Blogs - 2020 - October 2 Lots Of Isms Part 1 5 Lots Of

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

2020 October p1 A of 15Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand


2020 October p1 B of 15Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand

2 Lots Of Isms Part 1

5 Lots Of Isms Part 2

8 Long Letters 1

12 Surrey Docks

PDF Date: 25 October 2020

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt

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Blogs - 2020 - October

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Lots Of Isms Part 1

We are surrounded by lots of Ismsnowadays. This particular suffix is one thatcan be added to almost any word and ifsomeone regularly makes the same kind ofcomment or turn of phrase, the suffix mayend up being added to their name. Thebasic outline from which such words arederived may be a common one that youalready know, but, in the heat of theshorthand chase, you don’t have time to gothrough the options, and something mustbe written instantly. An emergency* outlinewould just add the “ism” syllable after thebasic outline, and I know that all my fellowshorthanders* just can’t wait to get off thebus, train or car, and rush indoors to look itup in the shorthand dictionary, to avoid* a

sleepless night being tormented by a dodgyoutline. Save yourself all this botherationand learn them in advance, thus reducingthe threat of gaps, unreadable outlines orfalling behind the speaker.

* "emergency" Contraction that omits the Nsound

* "shorthanders" Plain doubled N (notthickened) as the doubling includes the Dsound. A thickened doubled N would be

"ing-ger" or "ing-ker".

* "avoid" "evade" Advisable to insert thefirst vowel, as they are similar in outlineand meaning

Lots Of Isms Part 1

I am sure you do not want to escape fromthe shorthand study room, you are merelyescaping from the chains of longhand. Aftera time of studying the shorthand book, youmay wind down by watching a video orreading a book as a form of ESCAPISM. Itis a good idea to learn, rest and review inequal measures. The ideal is to spread outthese activities. You may be an idealist withthe perfect learning plan, and yourIDEALISM may involve a lot of hard work toachieve. Your real ambition is to gain areally useful skill. You are a realist who

realises that it is more interesting to pursueREALISM than daydreams. NATURALISM inart concentrates on the natural world andrural scenes. A journalist* writingsensational stories purely for effect isindulging in SENSATIONALISM. THEISM isthe belief that God exists and ATHEISM* isthe opposite.

* "journalist" Optional contraction

* "atheism" Always insert the first vowel toensure correct reading





Lots Of Isms Part 1

The word ego* is the Latin for "I". Aconceited or self-centred person is calledegotistic and their actions are described asegotistical. The quality of EGOTISM is veryunattractive. EGOISM is a less commonversion of this meaning. A more attractivecharacter trait* is ALTRUISM, where theperson has unselfish concern for thewelfare of others. They are an altruist andtheir actions are altruistic. A TRUISM is astatement that is so obvious as to be

unnecessary to mention, in other words aplatitude. It is a TRUISM to say thatlearning shorthand takes time and effort*.

* "ego" Using the pronunciation "eego".Can also be "egg-o"

* "trait" Sometimes pronounced "tray"

* Omission phrase "time (and) effort"

Lots Of Isms Part 1

CAPITALISM is an economic system wheregoods and wealth are produced by privateindividuals and companies, as opposed tothe state. A person who promotes and isinvolved in this is* a capitalist. The wordcomes from the Latin for head, and acapital city is the main one in the country.To capitalise on something is to turn it toyour advantage. Material is another wordfor substance, and when something comesinto existence, it has materialised. Theconcept of MATERIALISM places emphasison material objects, as opposed tointellectual or immaterial ideas.

COMMUNISM* is a political system whereall property is deemed to be held incommon by the community as a whole andsupporters are called communists.

* "this is" Not phrased, as the two wordsdon't belong together i.e. you could insertanother word between e.g. "... involved inthis, in their business life, is a capitalist."

* "Communism" Note the dot vowel goesafter the N stroke, as it comes before boththe S and M sounds





Lots Of Isms Part 1

I hope you have an optimistic view of yoursteady progress in learning and improving.OPTIMISM* makes light work of studying.You have chosen the optimum subject fortraining your mind to react quickly, and Ihope you have found the optimum mixtureof reading, practising and resting. We don’twant to dwell on PESSIMISM* though. Thepessimist thinks the worst of everythingand their pessimistic outlook can bringabout the very thing they are fearful of.ANARCHISM is a system of belief that is

against government of any kind, in orderto* attain social liberty, and anarchydescribes social disorder due to theabsence of any government or control.

