samemeaning

* "think it is" Halving to represent "it"

* "less than" Downward L in order to jointhe phrase

* "pleasant" "pleasing" Insert the firstvowel, as these are similar in outline andmeaning

Phrase Paras 1

I agreed with Tom when he said that, forhim, it was going to be necessary for theparticular requirements of his career. Itmay be that some other person has adifferent skill but at the same time* it ismost* certainly going to improve Tom’sbusiness career. In a few months wegained a reasonable skill and decided tosend each other all sorts of things topractise on, for example reading fromnewspapers onto our phones. In the courseof these messages, we found we were able

to increase our knowledge without takingup too much* time. (100 words)

* "at the same time" Halving to representthe T of "time"

* Omission phrase "it is mos(t) certainly"

* "too much" Includes the M in order tojoin the phrase, this is faster than doing apenlift and differentiates it from "too large"





Phrase Paras 1

At the moment I have come to theconclusion* that you must be* writingevery day and then take these words andwrite them out. That would be the bestway* of proceeding if possible* and seehow far you can get in a few months. Inorder to* do this you must have* someform of* schedule so that you can fit it intoyour business life. In connection with* this,

if you can practise daily I believe that it isvery likely that improvements will be made.I am sure there have been* many whohave done this. (100 words)

* Omission phrases "come (to thecon)clusion" "that you mus(t) be" "bes(t)way" "if poss(ible)" "in ord(er to)" "youmus(t) have" "some form (of)" "there(have) been"

Phrase Paras 1

Tom said that in order to* learn shorthand,he writes one passage as many as tentimes a day. I think that practising in sucha way* can be considered* essential andhe says it is worth aiming high in order to*meet the requirements of his job. Theymust be able to* take notes of meetingsover and over again*, and hand in theirreports as quickly as possible*. He saidthat in all cases those who can do this

would be more likely to be promoted*. Hesaid it can also be the route to extra workopportunities. (100 words)

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "in such(a) way" "can be (con)sidered" "in ord(erto)" "they mus(t) be able to" "over (and)over again"

* "promoted" "permitted" Always insert thesecond vowel, to differentiate these

Phrase Paras 1

Yesterday evening* Tom said, I havereceived* a letter from the college inrelation to* my shorthand exam at seventywords a minute*. The note said that it ismost important to bring your own pad inorder that you can take the test. This pointof view* in connection with* the test issometimes given little attention, as somethink it is not very serious to arrive withoutthe items. They fail to consider* that it is a

question* of common sense on the part ofthe* student and they are more or less*responsible for their own success. (100words)

* Omission phrases "Yesterday ev(en)ng""I have (re)ceived" "in relation (to)" "words(a) minute" "point (of) view" "in connection(with)" "to (con)sider"

* Omission phrase "that it is (a) question"using the Optional Contraction for "question"

Phrase Paras 1

I am glad to say that* Tom got through theexam very well* indeed and is no longer inany doubt about whether or not* he wouldbe able to manage it. It was certainly verygood news but on the other hand* it wasnow my turn to await the exam date. Ihave given practising first place* for manymonths and now it would be up to me topay reasonable attention to revising. I havebeen encouraged by Tom’s exam success

and I hope that* we can talk to oneanother* quite soon in order to* practise.(100 words)

* Omission phrase "I am glad (t) s(ay) that""very (w)ell" "whether (or) not" "on theoth(er) hand" "I (h)ope that" "wu(n)another" "in ord(er to)"

* Omission phrase "first p(l)ace" Likewise"second p(l)ace" "third p(l)ace"





Phrase Paras 1

We were not at any time thinking thatsuccess was certain but as we were sureour efforts were more than enough for thetest, we eagerly waited for confirmation ofour exam results. I am very glad to saythat* we passed our tests, despite thepassages having a few longer words andmany other* unexpected terms. We agreedthat it is most important* not to allow this

success to slow our shorthand progress andwe intend to add to our skills in much thesame way for many more months to come,until we hit the hundred mark. (100 words)(Total 1229 words)

* Omission phrases "I am very glad (to)s(ay) that" "many oth(er)" "mos(t)important"

blogs - 2021 - may 2 red coat 5 same sounds 4

Documents