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August 2021

Thank You Letters 1

Thank You Letters 2

Tower Bridge

Ler And Rer Part 1

Ler And Rer Part 2

Thank You Letters 1 (5 August 2021)

I wonder how many thank you letters are sent nowadays. As children we had to be reminded to write them, especially as, to the child’s mind, yesterday is gone and today is much more important*. It was good training to remind ourselves of the generosity and friendship of others, even if we had to be coached through it. Maybe it is the thank you email* or text message today, although the recipient of a thank you letter does have something to keep, which will resurface decades later, to the astonishment* of the now adult sender*. The letters below are the ideal excuse to provide very short and simple sentences which means you have a few extra seconds at fairly close intervals to catch up. This does interfere slightly with the overall speed measurement, as more of it is blank seconds, but the purpose is easier writing and therefore neater shorthand.

* Omission phrase "much m(ore) important"

* "email" Helpful to insert the vowel, as it is similar to "mail". Note that "emailed" the vowel is essential, as the position is the same as "mailed"

* "astonishment" There is an optional contraction for this "aston"

* "sender" No need to thicken the N, as the D sound is included in the doubling

Dear Nan, I am writing to say thank you. It was a big party on Sunday. We enjoyed all the food very much*. It was a really good chocolate cake. Even Joe had some and he doesn’t usually like it. Thank you for the piece I took home. I will have it at lunchtime*. Did you like my party dress? Mum bought it for me* last week*. I am going to wear it again next week* at the disco. Thank you for the present. I really like colouring books. I have done one page already. It was animals in a big forest. I will send you a photo. Please come and see us soon. Love from Sophie

* "very much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

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

* "for me" No vowel necessary, as long as you always insert it in "for him" and similar - "to him" "of him"

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

Dear Granpa, I hope you are* well today. Thank you for taking me to the park. Your park is really big. I liked the lake. Thank you for taking me on the boat. I have always wanted to go on a row boat. It was great having a picnic on a boat in the middle of a lake! You are right, we must have duck food with us next time*. Ducks should have peas but not bread so much*. Here is my photo of the ducklings. When we see them again they will be much bigger. I am making some paper boats for next time*. We can tow them behind the row boat. See you soon for another trip. Love from Joseph

* Omission phrases "I (h)ope you are" "ne(k)s(t) time"

* "so much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

Dear Uncle Bill, I really enjoyed my visit to your garden. I was very surprised to see your fruit and veg garden. I was amazed* to see the carrots come out of the ground. They were so big. Mum cooked them last night. The potatoes were great too. Some were enormous and some very tiny. I counted six fruit trees. When will the apples be ready*? I can help you pick some another time. The red ones are the best. All this rain will make the pears even bigger. I am going to have a veg patch soon. I will grow tomatoes next year. Thank you for the interesting afternoon. Love from Belinda

* "amazed" "amuse" Always insert the vowel in these and all their derivatives

* "ready" Insert the final vowel, as it could be "red" in this context

Dear Auntie Laura, I would like to say thank you very much*. I really enjoyed visiting the skate park. There were not too many people there. That meant I could* go on all the humps and slopes. It was better than just going round my garden. I am getting really good at it now. I don’t fall off on the bends. I am glad you had a nice seat at the side. Thank you for the sandwiches and drinks. I am glad that we could* eat in the shade under that tree. Today I am working on my skateboard moves. I have cleaned it all over. It needs some oil on the wheels. John has repainted the scratch marks. Thank you for taking me out for the day. Love from Samuel

* "very much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

* "I could" "we could" Not phrased, so it is not misread as "I can" "we can"

Dear Julia, Thank you for inviting me to your disco party. It was fantastic and the music was brilliant. My favourites* were the dance numbers. Some of it was a bit loud, though. But that was OK as it was in the village hall. It was great to stay up so late just for once. I went straight to bed afterwards. I got up really late today. I will show you all my photos and videos later on. They came out really well. Paul and Nathan were looking very smart. Their outfits were so cool. They were fun to dance with. They must have been* practising all week! I just loved all that finger food. Your Mum and Dad did a good job there. See you next Monday. Love from Melissa

* "favourites" Note that "favoured" uses anticlockwise Vr stroke, in order to differentiate

