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January 2018

 

More Con Words

 

Basic Phrases 1

 

Basic Phrases 2

 

Road Trip

 

 

More Con Words (12 January 2018)

 

Con Com Cum Cog and related and similar words

 

 

She wanted to become a dancer, but found that becoming a singer* was better.

 

Now that his income had increased, he had to pay much more* income tax on it.

 

They always gave us a warm welcome, and their home was so warm and welcoming.

 

We like to ensure that the incoming students are welcomed into the college.

 

His home-coming to the village was delayed by the oncoming traffic in the narrow lane.

 

She was determined to overcome all difficulties, and to keep on overcoming them in the future*.

 

The duty doctor was a locum-tenens but this is often shortened to locum.

 

His method of locomotion was by train and he wanted to drive a locomotive* for a job.

 

He studied art and design and the other concomitant subjects that were offered by the college.

 

These events occurred through concomitance, happening together rather than one being the cause.

 

This man was the main conspirator in this case, and these others were all co-conspirators.*

 

* "singer" The Ing is not hooked, as there is no hard G or K sound. A hooked Ing is used for "ing-ker" or "ing-ger"

 

* Omission phrase "much m(ore)"

 

* "in the future" Do not make an omission phrase, as "in future" would be interchangeable with this

 

* "locomotive" Optional contraction, the full outline has M + T with V hook

 

* "co-conspirators" Note it is in second position, following the first vowel

 

Cum and cog are only abbreviated when medial:

 

 

The  earth has been circumnavigated many times and its circumference is almost 25 thousand miles*.

 

Abraham was instructed to circumcise all the males and so began the practice of circumcision in that era.

 

Their activities were severely circumscribed but they managed to circumvent some of the problems.

 

Their behaviour was very circumspect, as they wished to stay in favour with the new incumbent in office.

 

A person lying down is called recumbent but a plant trailing along the ground is called decumbent.

 

They did not encumber themselves with much baggage, having suffered that type of encumbrance before.

 

The scientists recognised the importance of the text recognition software that they were using.

 

The spy was travelling incognito and his appearance was totally unrecognisable even to his friends.

 

They found it most cumbersome carrying their* tents over the Cumbrian mountains.

 

I have been watching the comings and goings of our new neighbour Mr Cummings.

 

The cumulative effect of the rising moisture* resulted in very large cumulus clouds.

 

* "thousand miles" Do not join the Ith and "miles", as M is used for "million"

 

* "carrying their" Doubling for "their"

 

* "moisture" Note that "moisturise" has Ray instead of the R hook, to enable vocalisation

 

Contractions and related outlines:

 

 

They found contentment in their new home despite the inconsiderate actions of one of the neighbours.

 

They were content to remain in their jobs as they were earning a not inconsiderable amount of money.

 

They behaved very inconsiderately and this was most inconvenient and annoying for the staff.

 

I am sorry to say that* they most inconveniently forgot to inform him of his constitutional rights. (constitutional)

 

A full copy of the Constitution can be requested from this office for a small administrative fee.

 

Due to this unfortunate* set of circumstances, they suffered much inconvenience and delay to their plans.

 

Due to this particular circumstance unfortunately* we cannot agree to the proposals that you have put forward.

 

There was a substantial amount of evidence, but it was all circumstantial and could not be used in court.

 

Circumstantiate means to describe in detail, and substantiate means to provide proof with facts.

 

They have been able to substantiate all these allegations with precise information on what actually happened.

 

The report has fully circumstantiated everything that took place during the conference last month*.

 

* Omission phrases "I am sorry (to) s(ay) that" "las(t) month"

 

* "unfortunate" "unfortunately" Optional contractions

 

In full, as clearer:

 

 

I have been studying commerce and other commercial subjects at the technical college* in the city.

 

The commissar heard an unusual commotion in the corridor* outside his office.

 

The office of the commissionaire* has been decommissioned and moved to another location.

 

I spoke to the consul in the ambassador’s office who gave me the address of the consulate.

 

The soldiers did a reconnaissance flight over the consular compound.

 

I have heard that the commissioner* is a connoisseur of fine wines.

 

The sub-commissioner is delegating the work of the commissary to his experienced team.

 

I must commiserate with you for not getting that job at the army commissariat.

 

I have sent my commiserations to him for not being promoted to non-commissioned officer.