* "optimism" "pessimism" These outlines(and their derivatives) could look similar ifwritten hastily, so advisable to insert thefirst vowel in each

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

Lots Of Isms Part 1

Nowadays EXTREMISM is seen asundesirable but it is possible* to think ofextremist activities that are not bad. If youare extremely determined to pass the exam,some extremist ploys are necessary to fit itall in before the day of the test. Maybe abetter word for this than EXTREMISM isdetermination or resolve. Such a frame ofmind* will prevent ABSENTEEISM in theshorthand class. Those who absentthemselves may end up being regularabsentees. It cannot be put down toabsent-mindedness but the shorthand

certificate will probably be noticeable by itsabsence. They may feel that their exampaper was failed on a LEGALISM, butlegalistic marking is necessary to ensureadherence to the system being tested.INDIVIDUALISM is the belief in theimportance of the individual’s actions andcan also mean individual peculiarities ofbehaviour, and the person may bedescribed as an individualist. (917 words)

* Omission phrases "it is poss(ible)" "frame(of) mind"





Lots Of Isms Part 2

The Classics refers to the history andculture of ancient Rome and Greece, and aperson who studies this is* called aclassicist. They may become a professor ofCLASSICISM at a university. A race is agroup of persons related by commondescent or characteristics, and thismeaning is nowadays covered by the termethnic group. The adjective is racial.

Unfavourable discrimination between suchgroups is called RACISM, and a person soinclined is called a racist. They may findthemselves ostracised and it is expectedthat this OSTRACISM will lead to a changeof attitude.

* "this is" Not phrased, see note Part1Para1

Lots Of Isms Part 2

A critic is someone who criticises on aregular basis. It is critical to your successto criticise your own shorthand in aconstructive way, sometimes called acritical appraisal, so that improvement ismaintained. CRITICISM from others is notenjoyable* unless requested for practicalpurposes. A WITTICISM is a jest or joke,and CRITICISM can be hidden behind wittyremarks. A skeptic is someone who isdoubtful of certain information and wary ofbelieving what they are told, in other wordsthey have an attitude of SKEPTICISM.EMPIRICISM is the system of gaininginformation from experience or experiment.Empirical data is observed data and not

derived from arguments of theory. Aperson who adheres to this is* anempiricist. A pacifist is someone who isopposed to war and violence, and theirPACIFISM may cause difficulties with thedefence forces of their country. An alcoholicbeverage is one that contains alcohol. Aperson who drinks too much alcohol can besaid to be suffering from alcoholism.

* "enjoyable" Always insert the triphone, asotherwise this is identical to the contraction

"knowledgeable"






Lots Of Isms Part 2

Your shorthand studies may lead you intoJOURNALISM and by then you will no doubtbe using this optional contraction forjournalism* and your other journalistic*endeavours, as a fully qualified journalist*.Belief in the Biblical account of creation isknown as CREATIONISM, in contrast to thetheory of evolution. Electricity used to becalled GALVANISM in the days when it wasfirst discovered and investigated. Strictlyspeaking* GALVANISM refers to electricityproduced by chemical reaction. It is alsoused figuratively when the shorthandstudents were galvanised into action by theannouncement of a shorthand test next

week*. An anachronistic use of a word,which does not fit the historical timescale ofthe text, is known as an ANACHRONISM,which comes from the Greek for “wrongtime”. An ANACHRONISM can also occur ina film or play, such as when an item ismentioned or shown that had not beeninvented at that time.

* "journalism, journalistic, journalist"Optional contractions

* Omission phrases "strict(ly) speaking""nek(st w)eek"

Lots Of Isms Part 2

The suffix is written differently after N Hookor Shun Hook. Using stroke Zee is theMECHANISM that allows the suffix to bewritten conveniently. An ORGANISM is aliving entity, whether animal or plant.MODERNISM is an adherence to modernvalues or styles, in order to* break with thepast. The system of values relating tohuman* interests is called HUMANISM.Artists whose work gives just an impressionof the scene without close detail are calledimpressionists*, as they are working in animpressionistic style, and this artmovement was labelled IMPRESSIONISM.The opposite of this is* the technique of

ILLUSIONISM where the very exact detail isintended to fool the eye into accepting it asreal.

