Shorthand Theory

http://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/theory-intro.
htm
Theory Intro 1 Strokes 2 Vowels 3 Forming Outlines 4 Circles 5 Loops 6 Hooks Intro 7 Hooks R L 8 Hooks N F V 9 Shun Hook 10 Halving 11 Doubling 12 Hay Aspirate 13 W Forms 14 L Forms 15 R Forms 16 Imp/Imb 17 Ish 18 Prefixes 19 Suffixes General 20 Suffixes Contracted
Intelligence + effort + persistence = excellence
The theory pages provide a compact and detailed reference source and are designed to give more information than the average course book provides. Their best use is for review and revision, after your basic instruction is completed. I would encourage complete beginners, who have no prior knowledge of Pitman's Shorthand, to concentrate their primary efforts on the more simplified information in their instruction book.
Course books do not go into minute detail, nor should they the student would get "theory indigestion" and probably give up, and the textbook and course fee would double in size and cost. They, and teachers, rightly present the information piecemeal, in a form much more easily learned, and so the information here does not replace that in any way. Where suggested outlines are offered, most of these do have the root word in the dictionary (large 1974 edition), and, where not, the suggestion is based on an existing outline. I have not marked up every occasion where the outline was not in the dictionary, as some are so basic that no note is necessary. The Rules I have included explanations so that outline decisions are not felt to be frustratingly arbitrary, but are seen as honed for speed and reliability under pressure. I have given as many examples as possible, to give you plenty of material to practise with, and you can easily work out how similar words would be written. The basic rules of the system cover most outlines, but there will always be combinations of strokes that produce awkward outlines, or ones that would not stand up to being written rapidly. Over the time since its creation, experience has thrown up words that are better written "in the exception" and consequently their departure from the general rule has to be described. If only one word behaves like this, it is called an exception; if there are several words, then their behaviour gets to be enshrined as a subsidiary rule. Should a new similar word arise, then there is a rule in place to deal with it. It is just like speaking English, people use words and sentences that are easy and convenient, and they will use irregular pronunciations, verbs and plurals without a second thought for the extra pages that grammarians will have to write. Shorthand becomes the same as your skill increases and new words (i.e. ones whose outlines you do not know) are recognised as being based on ones that you already know. This is the only way to write unfamiliar words during dictation, with thoughts of theory kept for more leisurely hours when you are correcting your shorthand. In study hours, it is helpful to construct that unknown outline, to exercise your theory skills. Finding out for yourself what does and doesn't work prevents you from feeling that outlines have been chosen
arbitrarily. Sometimes one stroke joins very well after another, and then the third stroke cannot be joined at all, and you must backtrack on your choice. It is great encourager when you have worked out the correct outline, and that adds to your shorthand confidence. All this has, of course, already been done by countless contributors and revisers over very many years, not least by Sir Isaac Pitman himself who spent his entire adult life considering all the outline possibilities. All this effort and expertise is close to hand and at your fingertips in the shorthand dictionary. If the rules were kept few and tidy, the shorthand itself would suffer from unclear, straggling or hard-to-write outlines that would deteriorate at speed. There is one overriding rule that covers all the "rule breaking" the outlines must conform to:

Facility easy to write Legibility easy to read Lineality maintaining horizontal writing, not invading the lines above or below
To quote Sir Isaac Pitman himself from his Manual of Phonography of 1852 para 91: "For any given word, the writer should choose that form which is most easily and rapidly written, and is at the same time distinct. The briefest outline to the eye is not necessarily the most expeditious to the hand. The student will insensibly* acquire a knowledge of the best forms by practice and observation, and he will derive much assistance from perusing the "Phonographic Correspondent," and other phonetic shorthand publications. In deciding between two or more outlines for any word, he should adopt that which unites the greatest degree of facility, with a capability of intelligible vocalization."
*"insensibly" here is an older use of the word, meaning "imperceptibly, unconsciously"
From I-SAAC to I-POD in 158 years!
Which book? The current textbooks generally available are:

Anniversary Edition (Audrey O'Dea) (the main text book) Anniversary Edition Key (Audrey O'Dea) Anniversary Workbooks 1 (B Canning) and 2 (Pitman) Anniversary Facility Drill book (Julie Watson) Small Pocket Dictionary (Addison Wesley Longman) Rapid Review & Speed Development (Bryan Coombs)
"Anniversary" refers to the anniversary of the publishers in 1988, and does not signify any change in the shorthand itself. Amazon gives descriptions of the contents. I have not discovered any other New Era books currently in print, and second-hand books must be relied upon to provide extra reading and learning material. Modern glue-spined textbooks need bending with vigour at every few pages until the book lies flat. If it then refuses to stay closed, so be it you cannot learn from it peeping through the crack between the pages. The older New Era books that you find on Ebay (especially plentiful on Ebay UK) and in secondhand bookshops will teach you exactly the same New Era Shorthand as the modern book and your learning will not be disadvantaged in the least. Ebay prices for the older books can be extremely favourable, releasing your hard-earned cash for that special pen. I believe the print and presentation in the older books are much clearer, and they have the important advantage that they lie flat on the desk, leaving your hands free to copy and write. The titles are:
New Course Rapid Course Shorthand Manual Shorthand Instructor (same as Shorthand Manual but with extra chapters) Commercial Course (without exercises) Modern Course (without exercises) Shorthand School Edition Teach Yourself Shorthand
The Rapid Course has the edge over the others in that it has fewer dictations but more vocabulary, and there is also a version that has supplementary exercises. The subject matter of the practice passages reflects the time in which they were written. The occasional antiquated term provides amusement but in no way lessens the usefulness of the books. The publication entitled "The New Shorthand Teacher" is not a book for teachers, but a thin booklet that repeats the first 8 chapters of the New Course, after which students are expected to follow the New Course book for chapter 9 onwards. I can only guess that this may have been an economical way to introduce the subject by the end of chapter 8, the student or college would know for certain whether the expense of providing the full book was justified; or it may be that these lightweight booklets needed to be mailed to students. (There are also pre-New Era booklets called "The Shorthand Teacher" and "The Phonographic Teacher" which give full, if condensed, instruction for beginners, covering the older versions of Pitman's Shorthand.) The pages may be ink-marked, creased or annotated, but the previous shorthand learner would be delighted to know that it is in the hands of someone who values the contents, just as they did. In any case, you will be transferring it all to your memory, where it will remain fresh and alive, growing and improving, and endlessly useful!
Both teaching the self-same identical no-difference New Era shorthand. The presentation wording and practice passages are entirely different, with the language style reflecting their different dates, but the theory is the same.
Pitman 2000 This is a simplified version of New Era, introduced in the 1970's, with fewer rules and omission of many short forms and contractions. The purpose was not to "improve" New Era but to make shorthand easier and quicker to learn for those who do not aspire to the highest speeds. Against the advantage of easier learning, there is the disadvantage that some outlines are longer, and some joins between strokes are allowed that New Era discourages as being not so easy to form, or less reliable under the stress of speed. At lower speeds, this may not be an issue, and confidence in the formation of the outline may possibly make up for this. It was not intended to replace New Era, but was aimed at office workers who generally do not need the speed that a verbatim writer or reporter might need. However, even office dictation, e.g. letters and reports, has to be verbatim, but a person dictating in an office will probably speak somewhat more slowly, and with more pauses, than someone speaking to other people and not directly to the shorthand writer. Any writer of Pitman 2000 could benefit from the shorter forms of New Era if they wish to seek out and adopt them. Teachers must give the theory as it stands, and students may be marked on their outlines in exams, but outside of that, writers are free to adopt any forms they find useful preferably after learning the entire system and with some experience of real-life shorthand writing as well. New Era and 2000 writers alike can benefit from the advanced outlines and phrases offered in books by high speed writers. Books on other shorthand
systems can often yield useful pointers on abbreviating principles and study methods. New Era I do not believe New Era is particularly difficult to learn, if you enjoy your learning. It is beneficial to learn the theory from your instruction book as quickly as your time available allows (without sacrificing thoroughness and practising of matter learned) in order to reduce the time spent suffering the frustration of only being able to write some words and not others. The theory on this website is best used for subsequent review and revision, or filling in points that you did not understand from the textbook if you do not have a teacher to ask. I started office shorthand work with a speed of 120 wpm and I feel this is a good figure to aim for, so that you are not struggling all the time, and can maintain reasonably neat shorthand rather than an embarrassed sprawl. All speeds up to that are highly commendable, as they will have been gained through hard (and enjoyable) work, but in real life people seldom speak at less than 100 wpm. Any slowness in the overall speed comes from the pauses, rather than the laboured, even dictation that shorthand learners become accustomed to. It is good to practise fast bursts, with pauses after, which is more lifelike. Getting too far behind the speaker takes away all enjoyment of using your hard-won and valuable skill, and you might be called upon to read back immediately rather than escape to your desk to mull over the outlines! Secretarial courses of shorthand and typewriting at the time I learned them (1970's) were considered more lowly manual skills for those less able in academic terms. There was not the slightest perception that it was difficult, just something utterly basic to be learned by those "destined" for the lowlier jobs. My shorthand classmates arrived at college with this attitude already in place, unaware that they were doing such a disservice to their own intelligence and capabilities. However, I believe everyone's self-esteem increased rapidly throughout the college year. Having gained exam passes for both the "higher" (academic) and "lower" (commercial) subjects, I can confirm that I found the "lower" definitely more enjoyable, practical and useful throughout life. (More on college shorthand experiences on my About page). Shorthand is only seen as difficult nowadays because it is less wellknown and the assumption is often made that a rare skill has to be a