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

Dear Grant, Thank you very much* for inviting me over last weekend*. I really enjoyed our day. Your model train setup is marvellous. And all in its own spare room as well! Controlling the engines was so much* fun. You and Steven have designed it so well. Even the scenery was like real countryside. My favourite* bit is the tunnel under the hill. Thank you for letting me help paint some of the figures. It was interesting to do all that detail. You have to go so slowly. It was fun as well setting up those new buildings. I didn’t know they snapped together. It was quite easy. But the painting is a bit slower. I think it is all worth it in the end. Please thank your sister for the snacks. We needed that with all our hard work! I am looking forward* to helping with the tracks next time*. We are going to have a great day. Love from Edward

* "very much" "so much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

* "favourite" Note that "favoured" uses anticlockwise Vr stroke, in order to differentiate

* Omission phrases "las(t w)eekend" "looking fo(r)ward" ""ne(k)s(t) time"

Dear Auntie Edith, Thank you ever so much* for our day at your home. We are so glad you live on a farm! The horse riding was fantastic. We liked seeing the sheep in the back field. Your sheepdog is really friendly. You made some awesome cakes. And with cream from your own cows as well! It was interesting to go up to your top room. The toy cupboard for all your visitors was brilliant. We liked the snakes and ladders game the best. That shorthand book we found on the table was really strange. Did you really do all that at school? Now we can write our names in shorthand. We are going to use it on cards to our friends. They will be so amazed*. We hope* we can come back soon. Love from Annabelle and Mark (1065 words)

* "so much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

* "amaze" "amuse" Always insert the vowel in these and all their derivatives

* Omission phrase "we (hope)"

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Thank You Letters 2 (12 August 2021)

Children aren’t the only ones likely to write thank you letters. Theirs may be in plain simple language but those of older folks may turn out to be somewhat more wordy, using less common vocabulary that suddenly invades the sentence, which started innocently enough but ends up raiding the dictionary to produce something that sounds more erudite, fulsome and lavish. I guess this would be acceptable to the recipient if it matches the writer’s usual mode of expression, or fits the “magnitude of the gratitude”, but, if not, then one just has to hope that the reader is a shorthand writer* delighted to have some less familiar outlines to get their shorthand teeth into.

* Omission phrase "short(hand) writer"

Dearest* Margaret and William, I am writing to offer my deepest and most profuse thanks for your wondrous gift which arrived by courier yesterday. It was a huge surprise to be the joyful recipient of such a magnificent present for my birthday. I was totally* astounded* when the courier operative arrived on my doorstep bearing a mysterious long flat box printed all over with floral decorations. I am very grateful and privileged to have such splendid and munificent friends who are so selfless and considerate*. I shall appreciate and admire them every day*, as I have positioned them in the cut crystal vase on the mahogany table in the sitting room, with a glorious and verdant view of the garden behind them. Greetings and felicitations to your family. Fondest love from Christine

* "Dearest" Special outline, not using Stee Loop, in order to avoid misreading as "truest"

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

* "astounded" This should have its diphthong inserted, to also prevent misreading as "astonished" (See note para 4)

* "considerate" Compare this with the outline for "considered", which can also be used an an adjective

* "every day" A phrase, compare with the adjective "everyday" meaning "daily, ordinary, commonplace"

Dear Charles, Thank you so much* for visiting me last week*. It was a real joy to have such a welcome boost to my present disposition, which as you know has been sorely affected by certain disconcerting events that have plagued my peaceful existence here in my rural retreat. Now that the legal matters have been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, I am certain that the outlook for the forthcoming months is much brighter and that circumstances will return to their former happy state of equilibrium. Your supportive advice was most helpful, and it eased my mind considerably, as we pondered* and ruminated on all that has happened, and considered how to avoid* a repetition of the unfortunate train of events. The afternoon fled so rapidly, and I now find myself in gleeful and excited anticipation* of meeting up with you again at the club for a delicious repast, which they do so competently. I will see you there next Wednesday morning when we can converse on the more cheerful subjects of horticulture and cricket! Regards, George

* "so much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

* Omission phrase "las(t w)eek"

* "pondered" This is the general method for past tenses of "-nder, -nter" outlines that use doubling

* "to avoid" Insert the second vowel in "avoid" and "evade" when they are out of position in a phrase, as they are similar in meaning

* "anticipation" Note that some "anti-, ante-" outlines use full strokes in order that the outline can be fully vocalised if necessary. Where the sign for the second vowel can be placed to the following stroke, then it may be possible to use a halved N, but that is not the case in this outline.