 

We have added letters after the part numbers to connote different versions and sizes of components.

 

I do not know what the connotation* of these codes and ciphers is.

 

There can be no commutation* of one substance for another in this experiment.

 

* Omission phrase "techni(cal) college" which omits the repeated hooked K stroke

 

* "corridor" Compare with "girder" which has D with R hook, these two need distinguishing especially in a building context

 

* "commissionaire" "commissioner" Always insert the vowel in the former, and omit in the latter

 

* "connotation" has full strokes, to distinguish it from "commutation"

 

In full, as not a prefix:

 

 

He was a newcomer* in the village and had three very comely daughters.

 

He did not behave well as an incomer* to the profession and there was the inevitable* comeback.

 

He studied comedy at stage school in order to* play comic parts on television shows.

 

The students learned the science of comets at the Conrad Connor Institute* in the town of Conway.

 

It was quite a comedown when they discovered the crop of comfrey had been destroyed by the frost.

 

The conifer* tree has a seed case that is roughly conical.

 

The condor* is a large bird of prey that has conquered the skies of South America.

 

Connie decided to conquer* her fear of flying and travel to the Congo*.

 

The warship was called the Connaught and was thought to be completely unconquerable*. (802 words)

 

* "newcomer" "incomer" The latter uses the short form "in" and is disjoined to distinguish it more easily, but nevertheless it is helpful to insert the U diphthong in "newcomer" for greater clarity

 

* "inevitable" Compare with "unavoidable" which has a halved V

 

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

 

* "Institute" Omits the first T sound

 

* "conifer" Also pronounced with short O

 

* "condor" Doubling used, despite the word having a clear vowel in the second syllable

 

* "conquer" "unconquerable" "Congo" These are not "con" words, they are "cong", but the spelling may distract from writing the correct outline by sound
 

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Basic Phrases 1 (15 January 2018)

 

 

This article practises basic phrasing. There are no changes of form, special outlines or omitted syllables or words. Phrases should reflect normal speech, never crossing any slight pause, and kept quite short. It is not a competition to see how many words can be joined together in one long snake. It is not necessary* to memorise every possible variation, because once you are familiar with several examples, they will flow naturally in other combinations.

 

* "it is not necessary" Best to break the phrase, as here, or if already written then go back and insert a vowel, as this is similar to "it is unnecessary" which has the same meaning. The same applies to other "not"/"-un" phrases.

 

 

I have a parcel for you to collect, if you are in the area tomorrow.

Have you seen the new building and have you met Mr Smith?

If you come to the office, I can sign the letter for you.

If you are interested you can do this new job.

They will take a photo* of you and give it to you tomorrow.

I can tell you that we shall be at the meeting on Monday.

We shall be in the office all morning working on our report.

We think we can get the work finished in time.

 

* "photo" Insert a vowel, as it is similar to "video" which would also make sense in most contexts

 

 

We think you will be interested in the news item.

We are sure you will agree it is a good result.

I shall be thinking of you when you are doing that exam.

I think you are going to make a success of the project.

They think you are doing quite well and that you are going to be successful.

We are glad that Mr Brown was able to come to the house.

We are glad that you found the report of some interest.

We are not going to include the facts in the second report.

 

 

We are sure you will be very pleased with the progress of the building.

We are not sure whether he will be attending the directors’ meeting.

We are pleased with the work done by the new people in the office.

We regret we are having some difficulty with the new machine.

We regret that he will be absent from the school for a week.

It is not really possible for us to be at the club on Friday.

It is not fair on them that they have had all these difficulties.

It has not rained for a very long time which has not helped the garden plants.

 

 

It has not been a good time for us and it has not resulted in any* orders.

That is not the way that I would have done the job, I would have done it quite differently.

I have seen the new office equipment but it is not what we ordered.

He was not* answering us and that has not been helpful to our project.

He has not been in the admin office for several days and he has not told us why.

He is not answering his phone and he is not calling anyone back.

We have had difficulties with the work which has not been pleasant or useful.

We have a new car which is not running well at all.

 

* "in any" Helpful to insert a vowel after "any" when these two are adjacent in a sentence

 

* "he was not" The Zee is not hooked/halved for "not" as that would look like the apostrophied version of "isn't"

 

 

It is not performing well as we hoped it would and we shall be returning it.

We have had some news which is not what we wanted to hear.