difficult one. It is rare only because it is not requested by employers as it was in previous years. That rarity could be an advantage if you can list shorthand on your CV, but there is also the necessity to make known your possession of this skill. A computer desktop picture of some shorthand outlines may be in order see the JPGs for Ipod, use part of the Flying Fingers poster JPG, or indeed any shorthand JPG on this website. On my course we learned all the theory in the first term from September to December and the other two terms were spent on speed practice and gearing up to various shorthand exams. This course included other commercial subjects, so shorthand was not taking 100% of study time. Our successes came from maintaining our interest and enthusiasm throughout that year, and of course our patient and kindly shorthand teacher who encouraged everyone equally. Often interest grows as one learns a subject novelty turns into familiarity, and then into usefulness. Shorthand requires precision and exactitude to be done well, and you cannot "waffle" your way through exam answers. It is a skill that anyone can be proud of having learned and mastered, even if exams are never undertaken. Whatever shorthand you use, it is a worthy achievement, both in the skill gained and the bravery of facing unknown dictation at unknown speeds, totally unruffled and with the confidence that you can get it all and transcribe correctly. Your first public arena for using this skill may be via the telephone message pad, but rest assured it will not go unnoticed for long. Old Shorthand If you are interested in pre-New Era versions of Pitman's Shorthand, I suggest you learn New Era thoroughly, and do your dabbling afterwards, as rules have been revised over time, especially the placement of vowels and positions of outlines, rather major things to get confused over if you are still learning. The place to find all the preNew Era books is www.archive.org where you can read online or download most of them as PDFs, without having to buy expensive and fragile antique books. The text-only versions of the files are often peppered with OCR mistakes, as the letterpress pages are not always sharp, and of course the OCR makes mincemeat of the actual shorthand.
Many of the 19th century books attempt to combine practice passages with moral instruction and this can be either amusing, annoying or educational, depending on whether you agree with it. Despite the sometimes condescending tone of the advice, the text keys to the passages can be enjoyed without any knowledge of shorthand and they give an interesting insight into the attitudes of the times, where self-improvement was encouraged for all.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
PAGE DATE 9 August 2011
A stroke is a shorthand sign that represents one consonant sound. Strokes do not correspond to the letters of the normal longhand alphabet, although some of them may appear to do so. The angle, relative size and thickness of the strokes, and position relative to the line on the notepad, are all meaningful in Pitman's Shorthand, and cannot be changed, ignored or elaborated upon, as you can with normal handwriting or printing fonts. Names Direction Size Thickness Reference Table complete list of all the strokes Position writing is described on the Theory 2 Vowels page Names There are 26 strokes and each has a name, based on the sound it represents. You should use these names consistently when talking about them. Direction Strokes are described as: upstrokes, downstrokes and horizontal strokes. With curves, or strokes that have initial hooks or circles, such as Way, Hay, Kway, Wel, the description refers to the general direction of the main part of the stroke.
Ell and Ish are the only strokes that can be written both up and downwards using the same form. A final halved Ess is occasionally written upwards. Hay has a choice of two strokes, for ease of joining. Ar and Ray both represent the R sound, but in different circumstances. Eff Vee Ith Thee can be flipped when they have an initial hook Horizontal stroke are always written from left to right
Where there there is a choice of direction, one direction is taken as the norm, to be used when the stroke is standing alone; then the rules
describe when the opposite direction should be used. Such pairs allow ease of joining (i.e. making a legible angle) or vowel indication. The notes column gives hints of other choices, and is not definitive further theory pages describe in more detail. Size The average height of a line on a shorthand pad is 8mm*. I suggest you make the stroke length approximately 5mm, i.e. just over half the line height, so that the outlines fit well. Very old textbooks have quite small outlines, drawn carefully with very fine pens and lithographed to perfection; this would have been a reasonable size to emulate when shorthand was written with fine-nibbed dip pens, for personal writings done at leisure. The modern textbooks have a more practical size of outline at 5mm and these are ideal to copy (measured from Longman's New Era Anniversary Edition).
*See Downloads page to print your own pad
Your choice of outline size will depend on your paper, writing instrument and eyesight. Your eyes may be further away from the pad during transcription than when writing. Blunt or over-inky writing instruments do not help you form small neat outlines. Pencil will encourage large outlines over time, as you strain to transcribe the shiny grey lines. All the above provide reasons enough to start your endeavours with a good-quality fine flexible-tipped fountain pen, as you will have difficulty changing your shorthand style later on. You will never regret the expense. See my review of the Noodler's Flex Pen. You should avoid large spaced-out outlines which take a lot longer to write. Under pressure of writing at speed, outlines tend to become bigger and more sprawling, and you do not want to start off with this disadvantage. Some outlines have three downstrokes in succession, which large shorthand would have difficulty in fitting on the notepad line. Written shorthand never resembles the drawn outlines in the textbook, and there is a certain amount of leeway when writing, but it is quite limited. You should continue to aspire to the textbook outlines in order to prevent sloppiness creeping in. It is important to have your writing hand and notepad at the same angle to each other, so the writing does not acquire any slant.
Top of page
Thickness Pitman's Shorthand relies on thick and thin strokes to differentiate between sounds. The thick outline is a voiced version of the thin outline - voiced means the vocal chords are being vibrated, which you can detect by placing your hand on your throat while saying the sound. Without the thicks and thins, there would be double the number of strokes, an unnecessary burden which Sir Isaac Pitman has kindly spared us. It has been said one should think in terms of thin and very thin. Write the thins as lightly as you can, and then form the thicks just enough to make the difference. The important thing is that you can see the difference between them, while retaining a light-handed manner of writing. Thick straight strokes are uniform in thickness and this is easy to achieve. Thick curved strokes should be thickened towards the centre and then trailed off to a point at the end. This enables you to glide in and out of the various strokes without abrupt changes of pressure. There is no thick upstroke at all, as this is totally impractical to write.
Top of page
Reference Table Below are all the strokes of the system in their basic form, shown resting on the line, for convenience. You want the images in your mind always to look like the real thing, so it is not helpful to learn from, or keep lists of, floating lineless illustrations, even if they are fully vocalised. The additional strokes in the Notes column are not basic strokes, as they represent two or more sounds. Strokes with attachments Wel, Hwel and Hway are the only instances of a hook adding a sound BEFORE that of the main stroke, all other hooks add a sound after. It helps to think of the strokes below that have such permanent "attachments" as complete strokes in their own right, otherwise confusion may result when learning the R, L, F/V and N hooks.