Dear Mrs Green, I am writing to express our immense gratitude to you for visiting our club last week* to speak about your innumerable* travels around the globe. Our members were absolutely delighted to hear about the countries that you have traversed in your capacity as ambassador for your charity. Our members were completely engrossed as you related your encounters in the various rural communities. They were captivated by the splendid assistance that you have been able to give to the villages in the less prosperous regions. We were all massively astonished* at the difference that can be made in such simple ways. As a result*, our members are very eager to sponsor a water well and I enclose our pledge form in anticipation* of receiving more exact location details. Thank you for so generously agreeing to present this very interesting lecture to us. Best wishes*, Mrs Black, Treasurer

* Omission phrases "las(t w)eek" "as (a) result"

* "innumerable" Negatives starting -inn and -unn use an extra N stroke which is quicker and more reliable than relying on the insertion of an initial dot to differentiate these opposite meanings e.g. unnamed, unnecessary

* "astonished" There is an optional contraction (ast-on) for this, but it is preferable to use the full outlines, as that contraction is too much like "astound" which has a similar meaning (See note para 2)

* "anticipation" See note para 3

* "Best wishes" Upward Ish in order to join the phrase

Dear Mr Robinson, I am sending this missive to thank you most appreciatively for all your assistance recently, to facilitate the proof reading for our new dictionary and thesaurus. These drafts are the culmination of many years of exploration, investigation and refinement*, and they have entailed much work to perfect and finalise the contents. We are confident that they cover all subjects, topics and themes to match the present-day need for exact and precise representation of the thoughts and deliberations of writers. It is our fervent hope that they will allow concepts and theories to be delineated with greater accuracy than has been possible heretofore. We are sure our future readers will obtain much benefit from being able to improve their writings by consulting one of our volumes. Your excellent experience with attaining such exactitude of expression and the multiplicity of modes of composition is heartily* appreciated and a bonus cheque for all your extra work is on its way to you as I write. Thank you so much* for your valuable contribution. Yours sincerely, Mr Jackson, Editor* (749 words)

* "refinement" The -nt stroke is used, where -ment cannot join

* "so much" Includes the M stroke, in order to join the phrase

* "heartily" Special outlines for this and "hearty", to differentiate from "hardy" "hardly"

* "Editor" Special outline, to differentiate from "debtor" (D + Tr)

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Tower Bridge (28 August 2021)

We were looking for an excuse to go up to the city a few weeks ago*. The weather was not really the best for visiting a park, but we saw online that Tower Bridge would be opening for the passage of a square rigger tall ship, the Pelican of London, a modern sail training vessel. We knew it would not be in full sail, but it was enough of a point of interest to get us out for a while. We arrived early and spent some time* on one of the bridge piers, overlooking the central* channel. We watched the muddy water speed up as it met the immovable* stone piers with their pointed ends that parted the water. The long loops of chains along all London riverside walls always start my imagination going, of someone falling in and holding on until a rescue boat can get to them. Most of the walls are sheer and high, so there would be no chance of climbing out, although in a few places there are also narrow iron ladders to allow escape.

* Omission phrase "few wee(k)s ago"

* "some time" Halving to represent the T of time, this counts as a phrase and note that the longhand words are separate. "Sometimes" is an adverb.

* "central" Using doubling for convenience, despite the sound not being "ter"

* "immovable" Many "imm- inn- irr- -ill" negatives repeat the stroke, to save having to rely on inserting a vowel to form the negative, and also it is faster than inserting the dot. But note there are words that are not negatives so they do not need to do this e.g. immense, innovate, irrigate, illuminate.

The bridge is now full of tourists* again, after a year and a half of being mostly* deserted. Walking across is an exercise in dodging cameras, as people are taking pictures of each other with the towers in the background. I always wonder what it all means to them, maybe this is their trip of a lifetime and no moment must be* wasted during their very limited time here. For me, it is on my doorstep and I get to see it regularly. As I watch it flow past, I think the river is just grey water, the buildings are just so much* stone and concrete, and the roads just ribbons of asphalt. The only thing that makes it interesting is the history and the stories of what happened here in past centuries, and all the events that led up to how it looks now, all of it having accumulated on the ancient* foundations of the first settlements on the Thames marshes and islands.

