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March 2020

Leap Years

Short Form Derivatives Part 1

Short Form Derivatives Part 2

Virus Vocab

Leap Years (1 March 2020)

Although this is a March blog, I am writing this on Leap Year Day. It is not often I come across a new word that is more appealing* than the usual offerings, but I find “leaplings” quite endearing, to describe those with a birthday on 29 February. It gives the impression of youngsters, because the suffix means “diminutive or lesser”, as in yearling, sapling, duckling and hireling. It is of course true that even a hundred year old leapling can call themselves young because they have only had 25 birthdays. The other term for leaplings is leapers, which has a more active feel to it, and suggests them racing impatiently towards their birthday and having to leap over four years to get to it. Perhaps they should receive four times as many gifts and have four pieces of cake* as well, to make up for the lean years of waiting for the true birthday to arrive. The alternative is to have two birthdays, on the last day of February and the first day of March.

* "appealing" "appalling" Always insert the second vowel

* "cake" "cookie" Always insert a vowel

The reason for leap years is to keep the calendar year of 365 days synchronized with the astronomical and seasonal year, which is slightly less than* a quarter of a day longer. We are therefore getting ahead by six hours each year, and the extra day every four years brings us back into line. We always think of leap years as being those divisible by four, but this is only part of the system of adjustments*. The century years, those ending in two zeros, are only leap ones if they are divisible by 400, in other words if the first two numbers are divisible by four. For example year 2000 was a leap year, but year 1900 was not. There are even leap seconds to make corrections due to variations in the Earth’s rotation period, but these are inserted as required and not on a regular schedule. The opposite of a leap year is the common year. This means most of us have common birthdays, a rather uninspiring term but at least* we have them every year without fail. However, one could say our birthdays too are constantly drifting out of sync, because they are either 6, 12 or 18 hours ahead of the true time, so we only have our birthday for some of the day, not all of it. This brings the urgent question* of when it is legal for us to open our presents!

* "less than" Downward L in order to join the phrase

* "adjustments" Omits the lightly-sounded T

* "at least" "at last" Always insert the vowel

* "question" Optional contraction

Let’s not go into the awkward calendar complications of those born on the stroke of midnight, who might also claim two birthdays, or twins born on different days either side of midnight. Then there are those born right on a country border, or in a country that no longer exists as a separate entity, or in a plane or ship just crossing the international date line. The possibilities* are endless and frustratingly mind boggling. Maybe we should do away with birth “days” and have birth “moments” instead, counted precisely to the astronomical second, and birth locations described in degrees of latitude* and longitude.

* "possibilities" Optional contraction

* "latitude" "altitude" Always insert the first vowel, as otherwise these are identical

In addition, as our planet is slowing down at the rate of 1.4 milliseconds* every hundred years, we will have to wait longer and longer* for our birthdays to come round. But then think of how much* valuable shorthand practice you can do in those bonus microseconds* every month! The fact that the* extra day is added to slow us down so that our calendars match the cosmos is not what we shorthanders want to hear, we actually prefer to be streaking ahead as fast as we can. Maybe we could* see the leap day as an extra day of practising so that we can achieve the desired speed increase even more quickly and reliably, leaping over obstacles with ease and efficiency. We don’t want to take leaps in the dark with outlines, or have to leap over unfortunate gaps in our notes, but we do want to improve by leaps and bounds. We aim to not only get to the goals, but also leap over them, so that we earn the name of leaper for an entirely different reason. (695 words)

* "milliseconds" A thousandth of a second. Microsecond is a millionth of a second.

* "how much" Full strokes in order to join the phrase, and help differentiate from "how large"

* Omission phrases "l(onger and) longer" "fac(t) that the"

* "we could" Not phrased, so that it does not look like "we can"

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Short Form Derivatives Part 1 (5 March 2020)

Short forms are used in most of their derivatives, mainly the simpler versions like “goes, being, surprising, balanced”, longer ones by adding prefixes and suffixes like “rebuild, recall, indifferent, non-delivery, unimportant, misinformation, coldness, childish, membership.” Compound words can also be joined or disjoined, such as “thereby, outnumber, safeguard, self-improvement.”  The short form is kept in its position in most cases and remains unvocalised. Short forms are not used in every possible derivative word, as they would often be unclear or impractical. As the short form is likely to be the first outline that comes to mind, hesitation can follow, unless the range of derivatives is equally well known, and some of these are given below.