The reason they have attachments is that, as the system developed in its early days, more strokes were required than were available from the straight lines at various angles and segments of a circle. Therefore various unused combinations were made use of, e.g. Ray was given initial hooks to make Way and Yay, which were originally shown by the small semi-circle and the downstrokes that we now use for Rer and Ler; the combination S-CHR, not occurring in English, was used instead for downward Hay, the H sound originally being represented by only the aspirate dot and the upstroke that is now used for Yay. Stroke Name Direction Angle from Vertical Notes Sound also represented by
Pee Down 45 Emp-Emb thickening of Em
Bee Down 45 Emp-Emb thickening of Em
Tee Down 0 Halving; doubling for "-ture"
Dee Down
0 Halving
Chay Down 30
Jay Down 30
Kay Horizontal 0 Large initial hook for Kway Part of the con/com dot
Gay Horizontal 0 Large initial hook for Gway
Hay Down 30 Down version for better joins and can be reduced to a downward tick before some strokes Aspirate dot
Hay Up 60 Upward Hay is most frequently used Aspirate dot
Way Up 60 Large initial hook for Hway The Way vowel sign, Sway circle
Yay Up 60 Sometimes U diphthong within a word
Ell Up 45 Sometimes down for better joinings. Sometimes choice is made for vowel indication.
Small initial hook on upward Ell makes Wel
Large initial hook on upward Ell makes Hwel
Downward Ell thicken for Ler
Downward Ell halve and thicken for Ld Initial hook
Ar Down 45 Vowel before it; exceptions apply to obtain better joinings.
Thicken for Rer
Halve and thicken for Rd Final part of doubling
Ray Up 60 No vowel before it; exceptions apply to obtain better joinings. Initial hook
Eff Down 45 Final hook
Vee Down 45 Final hook
Ith Down 0
Thee Down 0 Doubling for "-ther"
Ess Down 0 Circle S, SES and Sway
Zee Down 0 Circle S, SES
Ish Down 45 Sometimes upwards for better joinings. Sher is always downwards Shel is always upwards Part of the Shun hook
Zhee
Down 45 Always down no thick stroke ever goes up. This is the sound in "measure" Part of the Shun hook
Em Horizontal 90 Thicken for Imp or Imb Halve and thicken for Md
En Horizontal 90 Halve and thicken for Nd Final hook. Initial hook for "instr"
Ing Horizontal 90 This is a single sound. Derivative words may retain separate En and Gay, where the resemblance to "ing" is coincidental. The "ing" dot and the "ings" dash
Top of page
PAGE DATE 5 May 2011
Vowels are indicated by dots, dashes and small signs placed in various positions again the sides of the strokes, and sometimes joined to strokes. The shape, thickness and position against the stroke are all meaningful pieces of information that identify which vowel is meant, i.e. you cannot vary these. Some angles may be varied, some not. Joining to a stroke is not meaningful, just convenient.
They represent the spoken sound and not the longhand written form. Some short form use just a vowel sign on its own for certain short words (see 2nd half of List4 for shor forms derived from vowel signs).
They do not follow exactly the variations in vowel sounds spoken by different regional accents, or even variations within the same accent. Shorthand textbooks and dictiona follow what is termed Standard English/Queen's English/BBC English/Oxford English/Received Pronunciation which approximates to English spoken in the mid-to-s of the UK. Examples given here will adhere to that and you should make adjustments suit your own situation.
Substituting other vowels to accommodate your own variety of English does seem reasonable and not likely to cause problems if done thoughtfully and sparingly, bearin mind that you may be taking dictation from speakers with a variety of accents. This m result in a change of outline position, as you will not generally be writing in all the vow It may also throw up a new set of clashing outlines, different from those listed on the Distinguishing Outlines page. You should keep notes of your variations and be totally consistent in their use. It does not seem advisable to attempt learn the system and re it all at the same time!
If your shorthand becomes highly personalised as regards pronunciation, you will crea difficulties for yourself when the speaker does not sound like you. At the lower examination speeds you may be marked on your shorthand outlines, so caution is needed, and if you wished to teach Pitman's Shorthand, then you cannot deviate from vowel values and signs given in the textbooks and dictionaries.
When taking from dictation, you are not expected to reflect the speaker's accent whic may vary from your own. If you had to read it back to the speaker, it would be insulti you read it in his/her accent! If you came across a dialect word for the first time, you would of course write it exactly as pronounced, as you would have nothing else to compare it with.
On this page I have written in all the vowels, although you will not do this during norm note-taking. Quick reference table Short and Long vowels
PAGE DATE 7 June 2011
The Three Kings: FACILITY LEGIBILITY LINEALITY
Pitman's Shorthand is based on geometric forms, using straight lines and quarters of circle at various angles. This allows precise and readable outlines to be formed, but do not prevent the shorthand also being easy and flowing to write.
The direction and angle of the strokes is meaningful and cannot be changed, i.e. there no such thing as sloping handwriting in Pitman's Shorthand. Different writers' shortha will always vary in appearance, just as handwriting does, but such variations must no impinge on the meaning, and one soon learns what one can and cannot do. Written shorthand will never look like the textbook shorthand. The textbook outlines have bee very carefully drawn and they are the standard from which written shorthand should never stray too far. Some of the items such as Intersections, Proximity, Prefixes and Phrasing are introductory, and will be covered on future theory pages.
The strokes and diagram are available in the origami booklet PDF and as JPGs (suitab for Ipod) from the Downloads page. Stroke Outline
In addition to the strokes, the sounds of S and Z are also represented by circles and lo This page also describes how to write these sounds when the circles cannot be used. L are on separate page but are shown in the quick reference tables below. Quick Reference Table Circles and Loops Quick Reference Table Circles and Loops with hooks CIRCLE S Anticlockwise to straight strokes Inside curves Outside an angle With hooks With R Hook and N Hook to straight strokes S versus Z sound Why Circle S and Ses include the Z sound CIRCLE SES With hooks When not to use Vowels Adding a third S Other uses CIRCLE SWAY With hooks When not to use QUICK REFERENCE TABLES Name Circle S Sound Initially=S Elsewhere=S or Z Initially Medially Finally
soap Z initially uses stroke zeal Use Ess if no other stroke session
posing
pose
PAGE DATE 15 July 2010
In addition to the strokes, the sounds of ST and STER can be represented by loops. Th page also describes how to write these sounds when the loops cannot be used. STEE LOOP Size and shape Placement and use With R Hook on straight strokes With N Hook on straight strokes When not to use Derivatives STER LOOP Size and shape Placement and use With N Hook on straight strokes Circle S following When not to use Derivatives See Theory 2 Vowels page for vowel placement for strokes that have loops.