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

* "human" Special outline, above the linefollowing its second vowel, to differentiatefrom "humane"

* "impressionists" A very few outlines havean upward halved S, as unavoidable






Lots Of Isms Part 2

The suffix can be added to contractions.COMMERCIALISM is the principles andpractice of the commercial world in general.REFORMISM is a movement supportingpolitical or religious reform.REPUBLICANISM is the adhering to theprinciples and practice of Republicanpolicies. SUBJECTIVISM is the doctrine*that knowledge is limited to internalexperiences and thoughts, in other wordsmental processes. It is the opposite ofOBJECTIVISM which is the tendency to deal

more with external things and objects. Andfinally, we have those shorthand students*who are perfectly devoted to the subject,strive for perfection of knowledge, outlineand speed, and have earned the title ofperfectionist, one who is committed toPERFECTIONISM. (647 words)

* "doctrine" Optional contraction

* Omission phrase "shorthand s(t)udents"





Long Letters 1

Each of these letters is 300 words, in easymatter, for your stamina training, which intotal would be fifteen minutes at sixtywords a minute* or nine minutes at ahundred. Practise any new outlines, andprepare using the facility drill bookprovided, then take down one letter at yourcomfortable rate, to gain endurance ratherthan pushing for speed. When you can doall three successfully, repeat them all inone take. Your shorthand notes will be neat,flowing and correct, and you will havemade a start on silencing the annoyingmental running commentary* which seeksto interrupt and discourage you from givingyour full attention to recalling and writingthe outlines. Its shrill, irksome and nagginglittle voice gets fainter and after a fewminutes, assuming you are writing fairlyeasily and calmly, it will give up in disgustand leave you alone. Therefore you need to

record the matter yourself, reading asevenly as possible from the shorthandgiven, which should then match yourpresent comfortable writing speed. Repeatit all another day, to ensure you have madea consistent gain in your ability* toconcentrate and keep going. A victoryagainst mental interruptions is like gettinggravel out of your shoes in order to* run arace and is just as necessary as learningnew outlines. (222 words)

* Omission phrases "words (a) minute" "inord(er to)"

* "running commentary" See blog April2012 "Running Commentary" thatdiscusses this

* "in your ability" Using the suffix torepresent the word





Long Letters 1

Dear Thomas, Thanks for your phone callthe other day. That is a brilliant idea to getall the family photos together and finallyget them sorted. In this package are all ourphotos. Some of them* are very old, soyou will have a time recognising some of us,looking very young and different from now.There are bits written on the back to helpwith names, but when you have copiedthem all, you can send me some printoutsand I will write on who everyone is andany other* information that Janet and I canremember. I think if you contact Rick andLinda they will have more for you and canalso help with the family tree you are doing,as they also have an interest in that. Whata shame you couldn’t* come up here, butour friend Mike is going to help us buy a

good sized* tablet so that we can see eachother online, and he will help us to makeour first call, to get us started. We are gladMike has offered to help us. It’s* all new tous but I am sure we will manage fine.

* Omission phrases "some (of) them" "anyoth(er)". The strokes are not doubled, asthat would read "some other" and "another"

* "couldn't" "It's" Apostrophied phrases arealways written in full and with all theirvowels

* "sized" Ensure the loop is clear, as "goodsize" would also make sense

Long Letters 1

While digging for photos, Janet found all hercake recipes and has written out theginger* cake one for Sarah, as we knowyou always enjoy that when you come. Iwonder how your college plans are going,with all the disruptions. Don’t* forget, it’sthe keenest ones who will make it throughand I know you will do the necessary andstudy hard, to make up for the time spentaway from the college classrooms. Do letus know what you are getting up to next,

so we can follow your progress from ourarmchairs this winter! Love Joe and Janet(300 words)

* "ginger" Optional Contraction that omitsthe N

* "Don't" Always insert the vowel for thisapostrophied phrase, as without it, thiswould read "do not"





Long Letters 1

Dear Uncle Joe, How are you doing? I hopeeverything is going well for you and thefamily. We really wanted to come and seeyou but it just hasn’t* been possible overthe summer. I hope you got my parcel OKreturning all the photos that you let mehave. I spent a whole week copying themall onto my computer, so they are now safefor the future, and we can share themaround the family. I also had a great timeediting the scans of the damaged photos toget rid of the marks, as I have a really easy

programme to help me do that. I will sendyou a copy of that wedding one, with allthe creases and spots gone, it looks great.This summer has been an unexpectedopportunity to get on with creating thefamily tree and everyone has been able togive me loads of information which hasbeen very interesting.