In fact*, covering all the related forms of any word you have to look up is useful, as you will be saving a huge amount of dictionary page-turning time. It is helpful to write your look-ups in a drill book so they don’t escape again. Line length practice sentences can be repeated down the page in smooth flowing writing rather than jerky single outlines that quickly become tedious. Drill books can be prepared in advance to use in spare moments outside of normal study time. Another method is to have all the sentences on a single page, ready to copy out onto any paper handy at the time, or write over the top very lightly in pencil, or just read them during travelling or waiting time. Short forms are in caps and the full derivatives are underlined and the last paragraph in Part 2 has some examples of where the short form is avoided, plus some surnames.

* Omission phrase "in (f)act"

ACCORDING to the* manager, this must be* done next week* and I have accordingly made a note.

It is an ADVANTAGE to have these skills, as the advantaged always have more choices.

It is a DISADVANTAGE to be poor, and the disadvantaged generally have more difficulties in life.

I told the boys AND girls that I do not want to hear any ands or buts.

I BELIEVE that the college teachers are great believers in hard work and discipline.

My friend says he BELIEVES that those people regularly disbelieve their politicians.

* Omission phrases "according (to) the" "mus(t) be" "ne(k)s(t w)eek"

It is my BELIEF that this company suffers from serious unbelief in their* staff.

Miss Smith has a BALANCED mind but Miss Jones tends to be unbalanced.

We wish* to BUILD a house and are looking for a reliable builder.

I received a CALL yesterday but I did not know the caller’s name.

I CALLED him by his correct name, but I miscalled his friend.

He is a cheery fellow and brings good CHEER wherever he goes.

* "in their " Doubling to represent "their"

* "we wish" This phrase is written more shallowly than "we shall" so that the Ish can go through the line

It was a COLD day in January, and the weather was about to get much colder.

Today is very COLD but this is not the coldest winter we have had recently.

They went TO and FROM the office all week and were tired of all the toing and froing.

The tennis player took on all comers which pleased those who came to watch.

Please COME into the office and meet some of our newcomers in the industry.

New people who COME to live in the village are called incomers*.

* "incomers" Compare "income" which uses both short forms

I tried to DELIVER the parcel but no-one answered the door, so it remained undelivered.

She would always DO the homework, so as not to undo what she had learned.

He is always DOING something unwise and I am sure it will be his undoing.

The next thing I have to DO is make a list of do’s and don’ts for the students.

The DOCTOR thought that the latest health report had been illegally doctored.

Mrs Green is a DOCTOR who obtained her doctorate five years ago.

Firstly I have to say that* we must make efforts to be FIRST in the market.

The FIRST thing we require of job applicants is first-rate skills in accounting.

We GENERALLY find that the students generalise too much* in their class discussions.

They wrote a lot of GENERALISATIONS, but they need to avoid* generalising all the time.

He likes to GIVE presents to the children and is a regular giver to the family.

Some of his money is givable, but he cannot GIVE from his investments.

* Omission phrase "to s(ay) that"

* "too much" Full strokes in order to join the phrase

* "avoid" "evade" Always insert the second vowel

They posted GUARDS outside the house and each guarded it for half a day.

Someone who is appointed to GUARD a child like a parent is called a guardian.

He works with his HANDS and is very handy with repairs around the house.

She took the letter in her HAND and handed it to the man.

They both work with their HANDS, but she is right-handed and he is left-handed.

To IMPROVE the soil in this garden, we think composted leaves are the best improver.

This house is definitely improvable, if I can afford all the IMPROVEMENTS.

We bought an unimproved house and our priority was to IMPROVE the heating.

We made IMPROVEMENTS to the garden but the house remained unimproved.

LORD White became LORD of the manor, and lorded it over the tenants.

He may feel like LORD of all he surveys, but he will not be lording it over us.

LORD Green became the overlord of all the estate workers at that time. (868 words)

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Short Form Derivatives Part 2 (6 March 2020)

The MEMBERS of the angling club had to dismember the huge fish.

The deer had been dismembered and eaten by the grizzly bear.