Both loops are applied to the stroke in the same way as Circle S. Stee represents the sounds ST, and also ZD finally. Ster represents the sounds ST + slurred vowel + R. No vowel comes between the S and T sounds. Stee can be used at the beginning, middle and end of an outline. Ster can be used in the middle and end only. Read first and last. The name Stee is for convenience only, any vowel can come before or after it. The name Ster does approximate to the vowel it contains i.e. slurred and unaccented.
The loops themselves are never vocalised with Stee there is no vowel and with Ster the vowel is always slurred. There are no thick versions. Can be combined with R and N Hooks on straight strokes, but no other hooks. Can be followed by Circle S.
STEE LOOP
PAGE DATE 2 April 2010
Hooks are used to indicate the sounds of R, L, N, F/V and Shun/Zhun, as alternatives t the full strokes. The table below is for revision/overview purposes and the main hooks pages cover the rules in detail. Attempting to learn the hooks from this table alone is n advised and will lead to errors in their use.

Small hooks are approximately one fifth the length of the stroke. They are simila size to Circle S but without being closed up. Large hooks are approximately one third the length of the stroke. Hooks are never in any circumstances written on the outside of curves. Hooks are always written thin, never thick.
On straight strokes, the beginning of the hook is written parallel to the stroke, it not curl round. Any curling would tend to look like either a plain circle S or a circ attached to the hook.
In some combinations the hook is slightly deformed to allow the joining, e.g. "cu under stroke Jay. This is the correct way, the hook should not be curled round in such combinations. Where alternative forms are available i.e. reversed F V Ith Th and strokes that can be written either up or down, it is generally possible to avoi less-than-perfect hook; although sometimes the formation of other parts of the outline have to take precedence over the exact formation of the hook. Keep the hooks open so they do not look like circle or loops.
Keep the small hooks small and the big hooks big ensure there is a good differ between the size that you write them.
The small hooks remain the same size regardless of whether the stroke is halved or doubled. The large hooks may be reduced in length slightly when the stroke is halved, to maintain legibility do not reduce the depth, lest it be mistaken for a small hook.
In the R and L hook series, the hooked strokes have names Per, Pel, Sher, She etc., so that they can be referred to easily, although the name is not quite in kee with the primary use of the R and L hooks i.e. no vowel in the middle. The hooks always represent something after the stroke, even though with initial hooks the pen will write the hook part first. In the table below, impossible combinations are shown with a dash.
Some combinations are theoretically possible but no examples are forthcoming, are thus marked, for future new words or non-English names. These unused combinations may be employed when creating advanced shortcuts, where a hoo may serve to represent a whole word e.g. Shun for "association". L N F/V
Name Stroke R
Shun/Zhun
PAGE DATE 2 March 2011
The sounds of R and L are very frequently pronounced with the preceding consonant, together with no vowel between. To reflect the joining of the two sounds in a double c hooked stroke. This double consonant is sometimes called a consonantal diphthong, a although these terms are not normally used in Pitman's Shorthand theory books.