We have done some work on the building but we have not done the garden yet.

I have done some research* and found that they have not done what they promised.

They have done their best with the financial report for this company.

They have not done it very well or very quickly.

We have lived here for several years but Mr Black has been here for many years.

Mrs Green worked for this firm for very many years.

 

* "research" Can also be pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable in which case it would have a third place vowel

 

 

We have not seen that person here for some years now.

Thank you for sending the report on the work undertaken last year.

I have last year’s building report before me as well as last year’s accounts.

I have been working here in the accounts department for two years.

Miss Grey has been working here for three years.

The trainee spent two months at college and three weeks* on work experience.

We must inform you that you are not* required to work Saturdays.

You must report to the admin office and you must bring the papers with you.

 

* Omission phrase "three (w)eeks "

 

* "you are not" Full strokes for this phrase, but hook and halving for "you will not". This keeps the two phrases looking quite different and therefore not misread.

 

 

They must get a lot of work from that company as they are doing very well*.

I think she must like the work as she has stayed for several years.

Please tell Mr White that he must get to the meeting in good time.

He must arrive in good time and he must have* all of his notes with him.

We must arrive early for the conference which starts at three.

We must remember to bring all the necessary papers and files with us.

The notice said you must never park your car here.

They must remember to take all their luggage with them when they go to the airport.

 

* Omission phrase "very (w)ell"

 

* "must have" This could also be written as an omission phrase "mus(t) have"

 

 

I think she must want to come to our house for some reason.

We think he must have been* referring to the notice on the office door.

We must inform you that we cannot send our driver until this evening.

We are informed that they cannot be held responsible for this afternoon’s events.

You should start the letter with either "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam."

If you do not know which to use, then address it as "Dear Sir or Madam."

Dear Miss Brown, We have now received your letter of confirmation.

Dear Mrs Smith, Thank you for your quick reply to my email.

 

* Omission phrase "he mus(t have) been"

 

 

There was a group of people in reception but there was not* much time to see them.

There are many new people in the office this week*.

There are not* enough office desks for all these new people.

There are several files on this subject and there are very many reports as well.

We have bought the lunch food and it is more than enough for everyone.

It would not be enough if many more people arrive.

The equipment will be good enough for your present purposes.

I do not think it will last long enough to be worth the cost.

 

* "there was not" The Zee is not hooked/halved for "not" as that would look like the apostrophied version of "isn't"

 

* "there are not" Full strokes, not using hook and halving

 

* Omission phrase "this (w)eek"

 

 

There was an error in the report but there was no time to reprint it.

There are many jobs that need to be done but there are not* enough workers.

There are several people in this company who can help with this project.

Do they have to have the job done by this Friday?

I am going to tell you when to start writing your answer.

It is up to you to write your answers as quickly as you can.

I began to look for a new house, as I wished to be in the country.  (1113 words)

 

* "there are not" Full strokes, not using hook and halving

 

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Basic Phrases 2 (16 January 2018)

 

 

In the following phrases, some have to be distinguished by adjusting the position of the phrase, and some by writing in the vowels. It is advisable to always vocalise "no" as quite often it will be necessary and you don’t have time to stop and consider. "Any" can have a final dot to help with reading back, although the short form has no vowel sign. Sometimes you have to insert a vowel when an outline becomes out of position because it is in the middle or end of the phrase. "Those" and "these" do not always need a vowel when phrased, but it is a good habit to put it in these two if there is time to do so, and in some phrases it is essential. To help differentiate between "may/might, can/could, know/note," the halved outline should remain unphrased, and the diphthong inserted in "might" if there is time. The exception is "could not", because the outline for "cannot" is entirely different. You cannot emphasise the difference between "know" and "note" with a vowel, so the latter should be left unphrased. It helps to make the halved "might" and "note" more cupped, rather than just being a half size version of the full stroke. The difference between full and half-length strokes can become unclear at speed, as does the exact position of the outlines.

 

 

Outlines where the vowel is essential within that phrase are underlined. I suggest you do extra practice on those ones, varying the sentences with your own vocabulary, as they can be traps for the unwary, leading to transcription* errors that can go unnoticed. For example, knowing* someone’s address and actually noting* it are very different things. "May" and "might" are often interchangeable, but there are times when their different nuances* are important, and in any case, it is up to the speaker to decide which word they want in the sentence, not the shorthand writer*. When I visit the Queen I might possibly try on her crown, but unless I have been told I may (I have permission), I might end up in the Tower of London!