Those people OWE us a great deal but this person owes us nothing.

The man said I OWE him nothing and have never owed anything to him.

From the corner of my EYE I saw the thief eyeing the open window.

There was alarm in his eyes when his wife eyed all the expensive jewellery.

The sixty* storey skyscraper often awes visitors with its great size.

We were in AWE of the great man, in fact* everyone was overawed.

They stood in AWE of the king, who was dressed in awesome gold robes.

IN his new book he described all the ins and outs of the building trade.

WHY don’t you write an article about the whys and wherefores of these laws?

The village PEOPLE said that the islands were mostly* peopled by other groups.

* "sixty" Keep T clearly straight, so it does not look like "sixth"

* Omission phrase "in (f)act"

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

The teacher was a very principled person and always kept to his PRINCIPLES.

The PRINCIPAL reason for his dismissal was his unprincipled behaviour.

We have written a very SHORT report, but we can make it shorter.

We only have a SHORT while to work on shortening our report.

A shorted wire is one overloaded with current, in other words* a SHORT circuit.

I offered to SPEAK at the meeting, as their usual speaker was not available at that time.

* Omission phrase "in other wo(r)ds" Doubling to represent "other"

Get them to SPEAK to you and take down all the spoken words in shorthand.

They refused to SPEAK of the matter, as the person’s behaviour was unspeakable.

She gave gifts to the poor, which bespeaks a very caring nature.

They have a SPECIAL filing system, as they specialise in three different trades.

I have a SPECIAL friend whose speciality* is financial investments.

I made a SPECIAL effort to get to the restaurant whose specialty* was cheeses.

* "speciality" Insert the dot before the T, to distinguish it from "specialty". As this word has a diphone sound, it would be in order to intersect the diphone tick somewhere through the Ish stroke to distinguish it (although not shown as such in the shorthand dictionary).

He has a strong SPIRIT and made a very spirited effort to get everything done.

I am SURE I heard them say that they can assure us of their future custom.

We are quite SURE he will soon be able to give a firm assurance of his support.

We think his SUREness is in doubt as he told them he is not SURE he can do it.

Please ensure you follow instructions and ask if you are unSURE of anything.

He often THINKS on complicated issues, in other words* he is a deep thinker.

* Omission phrase "in other wo(r)ds" Doubling to represent "other"

This answer to the problem is THINKABLE but that other one is UNTHINKABLE.

They found that the UNTHINKABLE* had actually happened and their grief was ineffable*.

He walked TOWARD the group and made some very untoward remarks to them.

She works in the clothing TRADE and was a market trader for some years.

They would always tell the TRUTH, and said that there were* two truths of greatest* importance.

This employee is honest and truthful, and has never told an untruth.

* "unthinkable" "ineffable" Written differently, in order to distinguish. Ineffable means unspeakable or inexpressible.

* Omission phrase "there (w)ere"

* "greatest" Optional shorter outline

The TWO groups of tourists* boarded the boat in two’s* and threes.

The TWO clubs felt it would be better to play the matches in twosomes.

She was VERY inexperienced and made the veriest mistakes* on the first day.

Please rewrite the report with fewer WORDS, it is far too wordy.

He read the WORDS of the letter and said that it had been poorly worded.

The WORDING of this report is good but the letter could have been worded better.

* "tourists" Keep the R proper length, so it does not look like "terrorists"

* "two's" Needs the apostrophe to make the longhand readable

* "mistakes" Omits the T

Sport is my favourite* SUBJECT and I have often SUBJECTED myself to hours of training.

There are many laws to which we have been SUBJECT* for a long time

There are many rules to which we have been subjected* for a long time.

Mr Fred Large lives in a LARGE house in the city.

LORD Brown met Mr Lord, and asked to SPEAK to Mrs Speke.

Miss Emily Dearing is a very DEAR friend of mine.

* "favourite" Distinguishing outline, compare"favoured" which has a left VR stroke

* "subject, subjected" In some sentences, both make sense, in which case use the full form for the past tense

Mr Tom Howe wanted to know HOW to solve the problem.

Mr Edward Young said he would like to meet the YOUNG people.

Mr Short, Mr Gold and Mr Child use vocalised short forms.

Mrs Short has kindly written a SHORT report on the matter*.