Primary use is to indicate the above combination of 2 consonants. Third use is for convenience, despite the presence of an distinct vowel, to avoid outline.
Secondary use is for when the combination includes a slurred or indistinct vowe
The R and L are always pronounced second in the combination, although when the ho part first. Not all strokes can take the R or L hook. Adding S to the hooks is entirely covered on the Theory 4 Circles/With hooks page.
The reversed forms section contains a very large number of example outlines. Parts o cause hesitation and it is essential to have a wide vocabulary of known outlines on wh R & L Hook to straight strokes R & L Hook to curved strokes Vocalisation Reversed forms for F V Ith Thee Reversed forms R Hook Reversed forms L Hook Reversed forms Derivatives Suffixes -ful & -fully Special case for Ing Halving a hooked stroke Hooks in middle of outline When not to use Strokes not taking R or L Hook For hooks to Imp/Imb, see Theory 16 Imp/Imb page R & L Hook to straight strokes R is shown by a clockwise hook written at the beginning of the stroke. L is shown by an anticlockwise hook written at the beginning of the stroke.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, w admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such thing
The sounds of N F V are also represented by hooks, in addition to the strokes.

All straight strokes can take these hooks. Curved strokes only take N hook, as there is only one side on which to write it. sound of F or V following a curve requires the stroke Eff or Vee.
There is always a vowel sound between the stroke and the N, F or V hook, there strokes with these hooks are not compound consonants (unlike the R and L hoo where the sounds are generally spoken together).
Adding circles and loops to the hooks is entirely covered in the Theory 4 Circles andTheory 5 Loops pages N & F/V hook to straight strokes N hook to curved strokes Hooks in middle of outline Vocalisation Halving and doubling Derivatives When not to use N & F/V hook to straight strokes N is shown by a clockwise hook at the end of the stroke.
pen open bone bin ton dine done chain chin John Jane June
gain again rain terrain wine won/one win whine yen hen hone
F or V is shown by an anticlockwise hook at the end of the stroke. The hook signifies either F or V and context is required to ascertain which one is meant. F and V are the least common sounds of all the hooks and, with judicious vowel insertion, this is not a problem in practice:
The sounds "shun" and "zhun" are represented by a large hook written at the end of t stroke, regardless of the longhand spelling. Inside curves Straight strokes: Balancing the outline Away from the preceding vowel After Tee, Dee or Jay Small Shun Hook Adding S In middle of outline On a halved stroke Words with alternative pronunciations When not to use For vocalisation see Theory 2 Vowels/4. Shun Hook Inside curves
As with other hooks to curves, the Shun Hook is always written inside the curve, neve outside. It is written approximately one third the length of the stroke (the same size a the L hook on curved strokes):
fashion fission fusion infusion confusion fruition Friesian
vision television evasion invasion innovation renovation deprivation
conservation starvation devotion elevation session concession botheration
In addition to using the full strokes Tee and Dee, the sounds of T and D can be indicat by halving the preceding stroke. This gives the two advantages of a briefer outline and indication of presence or absence of vowels by the choice of method.
In most words of one syllable, thin strokes are halved to add T and thick strokes halved to add D.
If there is a final hook, an attached diphthong, or 2 or more syllables in the wor the halving can generally signify either T or D and context is required to determ which is meant. The above rules are not mutually exclusive, and which is used depends on how legible the resultant outline is.
The third position for a halved stroke is on the line (same as second position) an not through the line. Em En Ell Ar Ing Imp/Imb behave slightly differently Ler and Rer cannot be halved. Halving is not used when there is a final vowel after the T or D.
The T or D is pronounced after a stroke's final hook (N F V Shun) but before a fi Circle S, Stee Loop and "dot -ing".
Longhand spelling must be ignored, as many words ending in -ed are pronounce with a T sound e.g. "tripped"
Words of one syllable (monosyllables) Thin strokes Thick strokes Final hook Attached diphthong Words of more than one syllable General rule Single stroke outlines Ray Hay Way Yay Extra care with straight strokes Em En Ell Ar Ing Ler Rer Compound words
Doubling the length of a stroke adds the syllable sound of -ter -der and the voiced -TH sound is added is ascertained by context (both the rest of the outline and its meaning differentiate where necessary:

Straight strokes are doubled in length. Curved strokes are doubled in length and retain the same depth of curve.
There are restrictions on when straight strokes can be doubled, to prevent clash succession. The vowel places are spaced out along the stroke to match the new length. The vowel of the added syllable is never shown. Occasionally used for -ture. Not used if the syllable is accented or a final vowel follows. Past tenses generally use halving instead. Ing doubled adds -ker -ger; stroke Ar is used to just add -er. Used in phrases to represent: there their other dear.
Order of reading is: stroke + final hook + doubling sound + circle S or dot -ing.
The description of the syllables added refers to the sound, not the longhand spe
Quick reference table Position and vocalisation Straight strokes Curved strokes Ell Ing Doubling plus suffix Two straight strokes In phrases When not to use For doubling of Imp/Imb, see Theory 16 Imp/Imb page QUICK REFERENCE TABLE
DOUBLED STROKE Straight Curved Ing -ter -der
With attachments
With attachments
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, w admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such thing
PAGE DATE 2 August 2010
The sound of H can be represented in several ways, the choice being influenced by wh makes the best join and therefore most legible outline:

Upward Hay, used by the majority of outlines. Downward Hay is used when alone and before simple Kay Gay. Initial Downward Hay is shortened to a tick before Em Imp Ell Ar Rer Ard.
Dot Hay a dot written next to the following vowel, used when the other metho are not convenient or possible. In compound words and derivatives, the form that joins best is generally used. Only used to represent the sound. A silent longhand H is not represented in shorthand.
As many examples as possible have been given, so that you can base new outlin on existing known ones.
Quick Reminders Upward Hay Large Medial Circle Downward Hay Tick Hay Tick versus full Downward Hay Tick Hay in Phrases Dot Hay Dot Hay in compound words Prefixes Short forms with H sound Derivatives Hay compared with similar circles and strokes When not to use QUICK REMINDERS one of each usage:
UP: head hammer hacker heckle hurry hose
PAGE DATE 30 Aril 2012
The sound of W is represented in two main ways. The outline uses whichever method produces the easiest outline to write and read, and in some cases to indicate the pres preceding vowel:

Stroke Way Small semicircle:
(a) Initially, right semicircle, attached before simple Kay Gay, Em Imp/Imb Ar A Ray (b) Medially, left or right semicircle, unattached and written to replace the sign vowel that immediately follows it.