* "tourists" Keep the Ray the correct length, so it doesn't look like "terrorists"

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

* Omission phrase "mus(t) be"

* "so much" Includes the M stroke in order to join the phrase

* "ancient" The sound is "shent" not "shun" so does not use Shun Hook

The Pelican of London

Nearer the time we left the bridge and walked down the south bank, in order to* have a full view of both bascules that form the centre roadway. Horns sounded for the traffic to stop, the gates across the road and paths were closed, and then very slowly the bascules rose. After a short while we saw the ship appear from down river, and then glide between the towers. There was music being broadcast from the ship, and the decks were full of crew and trainees, cheering and waving. My camera remained focussed* on the bridge to record the lowering of the bascules, which bafflingly always look as if they are too long to meet exactly together in the centre. It is a tradition that passengers on boats wave to those on land and I like to think that it is primarily the childlike* glee at making a tentative contact with the strangers on the shore and finding it cheerfully reciprocated, as both sides know it is a safe and very brief encounter with no dangers or strings attached.

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

* "focussed" "fixed" Insert the vowel, as these are similar in outline and meaning

* "childlike" This is the dictionary outline, and it is only just possible to write the L stroke here. If in doubt, write as two outlines.

On other days when we have stood in the centre of the bridge, the passengers on the top deck of pleasure boats often wave to us very enthusiastically, and it is amusing* to also see all the shiny rectangles appear as they quickly point their phone screens upwards to get the unique shot of the underside* of Tower Bridge. People always wave back, and children the most energetically, even if they have to stick their arm through the decorative iron railings to do so. It is heartening to see that people want to share their holiday excitement with anyone who will respond.

* "amusing" "amazing" Always insert the vowel in these and derivatives

* "underside" Keep the "under" clearly halved and on the line, so it does not look like "inside"

Here are a few facts about Tower Bridge to give some practice in writing names and figures, for which you can mostly* use normal numerals, although a shorthand outline is sometimes faster. There were* over 50 entries for the competition to design the new bridge. The successful design was submitted by Horace Jones and the engineer was John Wolfe Barry. The bridge was built from 1886 to 1894* and is located adjacent* to the Tower of London. It was opened in 1894* by Edward and Alexandra, Prince and Princess* of Wales*. It is 800 feet (240 metres) long and the two towers are 213 feet (65 metres) high.

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

* Omission phrase "there (w)ere"

* "1886 to 1894" No need to repeat the 19 for the second date

* "1894" You could also omit the 19 here, as it is clearly the same century

* "adjacent" The word has no D sound, don't be misled by the spelling

* "Princess" Special outline, to differentiate from "princes"

* "Wales" Special outline, to differentiate from "Wells" which is a UK town name

The towers are connected by two walkways. The opening span is 200 feet (61 metres) and the headroom allowance is 135 feet (41 metres). The centre is formed of two counterbalanced bascules which open to allow tall shipping to pass through. Each bascule weighs over 1,000* tonnes and they are raised to an angle of 86 degrees, taking approximately five minutes. They were originally hydraulically powered using pressurised water stored in hydraulic accumulators. They presently use an electro-hydraulic* system and oil instead of water as the hydraulic fluid.

* "1,000" Clearer to use outlines here, as a lone numeral 1 followed by Ith are too similar

* "hydraulic" Note also the outline for "hydro-electric", shown in red at the end

The piers contain over 70,000 tons of concrete, and over 11,000 tons of steel make up the framework of the towers, which are clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone in the Gothic architectural style. The side sections are suspension bridges each 270 feet (82 metres) long. The cost was over 1.1 million pounds, which is equivalent to 136 million pounds today. The bridge sees over 40,000 crossings daily, and I look forward* to bumping that figure up slightly the next time* I am in the area. (937 words)

* Omission phrases "I look fo(r)ward" "ne(k)s(t) time"

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Ler And Rer Part 1 (30 August 2021)

This article is practising the Ler* stroke, and also gives other examples of the same and similar sounds that do not use that stroke. This stroke is used where a downward L would be used, and never replaces an upward L stroke or an L Hook. Often it is a derivative, so generally this occurs at the end of a word. Part 2 practises more -ler* sounds and also the Rer* stroke.

* "Ler" "-ler" "Rer" Wavy underline to show these are not normal words
 

The table was full of food, much fuller than* at the other place.
Insects have feelers with which to feel their way around.
I have never seen anything fouler than* this ditch full of garbage.
A fowler is a person who catches birds, which are also called fowl.
The revealer of all these facts of the crime must remain unnamed.
The revellers tumbled out of the pub after a night of revelry.