Mrs Gold decided to buy some GOLD coins from Mr Golding.

Miss Child, Mr Childers and Mr Rothschild spoke to the young CHILD. (713 words)

* Omission phrase "on (the) matter"

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Virus Vocab (20 March 2020)

An additional para of practice sentences has been added 25 March

This blog gives some vocabulary on the current situation with the Covid 19 virus, and repeats the phrases and terminology in news articles at the time of writing, condensed down in order to* get the vocabulary in. The name is an abbreviation of Corona Virus Disease 2019. A virus is a “small infectious agent* that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism”. Viruses carry genetic material and can reproduce themselves, as well as mutate into different types, but they do not have a cell structure* that is part of the definition of a living organism. A virus is a rogue fragment of DNA* that uses a live host cell to replicate itself, thus hijacking the cell’s normal function. At the end of the replication process, it causes the cell to burst and die, and the replicated viruses are then free of the confines of the cell and can spread further. It is questionable* whether it can be considered* an independent life form or whether we should just call it a biological entity.

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)" "it can be (con)sidered"

* "agent" See main Theory website: Distinguishing Outlines 3 Care A-B

* "structure" Special use of doubling for "-ture" to gain a convenient outline for a fairly common word

* "DNA" Use longhand lower case for initialisms like this, see note Para 5

* "questionable" Optional contraction

The word virus comes from the Latin for poison or noxious liquid. Corona is Latin for crown, otherwise used to describe the sun’s ring of light during a total eclipse. The corona refers to the fringe of surface projections by which the virus attaches itself to the cell wall. Antibodies* produced by the body coat these projections, thus preventing the initial attachment of the virus to the cell. Their study is called virology which is a part of microbiology. The person is a virologist and they investigate virological behaviour and issues, in order to* create antiviral* drugs and vaccines.

* "Antibodies" "antiviral" Some "anti-" outlines use full strokes for greater clarity or to enable full vocalisation e.g. anticipate, antiseptic, antecedent

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

A single viral particle, when not inside and infecting a cell, is called a virion, and can be as small as one hundredth the size of a bacterium. They are sub-microscopic entities which means they cannot be seen using an optical microscope. The first images of viruses were obtained after the invention of the electron microscope in 1931. The adjective virulent means actively poisonous, highly infective, malignant* or deadly, such as a virulent insect bite, or the more general meaning of spiteful or malicious, such as a virulent attack or criticism.

* "malignant" Optional contraction

The current coronavirus outbreak has rapidly increased to become* a pandemic, which means a worldwide infection. This is in contrast to an epidemic which is a more localised outbreak. The symptoms* are similar to those of a cold or influenza (flu), with a fever (raised temperature), persistent cough and breathing or respiratory difficulties, although these symptoms, whether mild or severe, may have other causes. The severity of the symptoms may lead to the person being hospitalised and require intensive care. An asymptomatic infection is when a person has the virus but displays no symptoms, and can therefore pass it on to others without being aware of it.

* "to become" Based on the short form phrase "to be"

* "symptoms" Omits the P sound, therefore stroke M, as Imp cannot be halved

There are important measures we are being asked by our leaders to cooperate with. Mass gatherings like sporting and entertainment events are being cancelled, postponed or carried out* without audiences and streamed online. International travel is being increasingly restricted. We are advised in the strongest* possible terms to avoid* social gatherings such as bars and restaurants, and avoid* non-essential travel. Lockdown is when whole communities are ordered to stay at home except for emergencies and necessities. Many organisations have transferred their activities to online platforms, to enable people to work and study from home, for which we now have the new initialism* WFH, used in print and text, but unnecessary in speech. We should keep a distance of six feet, or three paces, from each other if a risk is suspected, and avoid* personal physical contact such as handshakes to prevent further transmission*. We are advised to wash our hands frequently with soap and water for at least* 20 seconds and, if this is not available, then use a hand sanitiser product to cleanse our hands.

* "carried out" Halving to represent the T of "out"

* "strongest" Optional outline, similarly "longest"

* "avoid" "evade" Always insert the second vowel

* "initialism" Initials that are spoken individually. If the letters are pronounceable as a word, i.e. an acronym, such as "Nato", it can be written as an outline.