 

* "transcription" Note that "transcribe" and derivatives omit the second R, to distinguish from "describe" etc

 

* "knowing, noting" With the Ing present, you can distinguish by the vowel sign

 

* "nuances" Anglicised pronunciation, the dictionary gives a French pronunciation

 

* Omission phrase "short(hand) writer"

 


Prisoners at the Tower of London getting their chilly daily exercise in December

 

 

I have worked in those offices but now I work in this department.

I have worked for many years in these premises and I am happy with the job.

I have spoken with those people who say they are quite pleased with this revised plan.

I shall be visiting with these people and taking photos* of them with this camera.

I am a friend of those ladies who are all members of this club.

I have made a list of these items and will add them to the report.

I do not have any news for those people but only a letter for the secretary.

I will pay you for these items on Friday but I will pay for this now.

 

* "photos" Insert a vowel, as it is similar to "videos" which would also make sense in most contexts

 

 

I am going to ask them to add more details to this report.

I will send the information to those* people and hope that they will reply to us.

In those days the people were living in small towns and villages.

In this country people prefer to live in the larger towns where there is work.

It is clear that there are more jobs in the city than in the country.

I do not have any doubt about this person’s ability to do the job.

I wish to be informed if there is any doubt about their ability to pay for this.

His character is not in doubt and there is no doubt that he is an honest person.

 

* "to those people" Insert the vowel in "these" and "those" when they are out of position in a phrase

 

 

No doubt they will visit the new office building next Monday.

I do not have any more time to do this college assignment.

I have no more time left to finish the report.

I wish to be told when there is any more money available for this work.

I wish to be told when there is no more money available for this work.

I will not answer any more questions* on this subject.

If there is any more trouble, I will be sending them no more money.

If there is no more trouble, I will feel more inclined to help them.

 

* "questions" Optional contraction

 

 

There is no more that I can do for them at this time.

You may come to the office tomorrow to pick up the report.

I think you may have a problem with the amount of work necessary.

We think you may be in need of some extra supplies.

You might wish you had never started that project.

You might wish to come to our shop in the town.

I think you might find it necessary to write to them for this information.

You may have to visit their offices in the city as well.

 

 

I think you might be interested in these new products.

You may wish to take advantage* of our summer sale.

They may have some of the things that we need for the project.

They might still be open when we arrive tonight.

She may have been successful in getting the tickets.

She might even have enough for all of us.

He may have gone home another way through the town.

I think he may have become lost in the woods.

 

* "take advantage" These can be phrased if on the line, but here it would descend too far

 

 

We may come by the office on Thursday to speak to you.

We might have the report finished by then.

We can send you a copy of the notes but we cannot bring them with us.

We can find someone to do the work for you but we could not cover the cost.

We can have a party at our house and we could have a disco* as well.

Can we have* some food available after the meeting for our visitors?

Can we have* a list of their names and addresses printed out?

Could we have* some idea of when they will be coming here?

 

* "disco" Note that the dot remains with the D, as there is a circle S between it and the next stroke

 

* "Can we have" "Could we have" These sentences are a polite way of giving an order, rather than asking a question

 

 

I can say with confidence that this person will be very successful.

I could say that Mr Smith is suitable for this job but you will have to decide.

I could not imagine that he would be unwilling to help with this.

I cannot see him agreeing to any new work on the building.

We can see* that there will be many more problems with the installation.

We could see a very large crowd of people in the factory yard.

We thought they could cause an obstruction to the cars and trucks.

We could have danced all night but we knew we would be late home.

 

* "We can see" Insert the final vowel, as the S stroke cannot change position (unlike "I can see/say") and could be read as "say" as well

 

 

We know that you are doing well in your career with them.

We know that you have been unwell and we note that you are leaving us.

We note that you are now with another firm in the city.

I know this is a great opportunity and I know I will make a success of it.

I note that you have sent me a second report on the project.

I know this will have taken up more of your time.

I do not know of anyone who can do the job better than you.

There is no-one better qualified than you to do this task.

 

 

They will know what to do in these circumstances to fix the problem.

We did not know how to find out all the information that we need.

We did not* note his name and address at the time.

I note that you are studying shorthand at commercial college.