* "fuller than" "fouler than" Normally "than" would be shown by an N Hook, but here shown separately to keep the sample words clear for learners
 

A day on the beach is a great leveller of all classes of people.
The forest dwellers lived in simple wooden houses.
He used a ruler to cut the wallpaper and a roller to paint it.
Jack put up the fence boards and James was the nailer.
The sewing club made many colourful kneelers for the church.
A stag grows new antlers every year for the rutting season.
 

Something with a rough grainy texture is called granular*.
The people in the south of that city lived in great squalor*.
He had a secular* job, that is, not connected with church or religion.
The councillor* has to attend all the council meetings during the year.
I work as a counsellor*, giving advice or counsel to people.
We had to buy an inhaler* to help him breathe easily.

* All the asterisked words already have a downward L therefore they use the Ler stroke, despite some having a clear non-schwa vowel

* "council/lor" "counsel/lor" Note the different vowels before the L stroke, to enable differentiation if necessary, although their pronunciations are identical
 

I worked for many years as a stenciller* in the fabric factory.
We have a wine-cellar*, which is colder than our previous cellar.
He works as a bookseller in the next town.
She placed the salt-cellar next to the pepper on the table.
Mr Taylor has a son whose name is Tyler.
He works as a tailor for a large outfitting shop.

* "stenciller" Following "stencil" which has downward L

* "wine-cellar" If you wrote this as two outlines, then the normal outlines for "wine" and "cellar" would be used
 

I bought a new trailer from a dealer last month*.
I noticed that Mr Miller was looking much paler this morning.
Jack Hillier is a follower of that popular music band.
The caller said they are having a sale on water coolers.
Mr Weller will be going to the jeweller to pick up the rings.
Mrs Wheeler has a dress of a similar colour.

* Omission phrase "las(t) month"
 

My doctor is a wonderful healer with a jocular personality.
The manager of the gym had a very muscular build.
He may be a scrawler but he can read his own handwriting*.
He went to the clinic to sort out his ocular difficulties.
We can’t* find the fault on the engine, it’s* an absolute puzzler.
The girl looked a real dazzler in her gold dress. (471 words)

* "handwriting" Introduce a slight angle between the first two strokes to aid legibility

* "can't" "it's" Always insert the vowels in apostrophied phrases
 

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Ler And Rer Part 2 (31 August 2021)

This is practising more examples of the -ler* sound.  The last two paragraphs are on the Rer stroke, which behaves similarly, only replacing the Ar stroke and only with a slurred vowel, and again these are generally derivatives.

* "-ler" Wavy underline to show it is not a normal word

My sister Valerie showed great valour during these difficulties.

He was a brilliant scholar but took a low paid job in a scullery.

He was an insular person and his insularity* kept him at home.
I think they will fail their exams because of their failure to study.

The hotelier decided to replace the old chandeliers.

An espalier is a tree trained to grow flat against a wall.

* "insularity" This can also be written in full, there are two outlines in the dictionary

The bear was sleeping in its lair in the mountains.

We might lure the bear out by putting food down for it.

The allure of getting rich made them gamble their wages.

The person is a liar and that lowers my trust of him to zero.

She worked as a seller in the markets along the River Loire.

This bread is much staler than I thought it would be.

He was a bit of a groveller and also too much* of a babbler.

I bought a muffler to keep my hands warm in winter.

He worked as a tunneller for a big construction firm.

We took a circular route around the hills and farms.

You must remember to take your binoculars when you go.

The scenery in the mountains was quite spectacular.

* "too much" Includes the M stroke to join the phrase

They were a poor family and became poorer over the years.

This beetle is a borer but I shall not bore you with the details.

The day started fair and became fairer as the hours passed.

He was hired to build the walls and the hirer paid for the materials.

I hope they hear my words, because only the hearers will benefit.

The wearer of this outfit will probably only wear it once a year.

I want to be an explorer, and explore the jungles of Africa.

This fruit is sourer than I thought but the lemons are the sourest of all.

He is a storer of all his food but he cannot store it all forever.

They asked them not to swear, as swearers upset the customers.

The reports mirror our situation but I did find some errors.

I have a small airer* for the clothes, and larger airers for the sheets. (391 words)

* "airer" The Rer stroke cannot stand entirely alone, it must follow a stroke, circle or loop
 

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