Also part of strokes Hway Wel Hwel Kway Gway Also part of Circle Sway, dealt with on page Theory 4 Circles/Sway
Although the W sound is a long vowel, it does the job of a consonant when it be syllable.
Stroke Way Initial semicircle Medial semicircle Strokes Hway Wel Hwel Strokes Kway Gway Initial Vowel Derivatives Phrases & compound words Distinguishing outlines for place names Short form why When not to use a W form Stroke Way
This is the form most commonly used. As stroke Way has an initial hook as part of its form, it can take no other initial hooks or initial loops:
way we* wee weep wiper web wobble weighbridge
*Short form
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, w is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy t about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
The stroke Ell in its basic form can be written in either direction:

The default is to write Ell upwards. Written downwards to gain a more legible join. Written downwards to continue the curve of the preceding or next stroke. Written downwards in certain combinations for vowel indication. Thickened for -Ler always downward. Halved and thickened for -Ld always downward.
The sound of L as part of a compound consonant (as in play, flow) uses the L Ho see Theory 7 Hooks R L page. A longhand letter L that is not pronounced is not shown in the outline.
Upwards Ell Reasons for downwards Ell: 1. Continue curve 2. Clear join with preceding or next stroke 3. Choice of direction for vowel indication Derivatives Negatives Joined vowel signs Downstroke Ler Downstroke Ld Unpronounced longhand letter L Upwards Ell Upwards when it is the only stroke in the outline, regardless of length (halved, full or doubled) or attachments:
ale ales ill eel Ely allow
else sale seal sill silt salt slot soil silo
The sound of R is represented in three ways:

Stroke Ar Stroke Ray R Hook, described in full on Theory 7 Hooks R L page Neither of the strokes can take an initial hook
If there is an R in the longhand, it is nearly always represented in Shorthand t exceptions are very few Halving and Doubling of the strokes is described in full on those Theory pages.
Stroke Ar Stroke Ray Initially Medially Finally After Hay After W Semicircle Derivatives Stroke Rer Stroke Ard Prefix IrrR not shown Stroke Ar

Has a vowel before Always written downwards Thickened to add ER = Stroke Rer Halved and thickened to add D = Stroke Ard Used for the short forms "your" and "year"
Stroke Ray

Has a vowel after
Always written upwards at an angle of 30 from the horizontal, so it cannot be c with Chay when standing alone Used for the short forms "are" and "our/hour"
If the outline has more than one stroke, the R is chosen that makes the best join. If b
Stroke Imp/Imb is a thickened version of stroke Em:

Represents the compound sound of MP or MB No vowel comes between the M and P, or M and B sounds Can take N and Shun Hooks Doubled, or R Hooked, for "imper/imber" Never takes L Hook Can be halved only when has a R or N Hook, plain form never halved Lightly sounded P sound omitted and stroke M used e.g. "prompt" "prompter" "assumption" Not used for silent longhand letters e.g. "lamb" "comb" Used for short forms "important improve impossible" (List 4)
Stroke Imp/Imb Hooks Halving Doubled or with R Hook When not to use Stroke Imp/Imb
Represents the compound sound of MP or MB, no vowel comes between, but can have vowel either side:
amp imp impish samp sump swamp swampy
stamp stump stumpy impose impostor imposture impetus
Stroke Ish only has one form, but can be written in two directions:

The default is downwards, but is written upwards for convenient joining or to maintain balance, similar motion or lineality (=keeping to the line) Can take Hooks With R Hook = "Sher" is always written downwards With L Hook = "Shel" is always written upwards In some instances Ish + N Hook is used instead of Shun Hook Denotes the suffix "-ship" in derivatives Used for short forms: shall/shalt wish wished sure short (Short Forms List 4) The thick stroke "Zhee" is always written downwards, with no exceptional uses, is not part of this page
Initially Medially Finally Hook between Hooked Ish Halving Balancing, Angles & Similar Motion Lineality Derivatives Suffix -ship Words of non-English origin Initially 1. Alone = always down
ash shy Shaw show showy showiest shyest she shoe/shoo
An affix is a grammatical addition, attached to one end of a word, in order to expand change its meaning:

At the beginning it is called a prefix At the end it is called a suffix
The outlines take their position from the first vowel in the prefix, with the excep of those using con dot, which take their position from the next vowel. Prefixed s forms and contractions mostly retain their original position.
PREFIXES SUMMARY 1. concom- cumcog
Dot at head of stroke, or proximity Some words in full Outline placed according to the vowel after the initial con- comInitial cumcog- in full, and outline placed as normal, according to the first vowel sound. Stroke Kay, some joined, some disjoined Disjoined Em In full if the magn- is followed by other vowels Stroke En Small initial hook for "in-" before SKR STR and upward Hay, if not a negative M & N: Repeat stroke to distinguish between pairs L & R: Use downward version or repeat the stroke to distinguish between pairs Doubled En inter- may be vocalised, intro- never vocalised Intro is occasionally written En + TR, with vocalisation as normal Small circle in 2nd vowel position Small circle in con dot position
2. accom3. magnamagnemagni4. in- un-
5. imm- innunn- -ill- irr-
6. interintro-
7. self- selfcon-

At the beginning it is called a prefix. At the end it is called suffix. All the consonants and vowels of the suffix are written in the outline. The suffix is only disjoined when a join is not possible. These suffixes are vocalised as normal, even if disjoined. Stroke Ing where possible, and always medially. Otherwise dot at end of stroke for -ing, dash for -ings, finally only. -ingly disjoined if necessary.
The suffixes on this page are written within the basic rules:

SUFFIXES 1. -ing -ings -ingly
2. -ly 3. -able -ably 4. -est -ist
Stroke Ell or L Hook or just add dot vowel. Hooked BL. Strokes Bee + Ell where the hooked BL cannot join. Stee Loop. Occasionally halved Ess, down or upwards.
5. -ess
Stroke Ess, to denote female version of a noun, where required for differentiation. Otherwise use Circle S. Stroke Ess preferred in some names.
6. -ism
Circle S + Em. -nism has the Circle inside the En curve. Occasionally Zee + Em.
7. -less 8. -ness
Only disjoined where necessary. Not vocalised if disjoined.
Add the whole syllable even if the original word alread ends in N. "-lessness" is a contracted suffix, see Theory 20 page.
1. -ing -ings -ingly
The default is stroke Ing, used where it can be written clearly. It only represent

At the beginning it is called a prefix. At the end it is called suffix. Leave out some of the consonants Are disjoined, apart from "-ward" etc and some "-ship" words Are not vocalised, except for the U diphthong in "-uality." Any third place vowel that comes before a contracted suffix is written to the preceding stroke.
Contracted suffixes:

The placement of disjoined strokes is much easier when no vowels are being wr in.
A vowel before a contracted suffix sometimes has no stroke that it can be writte and so it is disregarded in those instances. Such vowels are underlined in the longhand throughout this page.
Some of the suffixes are whole words in their own right, and the disjoined suffix often be used in advanced phrases to represent those words "fullness mental mentality ship shipment logical ability". Such phrases are not recommended for those still learning the system, likely to produce more hesitation than speed. Th phrases will be included in a future Phrasing page. Disjoined Ell + Circle S. Eff + Ell, or the hooked stroke FL. Disjoined Eff + Circle S for -fulness.
CONTRACTED SUFFIX 9. -lessness -lousness 10. -fulness 11. -ment -mental -mentally -mentality
-ment occasionally omits M and uses just halved En i.e -ent. Disjoin "mnt" for -mental/ly/ity. Joined or disjoined Ish. In full where clearer. Halved Way, Halved Yay, omitting the R. No need to disjoin. Ocasionally using stroke Ard
12. -ship 13. -ward -wart -wort -yard
14. -logical -logically 15. -lity -rity & similar
Disjoined Jay. Disjoin the stroke before the ending.

Shorthand Theory

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shorthand Theory

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

http://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/theory-intro.

Intelligence + effort + persistence = excellence

From I-SAAC to I-POD in 158 years!

Which book? The current textbooks generally available are:

PAGE DATE 9 August 2011

Pee Down 45 Emp-Emb thickening of Em

Bee Down 45 Emp-Emb thickening of Em

Tee Down 0 Halving; doubling for "-ture"

Gay Horizontal 0 Large initial hook for Gway

Hay Up 60 Upward Hay is most frequently used Aspirate dot

Yay Up 60 Sometimes U diphthong within a word

Small initial hook on upward Ell makes Wel

Large initial hook on upward Ell makes Hwel

Downward Ell thicken for Ler

Downward Ell halve and thicken for Ld Initial hook

Ar Down 45 Vowel before it; exceptions apply to obtain better joinings.

Thicken for Rer

Halve and thicken for Rd Final part of doubling

Eff Down 45 Final hook

Vee Down 45 Final hook

Thee Down 0 Doubling for "-ther"

Ess Down 0 Circle S, SES and Sway

Zee Down 0 Circle S, SES

Em Horizontal 90 Thicken for Imp or Imb Halve and thicken for Md

PAGE DATE 5 May 2011

PAGE DATE 7 June 2011

The Three Kings: FACILITY LEGIBILITY LINEALITY

PAGE DATE 15 May 2011

PAGE DATE 15 July 2010

PAGE DATE 2 April 2010

PAGE DATE 2 March 2011

PAGE DATE 22 March 2010

The sounds of N F V are also represented by hooks, in addition to the strokes.

PAGE DATE 5 April 2010

fashion fission fusion infusion confusion fruition Friesian

vision television evasion invasion innovation renovation deprivation

conservation starvation devotion elevation session concession botheration

PAGE DATE 9 June 2011

PAGE DATE 5 May 2011

PAGE DATE 2 August 2010

UP: head hammer hacker heckle hurry hose

PAGE DATE 30 Aril 2012

Stroke Way Small semicircle:

way we* wee weep wiper web wobble weighbridge

PAGE DATE 5 May 2011

ale ales ill eel Ely allow

else sale seal sill silt salt slot soil silo

PAGE DATE 5 May 2011

The sound of R is represented in three ways:

Has a vowel after

PAGE DATE 3 March 2011

Stroke Imp/Imb is a thickened version of stroke Em:

amp imp impish samp sump swamp swampy

stamp stump stumpy impose impostor imposture impetus

PAGE DATE 5 May 2011

ash shy Shaw show showy showiest shyest she shoe/shoo

PAGE DATE 27 April 2011

At the beginning it is called a prefix At the end it is called a suffix

PREFIXES SUMMARY 1. concom- cumcog

2. accom3. magnamagnemagni4. in- un-

5. imm- innunn- -ill- irr-

PAGE DATE 12 June 2011

SUFFIXES 1. -ing -ings -ingly