* "hasn't" Apostrophied phrases are alwayswritten in full and with all their vowels

Long Letters 1

I have also had more time* to catch up oncollege revision, so I was well preparedwhen classes began last week*. I havemade the most of the time available and Ifeel that* it will really get me ahead, sothat I get more out of the course work andlectures. Please thank Auntie Janet forsending us her ginger cake recipe, Sarahmade it straight away. It turned out greatand we are enjoying every bite, plus wehave some in the freezer as well. We reallyappreciate it now that the weather is colder.Can we be cheeky and ask for herChristmas cake recipe as well, so that

Sarah can get started on that? Thanks foreverything, Uncle, and we really hope wecan see you before Christmas. With muchlove and best wishes*, Tom (300 words)

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

* Omission phrases "las(t w)eek" "I fee(l)that"

* "best wishes" Upward Ish in order tomake the join





Long Letters 1

Dear Rick and Linda, Thanks for your email,sorry I wasn’t* able to reply straight away.That is a great idea if you can scan yourphotos for me, it is quite time consuming todo them at high res, so I am grateful youcan do that. Sometimes it’s better to dosomething else while the scanner movesalong so slowly, especially on the bigphotos. Thanks for the write-up of variousbits of family history, I will add that to myfolder. Well, you never know what is goingto turn up and I was amazed* to hear thatLinda was a shorthand teacher in the dayswhen it was used in offices everywhere.

And yes, certainly, I would love to havethose books so I can learn to writeshorthand for my future career. I will bedoing Business Studies at Uni and I knowthere will be loads of note taking necessary,and indeed I will always need to do that asI work my way rapidly up the corporateladder! What a fantastic opportunity.

* "wasn't" Apostrophied phrases are alwayswritten in full and with all their vowels

* "amazed" "amused" Always insert thesecond vowel

Long Letters 1

I know Linda says it doesn’t* take that long,but as I have lots* of college work, it maytake me just a little longer. I think whenthe books arrive, the* family tree stuff willget put on hold, so I have more time* forthe shorthand. I can’t wait to see how it allworks and get started. I am sure I can do itall from the book, as I am used to studyinglike that, and it is so kind of Linda to offerto read and record all the passages for meand send them as sound files. It’s going tobe a great year ahead and I feel my futurereally does start now! Tom (300 words)(Totals: Letters 900 words, Article 1122words)

* "doesn't" Apostrophied phrases arealways written in full and with all theirvowels

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

* "arrive the" Not using Tick The, as thereis a slight pause

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





Surrey Docks

I am always scouring the online map forplaces of interest in London. This has beena challenge this year, and we haverestricted ourselves to the open spaces tothe south of the river, to avoid using thetube trains. There is always the river itselfto provide interest at a multitude of viewingpoints along its banks. A few days ago werevisited some of the open spaces aroundRotherhithe, which is just west of

Greenwich, and to the north of the railwayline that leads to London Bridge Station.This area was known as the SurreyCommercial Docks (now called SurreyQuays), which fell into disuse in thenineteen sixties and were transformed inthe nineteen eighties into business, housingand parkland areas. Most of the docks havebeen retained as bodies of water and somefilled in and landscaped.

Surrey Docks

Many of the road and dock names reflectthe trade of the past: Watermans Way,Deal Porters Walk, Timber Pond Road, andDeck, Keel, Hull, Galleon, Schooner andSkipper Closes. Gunwhale Close seems tobe a mixture of gunwale and a reminder ofthe Arctic whaling trade that unloaded atGreenland Dock. My only encounter withthis word is the phrase “stuffed to thegunnels” meaning loaded, right up to the

top plank or wale of the ship, or in knittingwhere a wale is a vertical row of stitches.Place names are an equally intriguing partof the history of an area, the older onesdescribing what was there at the time, andthe modern ones on new roads and housingestates providing a particularly long-lastingway of marking the past and giving a fittingcharacter to the area.