* "transmission" Omits the first N

* "at least" "at last" Always insert the second vowel

Some scientists believe that a managed spread of the virus will result in increasing immunity, which will cause the pandemic to decrease to more manageable levels for the health services. Those with the symptoms described are being asked to self-isolate, including those living in the same house. The recommended period of time for self-isolation is fourteen days for a family, or seven days for a lone person, or longer if symptoms persist. All this is the new phenomenon* called social distancing in order to* minimise or contain the spread of the virus. Some are wearing face masks in public, despite the opinion of some experts that these may not be as helpful as popular opinion believes, especially if they increase face touching as they are adjusted. However, if they decrease anxiety they could be* beneficial to the person’s health and immune system.

* "phenomenon" Write the F stroke first, in speaking order. The plural "phenomena" omits the N Hook.

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

* could be" Not phrased with "they", where it might read as "can"

Businesses are undertaking enhanced* cleaning procedures in their premises, to achieve and maintain the highest possible degree of public hygiene, following government* guidelines. Some travel operators of buses and trains have reduced their services as usage has declined, due to the restriction of movement and the necessity for home working and home quarantine. All these strategies work together to mitigate the transmission* of the virus and to protect people as far as possible* from infection. This will relieve the burden, both present and forecast, on the health services, care givers and hospitals. Far reaching economic measures are gradually* being introduced, as necessity dictates, in order to* lessen the impact of the pandemic, and so that our economy, lives and health are not overwhelmed* by these conditions. We are all being asked to give our full cooperation with these measures. Our hard-pressed leaders and advisers*, who have the heavy responsibility of taking the most effective but sometimes unpopular decisions, are appealing to us all to act in the best interests of the wider community at all times.

* "enhanced" Note the clockwise direction of the circle for the Hay stroke, compare with anticlockwise in "sincere"

* "government" Optional contraction that omits the R

* "transmission" Omits the first N

* Omission phrases "as far as poss(ible)" "in ord(er to)"

* "gradually" Full strokes, to help differentiate from "greatly"

* "overwhelmed" Note the Dot Hay before the semicircle W sign, not really necessary to insert either as the outline is unique

* "advisers" This is the dictionary spelling, but often written "-or" nowadays

Here are some practice sentences with additional vocabulary. A ventilator helps hospital patients with breathing. A respirator is a face mask that filters the air. A curfew is an order indicating when civilians may not be outside their homes. The stores have introduced restrictions on groceries to curb* panic buying. We now have government guidance* on how to interpret the emergency laws. Non-essential shops have closed but those* providing essential items remain open. Many people are helping the vulnerable and elderly with their supplies. The fall-out from the pandemic was a downturn in global trade. The medics and volunteers wore protective clothing at all times*. Some workers were concerned that they were unprotected at the workplace. The staff contacted their colleagues through virtual chat rooms and video-conferencing. Virtual tours, classes and gyms are helping us to maintain our wellbeing and health whilst at home. Scaremongering is an irresponsible use of information or spreading of untruths. “Caremongering” is new word for organised acts of kindness in one’s community.

* "curb" Note the outline for "kerb" would have a dot vowel

* "government guidance" Intersections can also be written close alongside where necessary

* "but those" Insert the vowel for clarity when "those" "these" are out of position in a phrase

* "at all times" Halving to represent the T of "times"

The vocabulary will help you to practise taking down current news articles, but this particular subject may become somewhat tiresome in the long term, as the issues affect everyone’s daily life. This can apply to any form of repetition, which is why it is best to take down passages on a variety of subjects and vary the method. To further consolidate the vocab items, pick out a few of the outlines that are new to you and make up additional practice sentences, so that interest is maintained, the mind remains fresh and alert, and shorthand knowledge is strengthened. (1231 words)

If you don't have a garden in which to spend lockdown time, you are invited to "sit" in mine and watch the birds having their baths:

https://youtu.be/QLzPoMlANFI (26 mins)

As a shorthand writer you may be called upon to take notes and produce reports or articles on sobering subjects like this, which is very different from having the choice of pleasant or frivolous articles to practise on whilst learning the art. After such a task, I prefer to refresh the mental scenery and replace with something encouraging and strengthening:

https://www.biblegateway.com Psalm 91

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