I know that you will get to your goal in the end.

I know that you will soon find a well-paid job.

You will know what is necessary to achieve that result.

You always note every new word and practise it. (1273 words)

 

* "We did not" Avoid phrasing this one. If phrased, it would be "we do not" and if phrased with a vowel also added, it would be "we didn't". So not phrasing fully is the only way to write it clearly. You could also write "we did" phrased and the "not" separately.

 

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Road Trip (31 January 2018)

 

 

Last weekend* I did some longer* distance car travelling, as a comfortable passenger with nothing to do but view the passing scenery, in between our conversations. If I relive the journey, in general terms, you can get lots* of road travel vocabulary under your belt and the next time* you find yourself as a passenger, you can visualise the shorthand for everything you see as the vehicle proceeds along its route*.

 

* Omission phrases "las(t w)eekend" "ne(k)s(t) time"

 

* "longer" Ensure the doubling is clear, as "long" would also make sense here

 

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

 

* "route" Helpful to insert the vowel, as this is similar to "road" if not clearly written in position

 

 

My friend’s car drew up outside my house, parking in the road next to my driveway. I checked that I had all my bags with me, fastened my seatbelt and was ready to start our trip which we estimated would take just under two hours. The satnav was in place, and we were able to track our journey from home to the destination* city. My road is residential, but within a few minutes, we were on the main road amidst the morning traffic. We had expected to see the cars end to end, as that road is usually very busy at the weekend, but all was reasonably clear at that point. We passed several sets of traffic lights, with their red, amber and green lights, as well as the green arrow filter lights for cars that are turning off the main road.

 

* "destination" Note this does not use the Stee loop, to prevent it looking similar to "distinction"

 

 

We exited the roundabout, which is underneath a large flyover, and eventually joined the motorway, then another even larger roundabout and another motorway that leads to the river crossing at Dartford. We had to go through the tunnel under the river. There were* notices everywhere about paying the crossing charge. Everyone’s car number plate is captured by surveillance cameras and you have to pay by midnight the next day. This is much better than the toll booths that used to be* here, where every car and truck had to stop, pay the operative, wait for the barrier to rise, and drive off. There were* lots* of pay points under that system, but it must have been* a bit of a scrum in rush hour, the vehicles fanning out to the row of booths and then converging into the lanes on the other side*. Two and a half* minutes through the tunnel brought us out into Essex.

 

* Omission phrases "there (w)ere" "use(d to) be" "mus(t have) been" "on the oth(er) side". Note also the similar "there (have) been"

 

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

 

* "half" More on how to write fractions at www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/vocabulary-numbers.htm#fractions

 

 

The north side of the Thames at this location is an entirely industrialised landscape* , with huge factories and warehouses, the best place for them really, along the river which is opening out to estuary and its marshy* land. Much as I enjoy scenic countryside, for a longer journey I prefer to be on the motorway to shorten the journey time. However, we were soon travelling through the green countryside, with fields, villages and towns whizzing past on either side*. The motorway signboards giving town names, distances and directions are all the same, blue with white lettering. Sometimes there are overhead gantries with lighted displays on them, giving instructions or information such as delays, traffic jams, roadworks, temporary speed restrictions or weather warnings.

 

* "landscape" It is the L that is in position, it does not matter where the P stroke finishes

 

* "marshy" Essential to insert final dot vowel, as "marsh land" would also make sense

 

* "on either side" Diphthong signs are shown here for learning purposes, but you don't need to insert them, it is readable without, unless the phrase is not well written. Do not confuse this phrase with "on the oth(er) side" which omits the R hook.

 

 

Two-thirds of the way through our journey, we came to an extensive area of road building, with great swathes of countryside on each side being prepared and reshaped for new motorway roads. We were surrounded by churned* up mud, criss-crossed with tractor and digger tracks, muddy puddles, piles of earth, sand and gravel, and wooden markers and cones everywhere. The two halves of an uncompleted flyover approach, standing entirely on their own amidst the apparent chaos, made it obvious that this is not disorder but the unfolding of a grand plan for an interchange and all the looping slip roads that accompany it.