Surrey Docks

We went by train to Canada Water Stationand walked to Canada Water itself. It wasa very pleasant* October day, almost like aspring day in May, with mild breezes and ablue cloud-dotted sky. The water wassparkling, and moorhens* and swans weremeandering along the edges of the water.They like to keep an eye on people walkingabout, in case anything edible comes theirway from the left-over sandwiches. Thereare little perching and resting islands andduck houses on floating platforms*. Oneside of the water is entirely filled with widereed beds and trees, providing shelter andforaging places for the birds and wildlife.We walked down to Greenland Dock, a largelong rectangular water. It was a pleasant*and expansive* outlook today, but inwinter it must be* a very chilly sight for theresidents, probably best viewed whileleaning on the warm radiator under the

window. We wondered whether it everfroze over, or at least* the edges, andthought it probably did, which wasconfirmed when we made an online imagesearch when we got home.

* "pleasant" "pleasing" Insert the vowel toprevent misreading

* "moorhens" Note the clockwise first circleto denote the Hay stroke

* "platforms" Optional contraction

* "expansive" Keep the P stroke veryshallow, to provide maximum differentationfrom "extensive" which has a similarmeaning

* Omission phrase "it mus(t) be"

* “at least” “at last” Always insert thevowel

Surrey Docks

From there* we made our way to RussiaDock Woodland. Everywhere there are theremains of the docks - granite edgingstones, rail lines inset into the granite,pieces of winding gear for lines and ropes,and other unidentified machinery*, somestill in situ and some placed around ashistorical items from a past era. In a pit wesaw the huge iron wheel and chains thatmoved a large swing bridge over the cut,now with ivy and brambles creepingtowards and over it. The bridge is longgone and the cut has become a lower levelpath with an unassuming roadwayspanning it. We took several guesses but

had to wait until we got home to find outwhat the machinery* remains were. RussiaDock Woodland is a long narrow park, witha central ditch running where the dock oncewas. The straight path on one side retainsthe original enormous smooth graniteblocks that formed the waterside edge ofthe dock. The other side has been plantedas woodland with winding paths.

* "from there" Doubling to represent "there"

* "machinery" Optional contraction thatomits the N sound





Surrey Docks

A half hour slow amble led to Stave HillEcological Park and Stave Hill, named afterStave Dock. The hill is an artificial conicalmound* thirty feet high, created fromrubble left over from the landscaping of thearea during the mid nineteen eighties. Icounted 58 steps, which was quitereasonable as they are not steep, althoughwe did see two very fit enthusiasts runningup the steps, walking down, and then

repeating. On the flat top is a relief map inbronze, showing the docklands area as itwas in the past, and there is a good view inall directions, just above the woodlandtrees.

* "mound" Same outline as "mount" whichhas a similar meaning. If felt necessary inanother context, write either of theseoutside the rules, with full strokes. Surrey Docks

We then walked down Dock Hill Avenuetowards Surrey Water and on to the river,passing the red bascule bridge over the cutbetween Surrey Water and the Thames. Atthe riverside is the circular red brickbuilding housing the ventilation shaft of theRotherhithe Tunnel, which runs under theriver Thames north east from here, and it isquite amusing*, or maybe alarming, to seeon the map the road name of “A101”*placed on the water itself. We turned leftand walked westwards along the riversidepaths and roads, through the old streetsand between the close and looming oldwharf buildings, which are now desirableflats and homes. We ended up at King’sStairs, a small green sitting area

overlooking the river, for our well overduesnack. Despite it being high tide, the onlymovement on the river was a few of thehigh-speed river taxis, much fewer thannormal and no cruise boats going up anddown, due to the lack of visitors andtourists.

* "amusing" "amazing" Always insert thevowel in these and their derivatives

* "A101" Normal letters can be writteneither upper or lower case, whichever ismore convenient. Letters and numbers canbe marked by a wavy line underneath, toprevent misreading as shorthand.





Surrey Docks

We retraced our route back to RotherhitheStation. The train line uses the ThamesTunnel created by the Brunels in the earlyeighteen hundreds, and the modern shinysteel stairs down to the platform* aresurrounded by the very dark, dingy* andencrusted old brickwork of the originalshaft. I am sure the Brunels would bedelighted to see trains using their tunnelnearly two centuries later. Once home anonline search revealed all sorts of otheritems that we missed, so a return visit is

definitely necessary. Knowing a little of thehistory in advance adds interest to thevarious fragments of iron, steel and granite,and changes in level of the paths and roads,a faint mirror into the past three centuriesof trading activity at these docks. (1050words)

* "platform" Optional contraction

* "dingy" Meaning gloomy/dirty; the wordfor the inflatable boat is spelled "dinghy"

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Blogs - 2020 - October 2 Lots Of Isms Part 1 5 Lots Of