 

* "churned" Keep the Chay slope clear, so it does not look like "turned" which has a similar meaning

 

 

The motorway we were on was once like that, green fields replaced by concrete and tarmac. Once the  concreting work is finished, the surfaces will be marked up with solid and dotted lines, chevrons, arrows, letters and numbers. Signs will sprout everywhere directing the vehicles, and advising or prohibiting certain actions. Continuous roadside barriers will be erected to keep errant cars out of the ditch. The bare soil will be smoothly re-landscaped and grassed over. Very soon this will be covered in sapling trees, and little shrubs each growing up a protective tube, eventually emerging from the top, above rabbit nibble height, to cover and stabilise the slopes. In summer the edges and verges will be carpeted in tall grasses and occasionally brambles doing their best to advance towards the road. Near the end of our journey, on a smaller road, we saw the result of such encroachment by brambles and hedges, namely a digger with a branch snipping tool instead of a bucket at its end, and men in high vis jackets wielding chainsaws, trimming back the overgrowth.

 

 

I am glad to say we did not have any police cars chasing or ambulances passing us en route to an accident* or incident* , although we did pass one police car pulled up behind a motorist. In this country the sound of the siren will always result in drivers slowing down, and even pulling in to the verge or a side road, to allow the emergency vehicle to pass. Motorists at traffic lights know the vehicle is likely to drive round the traffic islands, taking any route that gets it through the bottleneck. Drivers will squeeze themselves to the side, go up kerbs and do their best to create room, and I often wonder if this custom is peculiar to this country or if it is the norm in other countries as well.

 

* "accident"  "incident" Keep the first stroke clearly straight/curved and insert first vowel to help, as they are similar in meaning

 

 

I like to observe the drivers in passing cars. A very expensive looking car might have a  very scruffy and dishevelled driver, and a rusty* old banger* might be driven by someone in a smart suit. Some are packed with holiday bags and luggage that obscure the rear view. Some have wobbling bikes lashed upside down to the roof rack or a trailer that weaves and bumps along behind.  Some drivers are busy looking at their phones, eating, drinking, talking and turning their heads towards their passenger, or apparently singing along to music. I am glad to say that* most are just staring ahead, staying* out of trouble and intent on getting to their destination in one piece. There is no longer the supposed "freedom of the open road", as it was described in the early days of  motor travel. Now we have strict speed limits, information and warning signs everywhere, speed cameras and officers with laser beam speed guns doing random checks on passing cars. I did read once of someone standing at the roadside holding up a similar-looking hair dryer, which had the desired effect of slowing the motorists down, in order to* reduce the fast traffic through their narrow village high street.

 

* "rusty" Insert the final vowel, so it does not look like "rusted"

 

* "banger" Note the R Hook is not used, as that would be "banker". A banger is slang for an old noisy car

 

* Omission phrases "I am glad (to) s(ay) that" "in ord(er to)

 

* "staying" No diphone, as the I of the "ing" is included in the Ing Dot

 

 

If I ever felt like flying to my destination, I think the satnav can do that for me as well, with its aerial view of our progress and all the buildings in simplified three-dimensional format* . That type of display is great entertainment for the passenger to gaze at, when the scenery gets less interesting, but probably not a good idea for the driver to get too involved with for longer than a second or two, to confirm their whereabouts and the features that are coming up, such as slip roads, junctions and roundabouts. In the past  I would sit with the half folded Ordnance Survey map on my lap, following our progress from London to Cornwall, and telling the driver what is coming up next.

 

* "format" Insert the second vowel, as it is similar to "form" in outline and meaning

 

 

We reached our destination in the time expected, and parked up next to the steel bollards in the car parking area on the forecourt. Our return journey, which started with a different route, was equally uneventful, apart from a time of delay and slow travelling due to roadworks. There was far less scenery to watch for most of the time, as the mizzly* rain produced a mist that covered the countryside and the winter darkness slowly faded out the views. The road ahead going uphill was a long snake of the misty white shapes of oncoming headlamps, and the yellowy* orange rear lights on our side. We came back over the QE2* Bridge, with both riverbanks lit up and long streaks of reflections on the river itself. The London traffic grew denser and the cars more closely packed. The road and place names became more familiar and finally we pulled up outside my house, a round trip of about 250 miles (1401 words).

 

* "mizzly" Insert the last vowel, as "mizzle rain" could also make sense

* "yellowy" Insert the diphone, as "yellow-orange" would also make sense

* "QE2" The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, it is generally clearer to use lower case longhand and numerals rather than attempt an outline

 

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"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)

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